Prince has said on numerous occasions that Santana is his favorite guitarist. So I'm looking to dig into Santana's back catalogue. What album do you think will most suit the taste of a Prince fan?

hectim said:

Hmmm,I have every Santana album and these are the ones I would suggest to a Prince fan...


***'Borboletta'(1974)---Without question,this is Santana's best work and I'm sure that Prince is a fan of this album as well.Around this time,Carlos was getting into funk and jazz,and there's plenty of fusion going on here.

***'Sacred Fire' (1993)---This is an explosive live album that focuses mainly on Carlos's amazing guitar work.He plays with an intensity that is just breathtaking.This particular show is also available on DVD and video.

***'Festival'(1977)---A tasty mix of funk,Latin rhythms and some jazz.Wait until you hear the track "Reach Up",it's almost like an orgasmic experience!

I was waiting for your reply Davideye. My husband and I are fairly new fans of Carlos. We just got into him about 5 years ago. We have a few cd's but not all. We love Borboletta, but the other two we don't have yet. After your recommendation, we will definitely pick them up. Thanks!

And if you wanna dig a little deeper,pick up Santana's 1979 album 'Silver Dreams,Golden Reality'.I think this album inspired Prince's 'The Rainbow Children' in many ways.Carlos recorded it a time when he was going through a spiritual phase and had even changed his name to "Devadip Carlos Santana" (on the advice of his guru).The album is very esoteric and experimental,check out the song titles...


"Chosen Hour"
"Arise Awake"
"Light Versus Darkness"
"Jim Jeannie"
"Transformation Day"
"Victory"
"Silver Dreams,Golden Smiles"
"Cry Of The Wilderness"
"Guru's Song"
"Oneness"
"Life Is Just A Passing Parade" *** (see note below)
"Golden Dawn"
"Free As The Morning Sun"
"I Am Free"
"Song For Devadip"


***In 'Cherry Moon',doesn't Mary find a piece of paper that says "life is a parade"?

my choice would be:
santana - abraxas

i know my fav albums ended up being the self-titled 1971 release, supernatural (1999) shaman (2003) amigos (1976)...but i'd advise u 2 try any santana album u can find cause if u appreciate pulse-pounding afro-latin soul u won't be dissappointed...

DavidEye said:

i though he changed his name 2 devadip back in 76' on the amigos album? cause on that album if u look on the liner notes the songs are credited 2 devadip carlos santana...

diamondpearl1 said:

He actually started using the "Devadip" moniker a few years before that.His 1974 album 'Illuminations' was the first album to be credited to "Devadip Carlos Santana".

diamondpearl1 said:

He actually started using the "Devadip" moniker a few years before that.His 1974 album 'Illuminations' was the first album to be credited to "Devadip Carlos Santana".

medoc2003 said:

Yes,that would be a good place to start.Prince has even played a few songs from this album during his own concerts.