There are a couple of things that dying young will do for you besides a fancy funeral. Immortalization and idolization. That has worked well for Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Jimi Hendrix. So the mere fact that he is still alive and now has a women’s shoe line at Macy’s shouldn’t take away from the greatness that is Carlos Santana.
I got to see Santana in Minneapolis about 10+ years ago. GREAT concert. It was about the time he was pairing with Rob Thomas and they had that huge hit, “Smooth.” Another one of those concerts where my eyes are glazed in the presence of a music idol and my mom and sister are “along for the ride.”  We were pretty high up in the arena, so the smell of the wafting hashish from all of the 40-somethings reliving Woodstock was strong. My sister and I looked at each other and laughed and asked my mom if she “smelled that.” Her reply? “Smell what? Smells like somebody has B.O.”  Another mom LOL.
Fun Facts about “Black Magic Woman”:
Santana’s version of “Black Magic Woman” is the most popular version of the song, even though it was written by Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green.
First released in 1968 by Mac, then in 1970 by Santana after he blended it with Gabor Szabo’s, “Gypsy Queen” to make it his own.
That’s not Carlos Santana singing. It’s vocalist Gregg Rolie.
Tags: 60s, 70s, Fleetwood Mac, Santana
Spooky? Spirited, possessive. The rhythm of Gypsy Queen kind of takes over the body. It is Santana’s tour de force. A great arrangement. Say Santana and fans may also think “Evil Ways” or “Oye Como Va,” where it feels as if Carlos’ guitar is trying to communicate with you. Al is a huge Santana fan. May be he’ll comment.
I love the subtle intro. A full minute twenty seconds before lyrics….awesome. I also enjoyed “The game of Love” with Michelle Branch.