FunkFreak75 When you really think about it, this was an absolutely amazing debut album: to have such power, force, consistency, progressivity, while still producing multiple hits--for both FM and AM radio! Simply unheard of (in the prog/Jazz-rock fusion world). Albeit, Carlos and crew don't really fully enter the fold of true prog until their third and fourth albums and his collaborations with Buddy Miles, John McLaughlin, and Alice Coltrane, there are definitely songs and features of both the debut and Abraxas that bear awe from even the most proggy of critics. Compare this album to the debuts of Jazz-Rockers like CHICAGO or NUCLEUS, THE SOFT MACHINE or COLOSSEUM, BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS or THE FREE SPIRITS and you have to give Carlos and company their due. From the opening cymbal, percussion and organ lines of the album's opening song, "Waiting" you know you're in for something special. And then you go into the classic 60s hit, "Evil Ways" which, despite it's SLY & THE FAMILY STONE start, really cooks as it gets deeper into the album. "Shades of Time" is as strong as anything on the Chicago debut and stronger than anything on The Doors albums. "Savor" and "Jin-go-lo-ba" jam, the latter a Latin rock masterpiece. "Pursuasion" shows off the band and singer's Blood, Sweat & Tears side. "Treat" gives a nod to older jazz and Latin forms and artists. "You Just Don't Care" gives more of a nod to the white side of the blues-rock scene (think Yardbirds & John Mayall) and the album's finale, "Soul Sacrifice," with its earworm melodies and call-and-response play between the guitar and organ--as well as between the percussionists--remains one of the most iconic Jazz-rock songs of all-time--largely in part to its presence in the Woodstock movie and reputation as a highlight at the 1969 "Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music" otherwise known as the Woodstock Music Festival. There you have it: the complete set list for one awesome debut album. Is it perfect? No--not nearly. Is it mind-blowing and breath-taking? Some would argue, Yes. In terms of a prog rock, I'd call it a bridge, a harbinger of things to come.

FunkFreak75 Another San Francisco band out of and in the vein of a funked up Latin-Cubano/SANTANA sound (including the contributions of several of Carlos' key collaborators like the Escovedo family).

Lineup / Musicians: - Paul Jackson / Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass [Fender] - Victor Pantoja / Congas, Vocals - Lenny White / Drums, Vocals - George Muribus / Electric Piano - Flip Nuñez / Organ - George DiQuattro / Piano [Acoustic], Clavinet - Mel Martin / Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute - Bob Ferreira / Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute - Coke Escovedo / Timbales, Producer - Tom Harrell / Trumpet - Jules Rowell / Valve Trombone - Wendy Haas / Vocals - Errol Knowles / Vocals - Pete Escovedo / Vocals - Rico Reyes (SANTANA) / Vocals With: - Jim Vincent / Guitar (tracks: A3, A5, B1) - Neal Schon / Guitar (A3, A5, B1)

A1. "La Piedra Del Sol" (1:13) definitely a polite introduction to the sound palette the rest of the album will hold: horns, percussion, and electric keys, guitars, and bass, here given an orchestral form. (4.5/5)

A2. "Mamita Linda" (3:40) like a professionally-crafted Latin drum-line from Havana or Panama City, this one flows pretty well (Paul Jackson's bass sound is a little incongruous) and then the Cuban-style piccolo, timbales, piano, and group male vocals are awesome! (Now I see where the Miami Sound Machine got their sound.) Excellent music! Who says musica Cubano isn't full-fledged jazz?! (9/10)

A3. "Ain't Got No Special Woman" (5:59) a little Curtis MAYFIELD flair for vocalist Rico Reyes to sing over. More blues-based R&B than J-R fusion. Nice guitar work from Jim Vincent and Neal Schon in the third and fourth minutes which is then followed by a sudden shift into a purely-Latin section to close. (8.875/10)

A4. "Empty Prophet" (5:27) a very soulful male vocal performance is supported as if by a studio orchestra giving this song more of a Lou Rawls or Coleman Hawkins feel. Very well done though definitely not belonging in the domain of Jazz-Rock Fusion. (9/10)

