SANTANA — Zebop! (review)

SANTANA — Zebop! album cover Album · 1981 · Latin Rock/Soul Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
Sean Trane
After the surprising (and cornerstone) album of Marathon, this albumhad me completely worried with its highly unusual (for Santana) artwork which was a little too trendy for me, not to ring a few alarm bells. And from the few I heard on the radio, it was actually confirming my fears. Santana had indeed moved to the 80’s also and were trying to survive.

I was definitely not a fan of the Cat Stevens cover Changes and even now I still have an uneasy twitch when I hear it, although I must admit it it is less the case nowadays. Maybe it aged better than I thought it would. It is a feeling that can be applied to the whole album actually. E Papa Re is a typical 80’s Santana Latin rocker, while Primavera Invasion is an indication that the 70’s group was still there with all its power. But unfortunately this album holds its share of much lesser tracks (dare I say stinkers?) such as Searching (a hit for them) and its execrable twin Winning (the other hit of it) with an awful 80’s feel. Kilimandjaro might just be the highlight of the album, and Sensitive Kind is your typical 80’s Santana separating another excellent rocker American Gypsy. The closing Brightest Star and Hannibals end the album in a better fashion than it started.

Having re-listened to the album these last few weeks, I must say that it is not as bad as I remembered it (bar the real stiiiiiiiiiiiinkers), but it will remain an 80’s thing with short tracks (meaning the duds are so also) with it’s fair share of repeatings (Much Too Much reminding yopu the cheesiness of Amigos what’s been said before. Hardly essential and maybe the low point in the group’s career (until recently), but many groups would love having their worst albums as good as this one.

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

About (or On)First Visit Avant-Garde Jazz
ELLERY ESKELIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Noah Kaplan Quartet : Out Of The Hole Avant-Garde Jazz
NOAH KAPLAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
To Walk On Eggshells Avant-Garde Jazz
RUSS JOHNSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Snakeoil : Snakeoil Ok Avant-Garde Jazz
TIM BERNE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Poetry of Place (from the exhibit by painter Karen Allen) Jazz Related Improv/Composition
CHRIS DINGMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio Dream a Dream
SATOKO FUJII
js· 1 day ago
Wojciech Jachna Squad - Ad Astra (Promo Teaser)
WOJCIECH JACHNA
snobb· 4 days ago
Nitty Gritty
RUSS SPIEGEL
js· 4 days ago
Never in a 100.000.000 Dreams
SUPERSISTER
js· 5 days ago
Love is a Fire that Burns Unseen
PETER MADSEN
js· 5 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed