Santana Santana/CO,USA 1971

Santana III, the third album that reached number one on the Billboard charts, was recorded from January to July 1971 and released in September. Carlos Santana was shifting to jazz, including his involvement with the Sri Chinmoy religious order and his relationship with John McLaughlin. It was around the time of the third album that people started to rumor that he was just trying to copy McLaughlin. Gregg Rolie was trying to create a sound that would inspire the audience and please the fans at live shows. A rift gradually developed between the two. Then bassist Dave Brown left the band due to his drug habits. Also, Chepito Elias suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and Santana wanted to continue with a temporary replacement (first Willie Bobo, then Coke Escobedo), but the rest of the band, especially Michael Carabello, felt that it was wrong to play in public without Elias. Things came to a head when Santana asked Carabello to leave the band. This is a soundboard recording from the “Santana III” tour, recorded at the Denver Coliseum on September 28, 1971 (there is a distortion in “Toussaint L’Overture”). Carlos Santana is absent. It’s not because he’s sick, but because they had a fight and decided to tour with members other than Santana. Of course, I can’t say that it’s inferior. There is a 17-year-old Neal Schon, and his guitar is certainly impressive, and the audience cheered. And Greg’s organ is also in the foreground, and Greg is the lead vocalist, so there’s no problem. Tom Ratley’s bass, Carabello and Cork Escobeto’s percussion, and Michael Shreve’s drums are all great. And above all, the songs they performed are the best. Ironically, “No One To Depend On,” a new song from the third album, a cover of Tito Puente’s “Para Los Rumberos,” and a cover of Miles Davis’ “In A Silent Way” are included in the set list even without Santana. After a few shows, Santana reunited with the band, but Carabello, Elias, and manager/promoter Stan Markham left, and the band was left without a percussionist (no live recordings from this period have been leaked). However, James Mingo Lewis saw the band’s live performance and asked him to become a temporary percussionist. Then, at a Santana live performance in Lima, Peru in December 1971, a riot broke out, the equipment was confiscated, and the band was exiled from the country. In 1972, new players were added to the studio one after another for the next album, and Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon, who were growing anxious, left the band after the album was completed, and Gregg returned to his home in Seattle for a while, but later became founding members of Journey with Neal. Eventually, with the rise of Steve Perry, Gregg Rolie’s presence in the band gradually faded. He then left Journey, and Gregg recommended synth user Jonathan Cain as his successor. Prince later noticed that Jonathan’s song “Faithfully” sounded similar to his classic song “Purple Rain,” so he called Jonathan to ask if it was OK to release it. Denver Coliseum, Denver, CO September 28, 1971 01. Batuka 02. No One To Depend On 03. Taboo 04. Se A Cabo 05. Waiting 06. Incident At Neshabur 07. Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen 08. Oye Como Va 09. In A Silent Way 10. Toussaint L’Overture 11. Evil Ways 12. Para Los Rumberos 13. Soul Sacrifice