A5. "Can't Take The Funk Out Of Me" (4:22) again I am so reminded of the music of CURTIS MAYFIELD's debut albums despite the Parliament-like funk horns and vocal arrangements. Errol Knowles' raspy soul/R&B vocal is wonderfully supported/accented by the gospel-like background choir. Lenny White is a real standout as is the clavinet play from George DiQuattro, and this is one of the better Paul Jackson performances on the album. Rated down for not being as fusiony as the others. (8.75/10)

"Peace Everybody" (4:30) Paul and Lenny open this one as if in a competitive race. And then the rather crisp and well-arranged horns join in with the percussionists and rest of the band to support a choral vocal of the title words. The anti-war vocals in between the choral chants are quite like those of The Fifth Dimension or a Stephen Schwartz Broadway musical. This reminds me a lot of Billy Cobham's first band, DREAMS--even when the AVERAGE WHITE BAND section that supports Mel Martin's dynamic saxophone solo in fourth minute. (9/10)

"Non Pacem" (6:39) an excellent multiple motif song with choir vocals like Giants with some excellent solos from Tom Harrell on trumpet and Mel Martin on Soprano Saxophone as well as super solid contributions to the rhythm track from multiple percussionists. Latin jazz-rock funk rarely gets better than this! (10/10)

"Ah! Ah!" (3:24) a repetitious blend of Cubano-style horn-and-percussion-based structure with R&B electric instruments and a very Caribbe-sounding vocal arrangement. (8.875/10)

"Love Not Then" (5:00) such a pretty R&B groove--right up there with The Fifth Dimension, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and even Marvin Gaye. Great instrumental performances of an awesome arrangement. I love both the smooth female lead and boy choir background vocals. This could have/should have been a radio hit! (9/10)

"Azteca" (4:45) a scrum of horns, percussion and bass notes opens this before all falling into line for a fairly smooth and melodic, almost Curtis Mayfield R&B-like jam. I love the structure of this with its shifts into Cubano and more-straightforward jazz motifs. Love the enthusiastic piano play from George DiQuattro as well as the drumming of Lenny White! (9.25/10)

"Theme: La Piedra Del Sol" (1:52) as if the opening song had been veritably cut in two, this feels as if it picks up in the middle of something and then proceeds to usher (and march) us into the night. Nice. Very professional. (4.625/5)

I'm surprised at how often I find myself finding Paul Jackson's bass play (and sound) to be the weak link in the individual songs on this album. The compositions are superlative with all of their Caribbean influences

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Latin-grounded music of a variety of styles (not all jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion oriented). Still, highly recommended for the sake of the highly sophisticated conpositions and arrangements.

CounterClockWorld While the first two albums are super well known I rarely see people talk about the other classic era albums (exuding the more dedicated fans). This album was a huge surprise and it was quite a refreshing listen especially after listening to Abraxas so much in my life, I definitely think this album expands on the sound of the past two albums, the album opens with an instrumental track it could honestly be a heavy psych song if they turned up the fuzz a bit, the next song is a more traditional Latin Rock sounding song it reminds me a lot of WAR the song is a personal favorite of mine it starts off pretty normal before bursting into a Latin psych freak out, Toussaint L'Overture is another favorite of mine and kind off exemplifies the sound of the album, lots of bursting guitar solos and like I mentioned earlier psychedelic Latin freak outs. The track "Everybody's Everything" features bright sounding horns and amazing percussion throughout the track. I really do feel like this expands the sound of the last two albums really well, everything feels like there's more breathing room here and in my humble opinion is better then Abraxas (both albums are great of course)

FunkFreak75 An all-star band of veritable who's who in the early Latin/jazz-ified R&B/funk scene that was, apparently, the brain child of Santana percussionist Mike Carabello and Sly & The Family Stone founder and drummer Greg Errico--a "band" that was originally meant to be called "Attitude." Most of the material was recorded in 1971 but not released until 1977/78.

