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Rating: The release of this record in 1973 went unnoticed. Probably many interpreted this release as a deliberate commercial move by the record label. But for those who had the chance to listen to the album, they might have thought: if only more commercial agreements resulted in work like this!
The hallmark of the record is the "ode to the electric guitar", and in this case it represents one of the best ever played in the history of rock. It's the meeting of two guitars. Two guitars that meet, begin a dialogue, discover each other, then slowly touch, study each other, and a friendship begins. One enters the world of the other, for McLaughlin opens sweet and rarefied spaces, for Santana dizzying expressive speeds. The two guitar techniques, although very different, contribute to creating a very particular mix of sounds, virtually unique for that period.
To the virtuosity of the first is contrasted by the phrasing of the second, throughout the record, one breathes a profound air of spirituality (especially in the wonderful Coltrane pages, as is natural). Within the album there are 5 tracks, two of which are from works by John Coltrane (A Love Supreme and Naima), two composed by McLaughlin (The Life Divine and Meditation), and another is a Santana-McLaughlin arrangement of a traditional Afro-American religious hymn, Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord.
A Love Supreme begins with a frenzied intro by Carlos Santana. Then his whirlwind stops and the bass and percussion start. Yasin/Young's organ blends wonderfully with the group's dynamics, dictating the theme of the melody. The guitar improvisations of Santana and McLaughlin contrast, one on the right channel, the other on the left channel (I went crazy listening to it with the Rider Digest stereo, stereophony had only been around for a few years!), not a challenge, but a call and response like during a religious service, then the choirs start, which, filled with spirit, incessantly repeat "a love supreme." It is evident from this first track how the influence of spirituality, both Coltranian and of McLaughlin and Santana's guru, Sri Chinmoy, pervades this record. Exceptional.
Naima opens with a virtuosic introduction by McLaughlin's (acoustic) guitar, to which Santana's (also acoustic) echoes in accompaniment after a while. A piece rendered in a very intimate way and certainly suited to a composition Coltrane dedicated to his Muslim wife and which is heavily influenced by Islamic culture in terms of musical atmosphere. Splendid.
The Life Divine is characterized by a long intro that gradually increases in sonic intensity and brings forth first the rumble of a drum, then the sounds of other drums, percussion, and Santana's guitar. The theme is dictated by McLaughlin's guitar, interspersed with the musicians' choirs. John’s guitar improvisation and in contrast Carlos’s create a vortex of sounds. The choirs resume, accompanied by the guitars and the rhythm, then once again improvisation by one of the guitars, with the bass that, simultaneously with the guitar solo, creates another vortex and for the third time the choirs start. Carefully crafted and suggestive the cyclic evolution of this piece. Excellent
Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord is the longest track on the album, a full 15 minutes and 43 seconds. A traditional song rearranged by the two guitarists. Guitar intro with a background of drums and organ. Great technical mastery by Santana, while McLaughlin also displays extraordinary technical prowess, creating intriguing vortices of notes. Both guitars are protagonists in this track, both masterfully assisted, both in the proposal of the hymn's theme and in the improvisation. An excellent arrangement for a particularly suggestive traditional song.
Meditation, another composition by McLaughlin, is characterized by the author's piano, accompanied in the background by Santana's guitar. The theme is first presented by the piano, then by the guitar. Another intimate and poetic execution: a real oriental meditation in music. Beautiful.
Tracklist
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