Includes liner notes by David Fricke.

This anthology covers some of the highlights of Santana's long and varied career. Though it's occasionally dipped its collective toe into the AOR waters, Santana is one of the few psychedelic-era San Francisco bands that's maintained its career without embarrassing itself. Though diehards might lament the lack of more obscure material, there's only so much a single disc can cover of this band's esteemed legacy. Consider it a Santana starter kit; you get the basics from the band's first incarnation ("Black Magic Woman," "Evil Ways") the aforementioned AOR efforts ("Winning") and everything in between. THE BEST OF SANTANA does a good job of summing the band's fusion of rock, Latin music and jazz for those who haven't yet begun to explore Santana's venerable catalog.