Lineup / Musicians: - Greg Errico (SLY & THE FAMILY STONE) / Drums, Synthesizer, Producer - Mike Carabello (SANTANA) / Organ (B2), Congas - Doug Rauch (THE VOICES OF EAST HARLEM, THE LOADING ZONE, GÁBOR SZABÓ, SANTANA, LENNY WHITE) / Bass - Doug Rodrigues (THE VOICES OF EAST HARLEM, SANTANA, BETTY DAVIS, MANDRILL, LENNY WHITE, MAND / Guitar - Wendy Haas (SANTANA, AZTECA) / Piano, Vocals (B3) With: - Carlos Santana (SANTANA) / Guitar (B2, B3) - Neal Schon (SANTANA, JOURNEY) / Guitar - Lee Oskar (WAR) / Harmonica (A3, A4) - Greg Rollie (SANTANA) / Organ - Robert "Bobby" Vega (LEE OSKAR) / Bass [Fuzz] (A3, A4) - Chepito Areas (SANTANA) / Percussion (A3, A4, B1) - Rico Reyes (SANTANA, AZTECA) / Percussion (A3, A4, B1) - Herbie Hancock (MILES DAVIS, solo) / Piano (B1) - Mike Garcia / Vibraphone (B2) - Victor Pantoia (CHICO HAMILTON, WILLIE BOBO, GÁBOR SZABÓ, HERBIE MANN, HERBIE HANCOCK, AZTECA, BETTY DAVIS) / Congas - Bianca Thornton-Oden (LEE OSKAR, VAN MORRISON) / Vocals - Coke Escovedo (AZTECA) / Vocals - Gene Washington / Vocals - Jody Moreing (SINCERELY, SAN JOSE) / Vocals - Linda Tillery (THE CULTURAL HERITAGE CHOIR, THE LOADING ZONE, solo) / Vocals

A1. "Attitude" (3:25) pure R&B funk from the very first note, the song uses a female-dominated choir to present the "attitude" chorus between which various voices (male and female) take turns belting out their lyric. Great vocal arrangement as well as improvisations. This is not quite Disco, more like EW&F/UNDISPUTED TRUTH proto-Disco. (9/10)

A2. "They Change It" (3:29) opens with an excellent funk groove not unlike some of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE's earlier songs. It's no surprise, then, that a full choir joins in to "recite" or chant the lyrics in a "Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Myself" fashion. The bass is so funky! And the drumming, percussion, and support guitars are right on board! An amazing funk song that is diminished a bit by its kind-of-corny lyrics and vocal arrangement. (9.25/10)

Kilimanjaro suite : A3. "The Village" (4:30) a WAR-like palette that is dominated by the free-wheelin' percussion play beneath treated harmonica/whistling and organ. Very cool! Would be so fun to see performed live. There are, however, a few glitch-like issues with timing/synchrony. (8.875/10) A4. "The Summit" (4:38) the percussionists lay back from soloing and settle into a nice groove that allows Lee Oskar to take the lead on his saxophone-sounding harmonica. I love this kind of African drum-centric music. (9/10)

B1. "Pancho Villa" (5:11) organ and timbales open this one before congas and other percussionists, bass. electric piano, and trumpet join in. It is my understanding that it's pretty much the SANTANA lineup performing percussives and organ (Greg Rollie) I'm going to assume that it's Herbie Hancock on the keys (though it doesn't sound like his style of play so it could be Wendy Haas), but I'm wondering who the (uncredited) trumpet player is (Eddie Henderson?) as well as the violinist. My understanding is that this might be conga player Mike Carabello's composition. Too much simplicity as if a bare bones track established expressly to support soloists. Problem is, it's not recorded very well from the soloists' point of view and the solos aren't that noteworthy. (8.5/10)

