Santana

There have been numerous compilations of early Santana material from the late '60s that didn't appear on their label of the time, Columbia. Early Years: An Anthology has two CDs of the stuff, and it sure would be nice for it to have historical liner notes giving some sort of specific details and context for where, why, and when the tracks were recorded. All it divulges, however, is that it was recorded at Pacific Recording Studios in San Mateo, CA (just south of San Francisco) in 1969, though the "bonus track," "Evil Ways," is identified as having been done at the Fillmore in 1968. It's a shame this isn't given fuller annotation, for the music itself is pretty strong and usually well-recorded, if obviously less developed than the tracks that would be done for their official 1969 debut LP. A few of these, in fact, are different versions of songs that ended up on that LP, including "Soul Sacrifice," "Jingo," and "Persuasion." Much of it's given over to jam-like instrumentals that, though lacking in the focus and structural tightness of most of the material from the early Santana albums, are nonetheless pretty exciting, hot performances. Often, too, they boast an even more pronounced Latin flavor than the usual early Santana authorized studio releases, particularly on the cover of Willie Bobo's "Fried Neckbones & Home Fries." Elsewhere, there's a nice affecting soul ballad that didn't find a place on the early albums ("As the Years Go By"), an unexpected if not terribly impressive cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends," and a thumpy remix (by one DJ Rad) of "El Carzon Manda" that should have been axed. That still leaves a lot of historically interesting, acceptably enjoyable music -- about two-hours-and-twenty minutes in all, in fact -- that many Santana fans will find valuable, despite the subpar packaging. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide