Amigos (Santana album)

Amigos is the seventh studio album by Santana released in 1976. It generated a minor U.S. hit single in "Let It Shine" and was the band's first album to hit the top ten on the Billboard charts since Caravanserai in 1972 (it ultimately reached gold record status). In Europe, the song "Europa" was released as a single and became a top ten hit in several countries.

New vocalist Greg Walker joined the group. It would be the last Santana album to include original bassist David Brown.

This album has been mixed and released in stereo and quadraphonic.

Album design

Amigos was designed by Japanese artist Tadanori Yokoo. The cover features a psychedelic-style Mayan man and woman standing on a jungle cliff, surrounded by vintage advertising imagery of drumming “natives,” wild animals, and a looming black void. The interior artwork includes images of Jesus, Buddha, and Kali set against cosmic backdrops, full-bleed gold printing, an Archigram-like diagram of a pyramid concert, and live photographs from a Santana performance.

Yokoo had previously designed the cover for Lotus (1974), which holds the record for the most facings on a gatefold vinyl LP (22). The elaborate packaging created for this recording of Santana’s Tour of Japan was produced by CBS/Sony and cost approximately £30,000 to manufacture.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Dance Sister Dance (Baila Mi Hermana)" <small>(Leon Chancler, Tom Coster, David Rubinson)</small> – 8:15
2. "Take Me with You" <small>(instrumental)</small> <small>(Leon Chancler, Tom Coster)</small> – 5:27
3. "Let Me" <small>(Tom Coster, Carlos Santana)</small> – 4:51

Side two

1. "Gitano" <small>(Armando Peraza)</small> – 6:13
2. "Tell Me Are You Tired" <small>(Leon Chancler, Tom Coster)</small> – 5:42
3. "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" <small>(instrumental)</small> <small>(Tom Coster, Carlos Santana)</small> – 5:06
4. "Let It Shine" <small>(David Brown, Ray Gardner)</small> – 5:43

Personnel

• Greg Walker – vocals
• Carlos Santana – guitars, background vocals, percussion, congas, güiro
• Tom Coster – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP Odyssey, ARP String Ensemble, Hohner Clavinet D6, background vocals
• David Brown – bass guitar
• Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums, timbales, Remo Rototoms, percussion, congas, background vocals
• Armando Peraza – congas, bongos, background vocals, vocal on "Gitano"
• Ivory Stone – background vocals
• Julia Tillman Waters – background vocals
• Maxine Willard Waters – background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References