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Amigos is the seventh studio album by Santana released in 1976. It generated a minor U.S. hit single in “Let It Shine” and was the band’s first album to hit the top ten on the Billboard charts since Caravanserai in 1972 (it ultimately reached gold record status). In Europe, the song “Europa” was released as a single and became a top ten hit in several countries.

New vocalist Greg Walker joined the group. It would be the last Santana album to include original bassist David Brown.

Reception

The AllMusic review by William Ruhlmann awarded the album 4 stars and stated:”By the release of Amigos, the Santana band’s seventh album, only Carlos Santana and David Brown remained from the band that conquered Woodstock, and only Carlos had been in the band continuously since. Meanwhile, the group had made some effort to arrest its commercial slide, hiring an outside producer, David Rubinson, and taking a tighter, more up-tempo, and more vocal approach to its music. The overt jazz influences were replaced by strains of R&B/funk and Mexican folk music. The result was an album more dynamic than any since Santana III in 1971. “Let It Shine” (number 77), an R&B-tinged tune, became the group’s first chart single in four years, and the album returned Santana to Top Ten status.”

Track listing
Side one
“Dance Sister Dance (Baila Mi Hermana)” (Leon Chancler, Tom Coster, David Rubinson) – 8:15
“Take Me with You” (instrumental) (Leon Chancler, Tom Coster) – 5:27
“Let Me” (Tom Coster, Carlos Santana) – 4:51
Side two
“Gitano” (Armando Peraza) – 6:13
“Tell Me Are You Tired” (Leon Chancler, Tom Coster) – 5:42
“Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)” (instrumental) (Tom Coster, Carlos Santana) – 5:06
“Let It Shine” (David Brown, Ray Gardner) – 5:43

Personnel
Greg Walker – vocals
Carlos Santana – guitars, background vocals, percussion, congas, güiro
Tom Coster – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP Odyssey, ARP String Ensemble, Hohner Clavinet D6, background vocals
David Brown – bass guitar
Leon “Ndugu” Chancler – drums, timbales, Remo Rototoms, percussion, congas, background vocals
Armando Peraza – congas, bongos, background vocals, vocal on “Gitano”
Ivory Stone – background vocals
Julia Tillman Waters – background vocals
Maxine Willard Waters – background vocals

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Released: March 26, 1976
Studio: Wally Heider Studios San Francisco
Length: 41:14
Label: Columbia
Producer: David Rubinson