Brilliant
I'm sorry, but I don't think Santana ever gets the respect that he deserves. He has stood the test of time and his longevity and extensive body of work speak for themselves. He is the premier pioneer in latin rock. I agree that not all of the songs on "Amigo" are stand out tracks, but Gitano, Europa and Dance sitster Dance are easily worth the price of this album.I appreciate good latin music and those 3 songs are outstanding! Europa inspired me to play guitar as I've spent many hours learning that song-and believe me, I'm no Carlos Santana on the guitar. All-in-all I have great memories of this album and I wish people appreciated the Greatess of this latin legend
Best when the band just plays
Santana's forte as a band has always been the playing; it's not that the singers or the songs have been bad, but they're (mostly) second in importance to the band just cutting loose and wailing. What makes "Dance Sister Dance" really kick is Carlos' anchoring riff and his solo towards the end; likewise, the timbales are what move "Gitano," with Chepito and Armando in a tight groove. "Europa" is the high point on the album, one of the best instrumentals the band ever did and one of Carlos' finest solos ever. AMIGOS doesn't have the consistent power that, say, SANTANA III or CARAVANSERAI had, but it has it's moments, particularly when they JUST play!
Awesome
Another great pop CD by Santana. Sit back and enjoy...one word: EUROPA
Santana Gets Down!!!
I KNEW from "Santana III" that the Santana Band always had a little of the funk in 'em but on "Amigos" it all blasts out from
the grooving "Tell Me Are You Tired" and the Stevie Wonder-like
"Let It Shine".On "Take Me With You" Carlos's guitar blisters
every funky lick while "Dance Sister Dance" is a luscious latin
groove not heard in this form since "Abraxas"."Gitano" is a rare
and inspired foray intop classic Mexican folk styles and lead
singer Greg Walker adds spice and vitality to the affair.Once you
have the first three albums of Santana THIS is the place to go!
Before the Fall
Although Amigos is a strong album, you can hear, in the weaker tracks, the beginnings of Santana's decline. Having followed his classic trilogy of Latin Rock albums with three quasi-jazz-fusion albums, Santana wanted to come back down to Earth and rediscover his pop roots. He was mostly successful on Amigos, but subsequent albums fell off dramatically in quality as he continued to flounder in search of the right middle-of-the-road groove.However, on Amigos, the superb material is more than worth the purchase price of the CD. Dance Sister Dance and Gitano showcase a new facet of Santana's Latin roots, and Europa is probably Santana's finest composition, featuring his most powerful and moving guitar work.
Let It Shine is an OK rhythm & blues pop song that became the minor hit Santana was looking for. Tell me are you tired is the worst track on the album, a dopey "lecture" song that, regrettably, was a harbinger of things to come.
It's worth buying this record for "Europa" alone, since none of the live performances I've heard come close to matching the studio original for shimmering, sparkling beauty and emotional resonance. As a whole this is a solid piece of work and at the current budget price is well worth it for any Santana fan.
