Original Album Classics: Inner Secrets/Marathon/Zebop!/Shango/Freedom in Bloomington, MN

This second volume in
Sony
's EU Original Album Classics series looks at five albums over a ten-year period. The first four of these --
Inner Secrets
,
Marathon
Zebop
, and
Shango
-- catch the band during a renaissance of singles and a decline in album sales in the marketplace. The first of these, issued in 1978, boasted three charting singles in
"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)"
(number 59),
"Stormy"
(number 32), and a cover of
Buddy Holly
's
"Well All Right"
(number 69), done in the
Blind Faith
arrangement.
, released in 1979, may not have sold as an album, but did score a hit with the Top 40 single
"You Know That I Love You"
(number 35).
, issued in 1981 -- after
Carlos Santana
released his second solo album,
Swing of Delight
-- first hit the Hot 100 with
"The Sensitive Kind"
(number 59) written by
Russ Ballard
.
"Winning"
was the second single and it went to number 33 as the album entered into the Top Ten and went gold.
, from 1981, resulted in two more hit singles,
"Hold On"
(number 15) and
"Nowhere to Run"
(number 66). The final album in this set,
Freedom
, was released after the band took a long break. While they toured together,
Carlos
was making solo records for most of the '80s. This comeback album was a reunion of sorts and featured former members
Tom Coster
and
Chester Thompson
on keyboards. Even founding member
Gregg Rolie
made a guest appearance. Interestingly, this set also featured the talents of drummer
Buddy Miles
on vocals. The album failed to score any hits major or minor, but did end up in the Top 100 on the
Billboard
charts. This middle-period set documents
Santana
as they never were before or after -- as a singles outfit as interested in performing classics from the rock and R&B canon as they were in writing original material. ~ Thom Jurek