Festivál is the eighth studio album by Santana, released in January 1977. It peaked number twenty seven in the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and number twenty nine in the Soul LPs chart.
This was the band's second and last album with Leon Patillo on vocals, and the last full-studio album for longtime members keyboardist Tom Coster and percussionist José "Chepitó" Areas. It also was the first one with percussionist Raul Rekow, who would remain with the band until 2013 (save for 1987–1990).
Leon Patillo would later record a version of "The River" for his 1982 album I'll Never Stop Lovin' You, retitled just "River".
Contents
Critical reception
Rolling Stone wrote: "Though this record is far stronger on the whole than Amigos, it lacks that album’s memorable chordal quirks and peaks of intensity, sometimes sounding like a prisoner of its own commercial aspirations."
Track listing
Side one
"Carnaval" (Tom Coster, Carlos Santana) – 2:15
"Let the Children Play" (Leon Patillo, Santana) – 3:28
"Jugando" (José Areas, Santana) – 2:12
"Give Me Love" (Pablo Téllez) – 4:29
"Verão Vermelho" (Nonato Buzar) – 5:00
"Let the Music Set You Free" (Coster, Patillo, David Rubinson, Santana) – 3:39
Side two
"Revelations" (Coster, Santana) – 4:37
"Reach Up" (Coster, Paul Jackson, Patillo, Santana) – 5:23
"The River" (Patillo, Santana) – 4:53
"Try a Little Harder" (Patillo) – 5:04
"María Caracóles" (Pello el Afrokán - credited "P. African") – 4:32
Personnel
Oren Waters – vocals, background vocals
Maxine Willard Waters – vocals, background vocals
Francisco Zavala – vocals, background vocals
Carlos Santana – guitar, bass, percussion, vocals, background vocals
Leon Patillo – keyboards, percussion, piano, vocals, background vocals
Tom Coster – keyboards, percussion, synthesizer, vocals
Pablo Téllez – bass, percussion, vocals, background vocals
Paul Jackson – bass
Gaylord Birch – drums, percussion, tympani
José "Chepitó" Areas – conga, percussion, timbales
Raul Rekow – conga, percussion, background vocals
Joel Badie – percussion, vocals, background vocals
Julia Waters – background vocals
Production:
Fred Catero – engineer
David Rubinson – engineer, producer