B2. "Fried Neckbones and Home Fries" (6:32) a cover of a song written and performed by percussionist Victor Pantoja's long-time collaborator and friend, Willie Bobo, here rendered as an instrumental. It has a completely SANTANA-esque Latin/Caribbean sound and feel--especially with Carlos, the man himself's guitar solo (later taken over by Neal Schon) as well as some rather wild organ soloing from conga player Mike Carabello in the opening minute. Mike Garcia's vibraphone solo in the fourth minute is a bit simple yet harmonically interesting. Apparently this song was recorded in 1971 for Mike Carabello's solo project called "Attitude" but never found its release until Greg Errico could put things together for a full album six years later. Rated up for its excellent sound and solos; down for its simplistic, repetitive four-chord foundation. (8.875/10)

B3. "In Your Heart" (5:40) opening with a "Long Train Runnin'" sound and feel the driving, funky groove is soon joined by a choir of female-dominated voices singing in some quite lovely melodies and vocal arrangements. I can so easily get lost in wonderful weaves of rhythm instruments and percussion work like this. Apparently, a Doug Rauch and Wendy Haas jam that features Neal Schon on a spectacular display of lead guitar and, of course, Greg Errico on drums and Mike Carabello on congas. Very cool, kind of cinematic song! (9.3333/10)

Total time: 33:25

According to interviews with Errico and Carabello, the album took so long to find a label willing to release the material (most of which had been recorded in 1971) due to the predominant "party first, business later" attitude of the musicians at the time of the recording sessions. This would also explain the jam-like foundational structure of many of the songs as well as the "early" Santana sound prevalent throughout the album. All I know is that I'll take any chance I can get to hear anything the Santana crew were doing up to and during the Caravanserai era. I also love the song creators' unique visions for use of choir vocals throughout the album. Very cool!

B+/4.5 stars rated down for brevity; an awesome display of Caravanserai-like jazz-funk jamming from a veritable Latin funk-rock all-star band. Highly recommended!

FunkFreak75 Carlos and Michael Shrieve getting into spiritual exploration through Eastern teachers, at this point, mostly Parahamansa Yogananda. At the same time, the world had just had their ears and mind blown by John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and their debut album (and tour), The Inner Mounting Flame. Carlos had heard Doug Rauch in a concert with his band, The Voices of East Harlem, and loved his Mahavishnu-like style and enthusiasm. In fact, Michael and Carlos both credit Doug Rauch's infectious enthusiasm and endless flow of musical ideas for becoming a driving force behind the realization of this album project as well as the preceding practice tour and following world tour.

1. "Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation" (4:28) crickets and Hadley Caliman's solo saxophone signal the dawning of a new era. About halfway in, the band joins in to provide a gentle, welcoming instrumental intro to the soul-augmenting jazz that is the new orientation of Carlos, Michael, and all of their new band members. (9.25/10)

2. "Waves Within" (3:53) Carlos and Neal Schon (yes, that Neal Schon!) exchanging emotional and electrical guitar-fire (with newcomer bass-player Doug Rauch also on rhythm guitar!) Incredible earworm melodies created repeated seven-step chord progression. A song that is credited to Doug Rauch and Gregg Rollie. (10/10)

3. "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)" (2:59) the funk is also here: the percussion and bass certainly let you know it! Great guitar interplay between Neal, Doug, and Carlos. Another song credited to Doug Rauch and Gregg Rollie (as well as Carlos) and including Doug's guitar assistance. (9.25/10)

4. "Just In Time To See The Sun" (2:19) the jamming becomes more insistent: power chords and relentless rhythm play driving this one along. Carlos's singing is okay but I know how important his spiritual message is, so it rings true. (8.875/10)

5. "Song of the Wind" (6:02) great little tune carried by the bouncy organ and steady percussion. What beautiful music--and beautiful guitar play: melodic as hell and so emotional! The other band members must have been so inspired and confident while listening to Carlos' passion: no wonder their subtle flourishes and nuances are so perfect! Neal Schon is listed as one of the authors of this one. (9.75/10)

6. "All the Love of the Universe" (7:36) the last song on Side One is oriented like a Sly & The Family Stone jam song with Chicago-like whole-band choral vocal singing. (They're really not very good as a choir). Doug Rauch's rapid fire funk bass sounds like a cross between Percy Jones' machine gun and a Disco bass. Interesting song with a lot of energy--both kinetic and potential--but probably my least favorite song on the album. (13/15)

Side Two is often referred to as "the percussionists' side."

