As much as I truly enjoy the first 3 Santana albums (and I'd wager those albums are all most people think of when they think of Santana), the next phase was a major leap forward for the band. "Caravanserai" through "Welcome" may have confused early Santana fans (where's the vocals? where's the guitar??) but Carlos and company added so much more color to the Santana palette with these albums.
In the middle of all this experimentation, Carlos Santana recorded an album with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin (they both shared a guru -- don't ask). The result. "Love, Devotion and Surrender", was a head-scratcher for me. The first track is a cover of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", both guitarists blasting out of the gate at full strength. Huh? Is this supposed to sound like an argument? Where's the love?
I was better acclimated when I got to what was at the time Side Two, which opened with "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord". That track starts out quiet and builds in intensity, which my ignorant ears could follow. Another Santana/McLaughlin track "Flame Sky" (from "Welcome") follows the same template with excellent results.
And I got to hear this album again thanks to Freegal, the library service which allows you to download 3 tracks a week -- for free!
Final note: my brother and I went to see Carlos and John in concert when they toured together, which was unfortunately marred by John's amplifier problems. He'd launch into a solo, interrupted by SKRONK!! and then silence as he and a roadie attempted to fix the problem. Meanwhile, Carlos gamely carried on until John could rejoin, but once again SKRONK!! Sigh...
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