Shango
	Produced by Bill Szymczyk (tracks 1,9), John Ryan (2,4,8), Carlos Santana (7,10,11) with Gregg Rolie (3,5,6)
	Released on August 1982
	US CHART POSITION #22 . . . GOLD RECORD (4/11/00) . . . UK CHART POSITION #35
	Find it at GEMM
FC 38122 cover [high resolution photo]

I ts two hits notwithstanding, Shango is a better record than Zebop! That’s not my exlcamation point, by the way. I mean, I put it there, but it’s only because the name of their last album was called Zebop! with an exclamation point at the end. See there it is again. Anyway, back to the record. (Shango, that is.) While Santana still has one hand stuck in the commercial cookie jar, cranking out cute covers of “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” or plain product in “Hold On,” Shango is filled with tantalizing moments that prove the original fire remains. “Nueva York” and “The Nile,” for example, should delight longtime, long-suffering fans. The recent identity issues resurface, unfortunately, as Shango moves from disco to Latin fusion to blues to reggae over the course of forty minutes. Still, I have to admit that Alex Ligertwood handles the changes well, and Carlos Santana is en fuego most of the time. The Police soundalike, “Body Surfing,” isn’t a good fit, nor is the disco of “Hold On,” but Santana seemed content to serve two masters. The old Gods were propitiated with the burning oblations of the past, and I really need to stop balancing my sounds in my sentences. Oh, right, the two masters. I’m not sure if the other Master has a name. It’s that creeping voice of doubt that slips in as you age and tells you that the people around you may be smarter than you, or know better than you, or brush their teeth more often than you do. It tells you that a few concessions to the Greed Machine are venial sins, that you’re only giving the people what they want, or what the people who control the people want them to have. And then you atone for it with fiery licks that leap off the needle like sparks. Shango, I forgive you. I might even learn to like you deeply.

FC 38122 back cover	FC 38122 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. THE NILE    (Carlos Santana/Alexander J. Ligertwood/Gregg Rolie)    4:54
2. HOLD ON    (Ian Thomas)    4:24
3. NIGHT HUNTING TIME    (Paul Brady)    4:42
4. NOWHERE TO RUN    (Russ Ballard)    3:58
5. NUEVA YORK    (Carlos Santana/Graham Lear/Raul Rekow/Armando Peraza/Alexander J. Ligertwood/Richard Baker/David Margen/Orestes Vilato/Gregg Rolie)    4:57
6. OXUN (OSHUN)    (Carlos Santana/Alexander J. Ligertwood/Gregg Rolie/Graham Lear/Armando Peraza/Raul Rekow/Orestes Vilato)    4:12
7. BODY SURFING    (Carlos Santana/Alexander J. Ligertwood)    4:25
8. WHAT DOES IT TAKE (TO WIN YOUR LOVE)    (John Bristol/Vernon Bullock/Harvey Fuqua)    3:24
9. LET ME INSIDE    (Carlos Santana/Chris Solberg)    3:31
10. WARRIOR    (David Margen/Richard Baker/Alexander J. Ligertwood/Carlos Santana)    4:21
11. SHANGO    (Raul Rekow/Orestes Vilato/Armando Peraza)    1:41
    
    All arrangements by Santana Band with Gregg Rolie, Bill Szymczyk & John Ryan

CREDITS

RICHARD BAKER -- keyboards
GRAHAM LEAR -- drums
ALEXANDER J. LIGERTWOOD -- vocals, rhythm guitar
DAVID MARGEN -- bass
ARMANDO PERAZA -- congas, bongos, vocals
RAÚL REKOW -- congas, vocals
DEVADIP CARLOS SANTANA -- guitars, vocals, art concept
ORESTES VILATÓ -- timbales, vocals
Gregg Rolie -- organ (5)
Jim Gaines -- engineer
Bill Szymczyk -- engineer, mixing
Ray Etzler -- direction
Bill Graham -- inspiration
Richard Stutting/Artbreakers -- art direction & design
Cristobal Gonzáles -- yarn painting
Guido Harari -- inner sleeve and back cover photography
Garry Clarke -- back cover and label photography

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