Welcome (Santana album)

Welcome
Studio album by Santana
Released	November 9, 1973
Recorded	April to June 1973
Genre	Jazz fusion
Length	50:34
Label	Columbia
Producer	Carlos Santana, Mike Shrieve, Tom Coster
Santana chronology
Caravanserai (1972) Welcome (1973) Lotus (1974)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]
Rolling Stone	(favorable)[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[4]

Welcome is the fifth studio album by Santana, released in 1973. It followed the jazz-fusion formula that the preceding Caravanserai had inaugurated, but with an expanded and different lineup this time. Gregg Rolie had left the band along with Neal Schon to form Journey, and they were replaced by Tom Coster, Leon Thomas and John McLaughlin, who had collaborated with Carlos Santana on Love Devotion Surrender. Welcome also featured John Coltrane's widow, Alice, as a pianist on the album's opening track, "Going Home" and Flora Purim (the wife of Airto Moreira) on vocals. Because this album was far more experimental than their first four albums, Welcome did not feature any hit singles.

In 2003, the album was re-released with a bonus track, "Mantra", which was part of a jam session between Tom Coster, Carlos Santana, and Mike Shrieve.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Going Home"	Instrumental	Spiritual adapted from Antonín Dvořák's "New World Symphony"; arr.: Alice Coltrane and Santana Band	4:10
2.	"Love, Devotion & Surrender"	Carlos Santana	Santana, Richard Kermode	3:35
3.	"Samba de Sausalito"	Instrumental	José Areas	3:08
4.	"When I Look into Your Eyes"	Michael Shrieve	Shrieve, Tom Coster	5:49
5.	"Yours Is the Light"	Shrieve	Kermode	5:44

Side two

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
6.	"Mother Africa"	Instrumental	Herbie Mann; arr. by Coster, Santana	5:54
7.	"Light of Life"	Santana	Santana, Kermode, Coster	3:49
8.	"Flame - Sky"	Instrumental	Doug Rauch, Santana, John McLaughlin	11:32
9.	"Welcome"	Instrumental	John Coltrane	6:28

2003 remastered CD edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Mantra"	Santana, Shrieve, Coster	6:10

Personnel

Band members

• Carlos Santana – electric guitar (2-5,7-9), acoustic guitar (2), bass guitar (6), kalimba (6), percussion (1,7), vocals (2), producer
• Tom Coster – Yamaha organ (1,4,6,8), Hammond organ (2,4,5), electric piano (3,7), acoustic piano (6,8,9), organ (7), marimba (6), percussion (3), strings arrangements (7), producer
• Richard Kermode – Hammond organ (1,3,8), mellotron (1), electric piano (2,4-7,9), acoustic piano (5), marimba (4), shekere (4,6), percussion (3)
• Douglas Rauch – bass guitar (1-5,7-9)
• Michael Shrieve – drums (1,2,4-8), producer
• José "Chepito" Areas – percussion (3,9), congas (3), timbales (2,3,6,7)
• Armando Peraza – percussion (1,3,9) congas (2,4-8), bongos (4), cabasa (5)
• Leon Thomas – lead vocals (2, 4, 7), whistling (5)

Additional musicians

• Wendy Haas – vocals (2, 4)
• Flora Purim – lead vocals (5)
• John McLaughlin – guitar (8)
• Joe Farrell – solo flute (4)
• Bob Yance – flute (4, 5)
• Mel Martin – flute (4, 5)
• Douglas Rodriguez – rhythm guitar (4)
• Tony Smith – drums (3)
• Jules Broussard – soprano saxophone (6)
• Greg Adams – strings arrangements (7)

Production

• Glen Kolotkin - engineer
• Bob Irwin - 2003 CD reissue producer

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[5]	Gold	50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[6]	Silver	60,000
United States (RIAA)[7]	Gold	500,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. Jurek, Thom (2011). "Welcome - Santana | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
2. Christgau, Robert (2011). "Robert Christgau: Album: Santana: Welcome". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
3. Palmer, Bob (3 January 1974). "Album Reviews: Santana - Welcome". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2011-08-28.
4. "Santana: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
5. "Canadian album certifications – Santana – Welcome". Music Canada.
6. "British album certifications – Santana – Welcome". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Welcome in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
7. "American album certifications – Santana – Welcome". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH