CARLOS SANTANA — Love Devotion Surrender (with John McLaughlin) (review)

CARLOS SANTANA — Love Devotion Surrender (with John McLaughlin) album cover

Album · 1973 · Fusion

5/5 · 2024-10-11
FunkFreak75

I received this album in the mail as the Columbia Record Club's "Record of the Month." I'd heard Santana's hits--even the long versions on our local album-oriented FM station, WABX--and I was already a big fan of Latin rhythms due to my dad's obsession with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass and Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66--which he blasted on his stereo quite often in the late 60s. But I was not, by any means, prepared for what Love Devotion Surrender unleashed. Even when I saw McLaughlin and his double neck guitar with Mahavishnu Orchestra doing things that I didn't understand on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert later in the year I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. I think this is why this album didn't quite click with me for a while. I listened to it--a lot (I didn't own many albums at this time--though I had a pretty hot Soul/R&B collection in 45s). I always thought that I was listening to two guitarists of two completely different levels of competency. I didn't know Coltrane or his works and had only begun to know some jazz and fusion but loved guitarists (Jeff Beck mostly), so I stuck with it. After the 70s, the album pretty much fell off my radar. Until a few years ago, I don't think I'd heard it for over 30 years. Now I listen to it with a sense of awe and wonder. I feel so fortunate that we have this testament to the genius and inspiration of all of these masters in their peak years of adventurosity. Larry Young. Dougie Rauch. (Both taken from us far too soon--and both among my very favorite 1970s instrumentalists.) Billy Cobham. Don Alias. Michael Shrieve. Mingo Lewis. Jan Hammer. The album (and my worship for John McLaughlin) even prompted my visit to Sri Chimnoy's vegan restaurant in Haight Ashbury the first time I ever visited SF. Now I find myself listening to it multiple times per month. It is, to my mind, to my heart, one of the peak achievements in jazz-rock fusion collaborations. Yes, I wish I had more control of the sound mix (I want so badly to listen to JUST Dougie Rauch and JUST Larry Young and JUST Billy C.) but I'm just so fortunate to have it all that I won't complain. For people in the know, Larry's organ play magically provided a bridge between the two guitarists and their individual styles--with Larry's two hands somehow representing each one of the leaders. But this is difficult for the unschooled, ignorant listener to pick up due partly to the often poor mix of the individual instrumentalists.

1. "A Love Supreme" (7:48) a masterful condensed rendition of the Coltrane classic that does a great job of capturing the essence of the original while being elevated and celebrated by these two spiritually-infused guitarists. The opening alone does an amazing job of announcing what the listener is in for: not your typical Santana album! Organist Khalid Yasim (formerly known as "Larry Young") gets the honor of playing a little while the expanded band takes their time gelling and grooving. Then it's off to the races as John and Carlos take turns of about 10-to-20 seconds each in a noncompetitive duel of ascendent transcendence. The choral chant of the title begins in the sixth minute while Khalid gets another chance to show off his amazing skills. (14/15)

2. "Naima" (3:09) acoustic guitar duets don't get much more beautiful than this. Beautiful respite between the two bookends of Side One. (9.25/10)

3. "The Life Devine" (9:30) the drumming and percussion play on this one is alone worth the price of admission, but then you get John and Carlos--and Larry! and Armando and Mingo--and "the note"! (at the end of the fourth minute). The best engineered (though still lacking) and most fully-invested feeling song of the album. The band was obviously warmed up by this point--and the soloists on firing on all cylinders. (19.5/20)

4. "Let Us Go into the House of the Lord" (15:45) John's domination of the song's first four-minutes is a bit excessive (and selfish?) but he was probably just in "the zone." After this, the song just really kicks in with everybody just smooth-groovin' beneath and with Carlos--until the second half of the sixth minute when Khalid, Billy, Shrieve, and the percussionists start to play. When John re-takes the lead at the end of the seventh minute it is tasteful and only to open the way for Khalid to take off. What a solo! (Too bad his volume is mixed beneath that of the percussion and guitarists playing rhythm chords.) With all that Afro-Latin rhythm around him he probably couldn't help being inspired. It's not until well into the 12th minute that the two guitarists start "duelling" i.e. playing off one another--both displaying incredible moments of tenderness and melodic beauty in their still-fiery play. I really like the extended/prolonged ending. Not the best song on the album--nor the best sound engineering--but still a treasure for capturing these two at this particularly numinous point in both of their lives. (28/30)

5. "Meditation" (2:45) John on gentle piano chord play while Carlos expresses his profound inspiration and gratitude with a steel-string acoustic guitar. I simply can't find a flaw with this one--nor a reason to devalue it as less than a full, completed song composition. (10/10)

Total Time 38:57

I love the beautiful two acoustic pieces--especially John's "Meditation"--and "Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord" may just be my favorite jazz-fusion jam of all-time. And give me those Santana conga and bass lines all day long! I feed off of them!

A/five stars; I have absolutely no reservations about proclaiming this album, flawed as it may be, a masterpiece of progressive jazz-rock fusion music, a pinnacle and landmark of the jazz-rock fusion "movement."