Santana Alabraxas

Drawing on rock, salsa, and jazz, Santana recorded one imaginative, unpredictable gem after another during the 1970s. But Caravanserai is daring even by Santana's high standards. Carlos Santana was obviously very hip to jazz fusion – something the innovative guitarist provides a generous dose of on the largely instrumental Caravanserai. Whether its approach is jazz-rock or simply rock, this album is consistently inspired and quite adventurous. Full of heartfelt, introspective guitar solos, it lacks the immediacy of Santana or Abraxas. Like the type of jazz that influenced it, this pearl (which marked the beginning of keyboardist/composer Tom Coster's highly beneficial membership in the band) requires a number of listenings in order to be absorbed and fully appreciated. But make no mistake: this is one of Santana's finest accomplishments.

Arriving at the twilight of the 1960s, Santana were psychedelic pioneers who ushered Latin rock into the mainstream with their first three albums: Santana, Abraxas, and Santana III. Thanks to their appearance at Woodstock, their eponymous album was a smash hit right out of the gate, with its single "Evil Ways" making it into the Billboard Top Ten in 1969. They remained at the top of the charts until 1973, when leader and namesake guitarist Carlos Santana began exploring esoteric, spiritual jazz fusion on his own.

The San Francisco Bay Area rock scene of the late '60s was one that encouraged radical experimentation and discouraged the type of mindless conformity that's often plagued corporate rock. When one considers just how different Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and the Grateful Dead sounded, it becomes obvious just how much it was encouraged. In the mid-'90s, an album as eclectic as Abraxas would be considered a marketing exec's worst nightmare…

Shaman is the nineteenth studio album by Santana. Shaman was released on October 22, 2002 and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Double Platinum in US. The first single of the album was "The Game of Love", featuring Michelle Branch. "Why Don't You & I", featuring Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, was also re-recorded as a single in 2003, which featured Alex Band of The Calling. Like the previous album, Supernatural, Shaman features various famous rock, hip hop, and pop artists, as well as Spanish opera star, Plácido Domingo. The album is currently Santana's longest studio release to date. The International Version (outside the U.S.) drops the track "Since Supernatural", shuffles the remaining tracks, and includes the song "Let Me Love You Tonight".

Santana's Greatest Hits is a 1974 compilation album by Santana. It offers highlights from the group's first three albums. It is the band's best-selling compilation album, selling over 7 million copies in the U.S. alone while selling more than 8 million records worldwide.