"Santana" (unofficially called 'III') completes the Woodstock-era trilogy of Carlos' band. 'I' was the worthy debut, 'Abraxas' was the polished classic, 'III' is something more experimental than either predecessor, more confident, varied and exploratory. You know the classics: "...depend on", and "Guajira", but check out the hypnotic "Taboo" and explosive "Toussaint...". The buoyant "Everybody's Everything" was the highest charting single, and features the distinctive charts from bay-area brethren Tower of Power (the self-titled "Tower of Power(1973)" is a must-have as well).

If you haven't yet ventured into Carlos' discography beyond "Abraxas", bear in mind that all three in this trilogy are essential for any fan of rock/pop music, no matter how casual your collection is. After that, opinions seem to vary...

For my money, this is the best Santana album ever. It is his original band at its peak. Toussaint L'Overture ends with Santana's most explosive guitar ever. Taboo is another classic. The album also has the songs No One to Depend On, Everybody's Everything, and Everything is Coming Our Way. But the album also holds together as a whole. Carlos never again had a group as strong as this.

Second guitarist Neil Schon made his debut with the group here. I don't think he's a bad guitarist at all (quite to the contrary), but taking into account how good the group's primary guitarist is, why even bother with a second player? And the guy overuses wah-wah. I have no problem with wah-wah, either. In fact, I think it sounds great, especially when played by Jimi Hendrix or Curtis Mayfield. But with Schon, it's way too much of a good thing. You know, "Hey, guess what's on my guitar? A wah-wah pedal! You wanna hear it?" "No thanks, man, we heard it last song." "No, no, really! Listen! I can distort it, too!". However, he can still play, and his solos are a lot of what makes this the classic that it is. Would "No One to Depend On" be the same without him and Carlos' face-off near the end? No. Of course not. His solo on "Taboo" (or at least I think it's him, it's certainly in his style) is fascinating too, even though the song itself isn't the best. He also adds a rock edge to "Jungle Strut". And the presence of "Touissant L'Overture", my favorite Santana song, sure helps. It's drama at its finest, and the fade, where Schon, Carlos and Greg Rolie trade solos like a star basketball team, is awesome. Other fantastic songs abound, including the jazzy, slightly dark salsa tribute "Guajira", the funky hit "Everybody's Everything", and the ambitious opener "Batuka" (though Schon truly overdoes the wah pedal on both), and the jangly, optimistic "Everything's Coming Our Way". As usual, one should probably ignore the lyrics, and the unamusing "Vehicle" tribute/parody "Para Los Rumberos" weakens the album a bit. Just a bit, though - I'd still call it a classic, and the most accessible of Santana's lot.