Santana-Marathon (1979)

Following the commercial success of their previous album, "Inner Secrets", Carlos Santana reformed his band once again, bringing in vocalist Alex Ligertwood to replace Greg Walker, while Alan Pasqua replaced keyboardist Chris Rhyne. The rest of the lineup remained the same: Carlos Santana (guitar and vocals), Chris Solberg (rhythm guitar), David Margen (bass), Graham Lear (drums), Armando Peraza (percussion), and Raul Rekow (percussion). Continuing in the vein of the conventional and melodic rock of "Inner Secrets", Santana released his next album, his tenth, "Marathon", which featured the magnificent, dreamlike instrumental "Aqua Marine", followed by the addictive AOR tracks "Lightning in the Sky", "Stand Up", and "You Know That I Love You", as well as the brief instrumental title track. The sensual "Summer Lady" and "Stay (Beside Me)" or the powerful rock "All I Ever Wanted" also contribute to the album's high quality, an album where Carlos Santana once again displays superb guitar work in terms of sound and the creative atmosphere that only this guitarist knows how to imprint on all his songs.