[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Santana — Toussaint L'Overture
Album: III
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1846









Released: 1971
Length: 5:54
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Los cueros me llaman

El timbal

Vamos morena, a bailar mi montuno
Comments (151)add comment
This is the sound of a band that completely understands itself.
Santana III my favorite Santana album. 
 eyke wrote:



Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.



 

 
I think Carlos used Mesa, something about how clean they played.


He played & recorded with Mesa Boogie Mark V and other models (along with Heart and many others during that time) because of Mesa's cascading tube-driven distortion (creamy and harmonic). He later switched to Dumble amps which went out of production so he collected them whenever he could because they have amazing response, dynamics and tone. Today, Dumble amps are worth a small fortune. He partnered with Paul Reed Smith to build a custom guitar that he would love and is up to his standards. Today's PRS guitars are largely produced from Santa's original spec's and quality standards.  
I prefer the  live version from "Moonflower"
 jhorton wrote:

Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.

 




I had a friend in college in the mid 70s that played guitar in a jazz fusion band. He used to play Europa and a lot of Santana tunes. He heard about this and used to mark several spots  on stage with duct tape, to sustain different notes! I worked great! ...He also made some really funny faces while sustaining! He was an excellent guitarist!
 jhorton wrote:

Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.

 



AWESOME!!!
GREAT!
wow

carlos and neal
 deflation wrote:

I like Santana but this is unbearable noise


Weird isn't it how tastes differ.  I always skip Santana but I was captured by this one...

 jlind wrote:
Not really in the mood at the moment so I won't rate Bill
 
Not sure, but I think Bill is beyond rating...
Not really in the mood at the moment so I won't rate Bill


jhorton wrote:
Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.



 
dylan46 wrote:

Thanks for the advice !- I thought it was because of some guitar effect
 
I think Carlos used Mesa, something about how clean they played.
Summer 1996, my first concert ever :)
Los cueros me llaman

El timbal

Vamos morena, a bailar mi montuno


The leathers call me

The timbale

Come on brunette,

dance my montuno


Okie dokie


What? 
Little mention of the 17 year old Neil Schon who played on Santana3  and contributed the 'more screaming' guitar on this track. I witnessed this lineup at the 1971 Hammersmith
concert. He left Santana to help form Journey in 1973.
 jhorton wrote:
Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.

 
 
Thanks for the advice !- I thought it was because of some guitar effect
A translation of those lyrics. Alrighty, then, 

leathers call me The timbale Come on brunette, dance my montuno
I like Santana but this is unbearable noise
WITHOUT DOUBT, ONE OF THE MOST AWE-INSPIRING TRACKS I'VE EVER HEARD. AND NOT JUST ON DISC.  I SAW THIS LIVE IN DEC. 1976. IT TOOK ME TO A NEW LEVEL OF WTF, BEFORE WTF HAD EVER EVEN BEEN COINED. CARLOS STAGE FRONT AND CENTER, ROARING AND RIPPING THAT AXE A NEW ONE AND KNOCKING 1500 AUDIENCE OUT OF THEIR ZONE. 
2 for 1 from Carlos - S L O P P Y -&-  S O U L L E S S.
3 - Sad 

"Holy oh wad-niggle."

- Marvin Zehnder, ceramist


 jhorton wrote:
Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.

 

 
Cool yeah. Always wished I could do that with my drums. Haha! {#Wink}  Boogies have always been one of my fave amps, both guitar and bass. 

I had a seat at a show in RPI Fieldhouse, Troy, NY years ago that was about 20' directly in front of Carlos' stack of Mark III's. Was pure happiness when he got wound up on songs like 'Toussaint' and 'Nueva York'. 
Met Carlos a few times WAY back in the seventies. Here's a little trick I learned from him. You do need to have a high gain amp to make this work I think, but he basically said, there's always at least one spot on stage where he can get the amp to feed back through the guitar pickups, basically endlessly. He would find this spot during soundcheck, then mark it on the stage with a letter x in tape.

Then when you are soloing, you stand on that spot and you can basically sustain a note forever if you want.

I have always found that to work for me with my Mesa amps, even playing at low volumes in my house.

 
and "Santana IV" was released a few days ago
he got the old band back together 
 Skydog wrote:
more from Santana 3,
 nice 

 
I agree with that, more Santana would not hurt anyone:) 
Though I have heard this song for a first time, a few seconds of its opening were enough to know who plays that guitar.. 
more from Santana 3,
 nice 
"Turn it up loud and listen good, kids, cause this is how we kicked all serious forms of ass."
 martinc wrote:
Give me more screaming guitars. I think I'd like that on my tombstone.
 
