Santana/London,UK 1971 First Show

This CD was made with a good soundboard recording of a live performance at Hammersmith Odeon, London on May 8, 1971, directly from a Santana collector’s treasured tape. The vocal input on “Black Magic Woman” is small, but there is no problem with “Evil Ways” and “Taboo”. First of all, I’m happy with the performance of “Batuka”, a hit from the masterpiece “Santana III” and also covered by Prince. “Everybody’s Everything” is very soulful with Tower of Power participating in the studio recording, but they are not here. However, it is still a performance with a sense of speed and is very wonderful. I am grateful that these two songs are performed by the original members, that is, the strongest members of the band, including Neal Schon and Coke Escobedo. HAMMERSMITH ODEON LONDON, UK MAY 8, 1971 (1st SHOW) 1. Batuka/Ballin’ 2. Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen 3. Jungle Strut 4. Toussaint L’Ouverture/Evil Ways 5. Taboo 6. Se A Cabo 7. Everybody’s Everything 8. Gumbo 9. Soul Sacrifice Carlos Santana (g/perc/vo) Neal Schon (g) Gregg Rolie (kbd/vo) David Brown (b) Coke Escovedo (perc) Michael Carabello (perc) Jose “Chepito” Areas (perc) Michael Shrieve (ds)