Evil Ways
Santana, 1969, from Santana. Solo by Carlos Santana.
Santana's first hit single, with a concise solo trading space with Gregg Rolie's organ.
Evil Ways was Santana's first hit single, and its solo shows how the band balanced tight songwriting with improvisation. Carlos Santana's guitar trades space with Gregg Rolie's organ, and his lines are concise, bluesy and melodic, fitting snugly into the song's Latin groove. His sustained tone and expressive bends give each phrase a vocal quality. The track helped bring his sound to a wide audience. Listen for how the guitar and organ hand phrases back and forth, and how Santana keeps his solo short and focused, choosing a few strong ideas rather than filling every bar with notes.
Evil Ways by Santana is ranked #362 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Carlos Santana and the song was released in 1969. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #196 (Digital Dream Door).
In our lists
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on Evil Ways?
Carlos Santana played the solo on Santana's Evil Ways (1969).
Where does Evil Ways rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#362 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.