{#Clap}
I just love how he comes ripping and wailing with that blistering guitar, followed by killer keys & percussion! JAM ON, dudes, & PARTY!
Give me more screaming guitars. I think I'd like that on my tombstone.
 idiot_wind wrote:
I said it once and I'll say it again...you can get high on this guitar work.


This sure ain't Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, or Linkin Park.    

 
or Journey...wait, what?
Just raised this to a 10. Started my morning just perfectly.

{#Devil_pimp} 
Play that banjo Carlos! {#Bananajam}
nagsheadlocal wrote:
I saw Santana while they were touring behind this album - back when musicians weren't surrounded by bodyguards and flacks and toadies of all sorts. Carlos was standing around before the show kicking it with the fans. One guy was saying he had the exact same set-up as Carlos (guitar, amp, even the same strings and picks) but he couldn't achieve that tone.

Santana just laughed and said: "Man, you don't have my fingers."

Over the years whenever I've had a student who wanted to get a certain tone or style, I'd tell them that story. Even in the age of electronics, there's still a human at the core of the sound. 
   
Dog_Ear wrote:

Thanks for that -reminds me of fishing many years ago with a professional "hook-n-bullet" journalist. He caught bass by the score, one after another. I copied his every move, same lure, etc. Even swapped gear. I got maybe 2 all day. He was unstoppable -even with my rig. Go Carlos!

 
Interesting stories, part of the magic of human experience.
{#Drummer}{#Drummer}{#Drummer}{#Drummer}{#Drummer}
{#Drummer} {#Drummer} {#Guitarist} {#Drummer} {#Drummer}


In those days SANTANA was a solid 10 - for years!

Nowadays...? Do not ask me!!!!


One of my top candidates for all-time Hall of Fame guitar rips, both recorded and live. Thunder and grace amplified to the nth. 
I said it once and I'll say it again...you can get high on this guitar work.


This sure ain't Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, or Linkin Park.    
 cohifi wrote:
Whoa.....this is one of those that don't notice at first, and then you are like......cool

 
Ditto.
You don't like this guitar work?
 gemtag wrote:
Ja, how I hate screaming guitars.  
 
Surely you jest ... ?
AWE-SOME AND THEN-SOME! Ear smokin' guitar blast. 
Yeah baby!!!!

You can get high off this guitar work.  Just like with Clapton, Led, Allman Brothers, Joe Walsh, GD, etc. etc, etc.

 


One of Santana's best! IMHO anyway. {#Music}
guter Sound am Morgen, vertreibt Kummer +Sorgen
GORGEOUS ALBUM INDEED!
Whoa.....this is one of those that don't notice at first, and then you are like......cool
Get a chill up my spine when I hear this. God like.
Long ago in the Age of Vinyl, I came home very late (or early), 3 a.m. on a weeknight, quite wasted and highly buzzed. I put this on the turntable and into my headphones and cranked it to ear-damaging levels. I had a blast. Air guitar mania! I've seen the band play this at least three times, most vividly in late '76 in Boston. It remains one of the most exciting pieces of music I've ever heard, on record or live. 

I had neglected to flip the receiver switch to 'headphones only'! Outrageous thunder from large speakers in a small apartment! I had really pissed off the neighbors who rose for work at 7 or something. I woke up the whole damn Brooklyn building, and for all I know, half the block. One of them threatened to 'shoot me' if I ever did that again. 

For those who don't know, Toussaint L'Ouverture was a rebel who led an armed early 19th century uprising against Napoleon's forces on Hispaniola (today Dominican Repub and Haiti). He was kind of like the Haitian Spartacus. Which accounts for Santana's retake of Love Theme from Spartacus (the movie) on Swing of Delight in the late 80s.  Maybe play these cuts back to back, Bill. 

Ja, how I hate screaming guitars.  
There seemed to be a picture that was not showing up , so I removed it probaly these silies here.

Great tune though. 
They. Are. Rockin'!
{#Sleep}
The earlier the better Santana was/is!
GORGEOUS atmosphere!
 RedGuitar wrote:

I bet seeing this band (from the first 3 albums) live was a phenomenal experience.

