No question about it, Santana remains one of the most important and innovative bands in the history of popular music. However, I'd argue that the BAND is more crucial to their sound than Carlos himself in some ways. That's saying a hell of a lot, by the way! I'm NOT a fan of "jamming" or the jam aesthetic, however, Santana are one of the VERY few who can still pull it off, and mean every note they play. For better or worse. Like someone said earlier, YES, 'Abraxas' is still their best album to this day. A near masterpiece for sure (...
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