CARAVANSERAI

Side One is a masterpiece, and Santana's crowning achievement. This one goes beyond ABRAXAS. If the album produced no "hits," that is in its favor - all the songs on side 1 are of a piece, and chances are you'll come to this album fresh. It's like a Latinized version of King Crimson's RED period. Many of the musicians on this album were veterans of jazz fusion, and this album should appeal to a variety of musical listeners - those who love Crimson, those who love Corea's RETURN TO FOREVER and Miles' IN A SILENT WAY, those who love Floyd's album-centered approach. I'm not even particularly a fan of Santana, but this ranks as one of my all-time favorite albums of the 70s. If you have a great soundsystem, you'll be blown away by the percussions and energy of the playing. This is really a *band* album, and I'm almost jealous of the person who discovers this album for the first time. Unfortunately, side 2 is more a collection of songs - excellent songs, no doubt, but without the flow and unity of side 1.