Caravanserai (album)

Caravanserai is the fourth studio album by American rock band Santana, released on October 11, 1972. The album marked a period of transition for Santana as it was the band's last to feature several key early members, while shifting in a more instrumental, progressive jazz fusion direction. It sold in fewer quantities than the band's previous chart-topping albums, stalling at No. 8 on the Billboard LPs chart, but has been critically acclaimed.

Caravanserai
Studio album by Santana
Released	October 11, 1972 (1972-10-11)
Recorded	February 21 – May 5, 1972
Studio	Columbia Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre	Jazz fusion Latin rock
Length	51:33
Label	Columbia CBS
Producer	Michael Shrieve Carlos Santana
Santana chronology
Santana (1971) Caravanserai (1972) Welcome (1973)
Carlos Santana chronology
Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! (1972) Caravanserai (1972) Love Devotion Surrender (1973)

Release and promotion

The album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic. It was released on October 11, 1972. The album was supported with a tour, which spanned the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania and lasted from September 1972 to December 1973. The shows on July 3 and 4, 1973 at the Osaka Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Osaka, Japan, were released as the triple vinyl LP Lotus.

The inner cover carried a quote by Paramahansa Yogananda:

The body melts into the universe.
The universe melts into the soundless voice.
The sound melts into the all-shining light.
And the light enters the bosom of infinite joy.

— ^[1][2]

In 2000 SME records in Japan, part of Sony Music, released the remastered version as an SACD, in stereo only.^[3] In 2022 SME records released the remastered version as an SACD in both stereo and quadraphonic.^[4]

The album was remastered in 2003 for re-release on Legacy/Columbia/SME.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−[6]
Rolling Stone	(not rated)[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[9]

The album reached number eight in the Billboard 200 chart and number six in the R&B Albums chart in 1972.^[10]

The album was regarded as an artistic success, but the musical changes that began on its release in 1972 marked the start of a fall in Santana's commercial popularity. In a 2013 interview, drummer and album co-producer Michael Shrieve recalled that Columbia Records president Clive Davis, upon first hearing the finished album, told Santana he was committing "career suicide."

A 1976 review in Rolling Stone by Ralph Gleason said the album affirmed and "speaks directly to the universality of man, both in the sound of the music and in the vocals."^[7] Caravanserai was also voted number 609 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).^[11]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation" (instrumental)	Tom Rutley, Neal Schon, Michael Shrieve	4:28
2.	"Waves Within" (instrumental)	Doug Rauch, Gregg Rolie, Carlos Santana	3:54
3.	"Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)" (instrumental)	Rauch, Rolie, Santana	3:00
4.	"Just in Time to See the Sun"	Rolie, Santana, Shrieve	2:18
5.	"Song of the Wind" (instrumental)	Rolie, Santana, Schon	6:04
6.	"All the Love of the Universe"	Santana, Schon	7:40

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Future Primitive" (instrumental)	José Areas, Mingo Lewis	4:12
8.	"Stone Flower"	Antônio Carlos Jobim (music) Santana, Shrieve (lyrics)	6:15
9.	"La Fuente del Ritmo" (instrumental)	Mingo Lewis	4:34
10.	"Every Step of the Way" (instrumental)	Shrieve	9:05
Total length:			51:33

On the Q8 quad version,^[12] "Song of the Wind" and "La Fuente del Ritmo"—the next to last tracks on each side of the LP—were traded to even the timing for the tape.

Personnel

• Carlos Santana – lead guitar (2–4, 8, 9), guitar (5, 6, 10), vocals (4, 6, 8), percussion (1, 8)
• Neal Schon – guitar (1, 3–6, 8–10)
• Gregg Rolie – organ (2–6, 8-10), electric piano (6), vocals (4), piano
• Douglas Rauch – bass (2–6), guitar (2–3)
• Douglas Rodrigues – guitar (2)
• Wendy Haas – piano (1, 8)
• Tom Rutley – acoustic bass (1, 6, 8–10)
• Michael Shrieve – drums (1–6, 8–10), percussion, vocals (8)
• José "Chepito" Areas – percussion, congas (7), timbales (2–4, 6–7, 9–10), bongos (8)
• James Mingo Lewis – percussion (1, 8–9), congas (2–10), bongos (7), vocals (6), acoustic piano (9)
• Armando Peraza – percussion (8), bongos (9)
• Hadley Caliman – saxophone intro (1), flute (10)
• Rico Reyes – vocals (6)
• Lenny White – castanets (6)
• Tom Coster – electric piano (9)
• Tom Harrell – orchestra arrangement (10)

Production

• Produced by Carlos Santana & Mike Shrieve
• Recorded & engineered by Glen Kolotkin & Mike Larner
• Recorded at Columbia Studios, San Francisco, California March, April, & May 1972

April 6, recorded All the Love of the Universe

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1972-1973) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] 16 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] 6 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 3 Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[16] 3 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 13 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[18] 3 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 10 UK Albums (OCC)[20] 6 US Billboard 200[21] 8

Year-end charts Chart (1973) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 41

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23]	Gold	50,000^
France (SNEP)[24]	Gold	100,000*
United States (RIAA)[25]	Platinum	1,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Caravanserai (liner notes). Santana. CBS Columbia. 1972. KC 31610.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. p36, Metaphysical Meditations, Paramahansa Yogananda
3. "Santana - Caravanserai". Discogs. December 18, 1999.
4. "Santana - Caravanserai". Discogs. November 30, 2022.
5. Henderson, Alex. "Caravanserai". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
6. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
7. Gleason, Ralph J. (December 8, 1976). "Santana: Caravanserai : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
8. "Santana: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
9. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
10. "Caravanserai - Santana | Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
11. Colin Larkin (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 203. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
12. "Santana: Caravanserai [SQ/Q8]". Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
14. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4227". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Santana – Caravanserai" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
16. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Santana – Caravanserai" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
18. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 6, 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Santana".
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – Santana – Caravanserai". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
21. "Santana Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
22. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1973. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
23. "Canadian album certifications – Santana – Caravanserai". Music Canada.
24. "French album certifications – Santana – Caravanserai" (in French). InfoDisc. Select SANTANA and click OK. 
25. "American album certifications – Santana – Caravanserai". Recording Industry Association of America.