 
Many of the back up artists for Santana went on to form Journey. Journey's first three album were pre Steve Perry (and the mainstream angle that made them famous) and covered instead more of a rock fusion bent.  Well worth checking out. 

 RedGuitar wrote:

I bet seeing this band (from the first 3 albums) live was a phenomenal experience.

 
It was. Carousel Ballroom (later Fillmore West) in SF in 1968 before their first album was released. Blew the sides off the place.

The song title refers to the leader of the Haitian Revolution. See the Wikipedia page on Toussaint L'Ouverture.
 crockydile wrote:

A good guitar player does not a song make. This is horrid. Droning. Repetitive. Clearly drug-induced.

 

And what do you have against drugs?  All the best Rock n' Roll was drug/alcohol induced. 

The interplay between Santana and Schon on this album is sizzling. 
 zaknafein wrote:
Wow. Totally kickass.
 
No doubt. Carlos is really wailin' on this one.
 crockydile wrote:

A good guitar player does not a song make. This is horrid. Droning. Repetitive. Clearly drug-induced.

 
Agreed...

Enough already...
Yes!!!
It's good to hear Carlos' other song every once in a while.
 Photo-John wrote:
Holy shit. Hail the master.
 
I bet seeing this band (from the first 3 albums) live was a phenomenal experience.

I'm NOT a Santana fan, but this Smokes.
Wow. Totally kickass.

Wow. Totally kickass.
When Carlos still rocked. . .
 nagsheadlocal wrote:
I saw Santana while they were touring behind this album - back when musicians weren't surrounded by bodyguards and flacks and toadies of all sorts. Carlos was standing around before the show kicking it with the fans. One guy was saying he had the exact same set-up as Carlos (guitar, amp, even the same strings and picks) but he couldn't achieve that tone.

Santana just laughed and said: "Man, you don't have my fingers."

Over the years whenever I've had a student who wanted to get a certain tone or style, I'd tell them that story. Even in the age of electronics, there's still a human at the core of the sound. 
 
Thanks for that -reminds me of fishing many years ago with a professional "hook-n-bullet" journalist. He caught bass by the score, one after another. I copied his every move, same lure, etc. Even swapped gear. I got maybe 2 all day. He was unstoppable -even with my rig. Go Carlos!
Go Greg, GO! Woooooo Hoooooooo!
Wow! {#Sunny}
 nagsheadlocal wrote:
I saw Santana while they were touring behind this album - back when musicians weren't surrounded by bodyguards and flacks and toadies of all sorts. Carlos was standing around before the show kicking it with the fans. One guy was saying he had the exact same set-up as Carlos (guitar, amp, even the same strings and picks) but he couldn't achieve that tone.

Santana just laughed and said: "Man, you don't have my fingers."

Over the years whenever I've had a student who wanted to get a certain tone or style, I'd tell them that story. Even in the age of electronics, there's still a human at the core of the sound. 
 
Great story and so true.

I saw Santana while they were touring behind this album - back when musicians weren't surrounded by bodyguards and flacks and toadies of all sorts. Carlos was standing around before the show kicking it with the fans. One guy was saying he had the exact same set-up as Carlos (guitar, amp, even the same strings and picks) but he couldn't achieve that tone.

Santana just laughed and said: "Man, you don't have my fingers."

Over the years whenever I've had a student who wanted to get a certain tone or style, I'd tell them that story. Even in the age of electronics, there's still a human at the core of the sound. 
 anotherlistener wrote:

I GARONTEE, ALL THE SANTANA NAYSAYERS NEVER SAW THIS BAND LIVE.  YOU GET PUMMELED WITH POWER GUITAR ROCK & ROLL WITH A LATINO FLAIR.  YOU BEST BE READY TO GET YO ASS UP OUT YO SEAT!  WONNAFUL WONNAFUL STUFF.



 
I've seen Santana twice, and I agree - Carlos is on fire live!

Last time I rated this an 8 there must have been some Basement Jaxx or Mari Boine right before.  Handicapped by auditory system.  Easy 10.


I GARONTEE, ALL THE SANTANA NAYSAYERS NEVER SAW THIS BAND LIVE.  YOU GET PUMMELED WITH POWER GUITAR ROCK & ROLL WITH A LATINO FLAIR.  YOU BEST BE READY TO GET YO ASS UP OUT YO SEAT!  WONNAFUL WONNAFUL STUFF.



 capandjudy wrote:

Love the twin guitar arrangements. It is as if Santana at this point resembled a Latino version of The Allman Brothers with the dual guitar attack. I saw Iron Butterfly in 1971 which was about the same time and they had hired on two guitarists and did a similar thing with one guitarist playing the harmony part to the other. Believe it or not that actually was a really good show. 
 
Yes - those guitarists were Mike Pinera, who went on to form Blues Image, and Larry 'Rhino' Reinhardt, who formed Captain Beyond.

That great organ work and the 2nd guitar is Greg Rollie and Neil Schon respectively who both left soon after to form Journey. A fantastic tribute by Neil to his past with Carlos can be seen on Journey's Live DVD "Journey 2001". Check out La Raza Del Sol. The connection is unmistakable and you will not be disappointed.
 Photo-John wrote:
Holy shit. Hail the master.
 
A good guitar player does not a song make. This is horrid. Droning. Repetitive. Clearly drug-induced.

Holy shit. Hail the master.
Excellent...love the grinding, screaming, growling organ work in all these classic Santana songs. The guitar is not bad either :)

Some tunes are best played so loud that your ears should almost bleed...  this qualifies {#Guitarist}
Again, I have been struggling with my terminology "rock an roll".........This Helps! 
HELLS YES!!!!!!{#Bananasplit}{#Dancingbanana_2}{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}
love that album cover.
 Eveland wrote:
Love the guitar and organ combo.
 
Love the twin guitar arrangements. It is as if Santana at this point resembled a Latino version of The Allman Brothers with the dual guitar attack. I saw Iron Butterfly in 1971 which was about the same time and they had hired on two guitarists and did a similar thing with one guitarist playing the harmony part to the other. Believe it or not that actually was a really good show. 


 secretsauce wrote:
I love these French guys.
 
Me, too.  They remind me of Air.

 MojoJojo wrote:
This reminds me of that other Santana song.
 

Yeah!  Me too!!
Love this Album-Everything else he does is just this album toned down. 1971 folks!
Que' fantastico....especially @ Woodstock!
Love the guitar and organ combo.
Toussaint L'Overture? Didn't he play football for the University of Washington back in the 1980s?
Not too bad for a one-trick pony! 
SIZZLE!!!! HOT HOT HOT!{#Bananajam}
Great stuff, but I do prefer the live versions always. Seeing him live was always a treat.
searing, screaming guitars - 10 for me
This reminds me of that other Santana song.
Really nice guitar work. Let's be honest boys and girls, there is a lot of dreck that passes for music. This is not deep emo or protest stuff...just power music. You gotta admire the sound.
No one else can mix the music genres like Carlos Santana! Great stuff!


Just sit back, shut up, and play your air gitar....you know you are!
 paulpaar wrote:
Tanks!
 
{#Surprised} Where? Should we run for cover!?

Santana is who I meant: Oh , those strings ! Smokey. AHH, de good ole days.

Tanks!
Maybe I'm just having a bad attitude day. Geez, I'm just sick of Santana. They get all the props. Amazing musicians. I've just had too many years of it.
where can i get me some of those bananas?

 
kaybee wrote:

Ay caramba!  Las bananas locas y ostentosa!
 


 Danny_G wrote:
¡¡¡EL TIMBAL, EL TIMBAL!!!


 
Ay caramba!  Las bananas locas y ostentosa!


Waaay too much psychedelicism.  And too much cowbell, too.
hippiechick wrote:
WOW!!!!!!!

You said it, hipchick.
 Danny_G wrote:
¡¡¡EL TIMBAL, EL TIMBAL!!!


 
whoa.... how did you do that?

                                                                   {#Bananapiano}
                                               You are killing me Bill !
WOW!!!!!!!
{#Notworthy}
thewiseking wrote:
a bit less cheezoid and cliche than most of his stuff but it's still just crossover. it would be instructive to listen to some real kick ass vato jams from the period by WAR.
Could you please define "crossover" for me, and explain why it's a bad thing? I thought this song was quite enjoyable.
¡¡¡EL TIMBAL, EL TIMBAL!!!
WAIL babay!!!
Groovalicious.
I love these French guys.
a bit less cheezoid and cliche than most of his stuff but it's still just crossover. it would be instructive to listen to some real kick ass vato jams from the period by WAR.
Acid trip to drum circle- I love it!