For the month of January, I’m selecting some of the most memorable and influential songs of the 60’s. While they all hail from the same decade, these are some of my favorite songs of any era. They remind me that the 60’s were so much more than just Woodstock and psychedelic rock. It was a flourishing period for blues, folk, progressive and straight-ahead rock. #31DaysOf60sSongs
The strengths of jam bands are never fully realized in a recording studio. They only really happen in concert – from the Dead to Phish to Santana. However, while producer Bill Graham tried to lead the band to record in a more conventional way, the spirit of improvisation is still very much apparent on this self-titled debut album. To prove this point, there are a few instrumental tracks on the album, and there’s also the iconic cover “Evil Ways”, the most familiar track of the bunch.
It’s unmistakably a latin rock song with an infectious rhythm driven by congas and timbales instead of a traditional drum kit. It may be the flavor of the song. But the most distinct aspect of “Evil Ways” is the juxtaposition of two monster instrumental solos: Greg Rolle’s Hammond organ solo and Carlos Santana’s guitar solo. The two epic moments have a call-and-response feel to them, like a jazz arrangement. Santana may be the one musician most associated with the recording, but Rolie was the man in my opinion. After all, he was the one singing lead vocals on the track – and if I had to put my money on it, the Hammond organ beat the electric guitar by a landslide.
“You've got to change your evil ways, baby, before I stop loving you.”