7. "Future Primitive" (4:12) opens with an atmosphere created by space-synths (uncredited but probably provided by Michael Shrieve) that is really just a setup (and, later, underlying texture) for percussionists José "Chepito" Areas and Mingo Lewis to jam in some kind of Cuban polyrhythmic language. (4.5/5)

8. "Stone Flower" (6:14) Carlos and Michael adopt this Antonio Carlos Joabim instrumental and put their own lyrics to it (and sing it: together). Yes, the melody does sound like it was lifted from some of the recent Brazilian-based bassa nova pop songs that had been seeping into American pop radio but that's just exemplifies the broad range of music that Carlos and especially Michael were listening to at that time. Great "Nature Boy"-inspired solo from Carlos. Also, acoustic bass is used on this one instead of Doug's funky electric--here provided by Tom Rutley. Man that organ and expanded lineup of percussionists really brings this to life! (8.875/10)

9. "La Fuente del Ritmo" (4:33) a wild ride that is driven by pure Latin rhythms as written and led by Mingo Lewis. The song also introduces two new band members who would become fixtures for a while in percussionist Armando Peraza and keyboard artist Tom Coster. (9/10)

10. "Every Step of the Way" (9:04) this Michael Shrieve song opens with the total feel of a Miles, Herbie or Mahavishnu song. (It actually sounds a lot like the music the band would issue on their next album, Love Devotion Surrender, a collaboration with John McLaughlin and some of the Mahavishnu members). The nuclear detonation occurs at the three-minute mark, unleashing a barrage of energetic play from every goddam member of this band--including some who were not members (horns ! (I agree with ProgArchives admin &. reviewer Sean Trane: "Every Step of the Way" escorts the listener to a divine orgasm.) Turn this one up to 11! It deserves a 6! One of Jazz-Rock Fusion's all-time great songs! (21/20)

Total Time: 51:20

It is so exciting to discover albums from 35-40 years ago that I'd never heard before and find myself totally blown away by the 'new' music I hear. Again, thank you Max and ProgArchivists: my world of music has never been so blown open. Caravanserai is an album whose first listen flooded me with such nostalgia; I had never before realized how much Carlos' guitar playing and his Latin rhythms and amazing organists influenced my core musical likes and values until I listened to this album. Hearing "Waves Within" I was (and am each time I listen to it) overcome with a flood of emotion taking me back to the Eden that was my formative pre-teen years. While I understand the derogatory comments bestowed upon the atmospheric "introludes" ("Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation" and "Future Primitive"), I love them and find them essential to the spiritual journey Santana is taking us on. Through the years I have enjoyed many of the singers and lyrics of Santana songs, however, I quite agree that on this album their presence are, overall, IMHO, out of place with and even detract from the spirit of the rest of the music. And while many of Carlos' extended solos are backed by simple two-chord repetitions, the band is always jamming their hearts out: they're in the same cosmic groove that allows Carlos to soar--and soar he does: The man is a true master of 'stumbling' upon incredibly catchy, melodic riffs while negotiating the fret board at seeming break-neck speed. Amazing talent. Truly a god channeling the divine! A wonderful album with outstanding work from Michael Shrieve, Neal Schon, Mingo Lewis and Greg Rolie--not to mention the Devadip and the new kid on the block, Doug Rauch!

5 star songs: "Waves Within," "Look Up (To See What's Coming)," "Song of the Wind," "Every Step of the Way."

A/five stars; a true masterpiece and shining beacon of light from the young and still-forming Jazz-Rock Fusion movement--and one of my Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era." One of the few concert tours for which I wish I had been a "Deadhead"/groupie.