Gregg Rolie Band - Rain Dance - Live (2009)

To call Gregg Rolie a musical legend is a ridiculous understatement.  After all, this is a man who co-founded not one, but two legendary rock bands: the astounding, rock/Latin fusion of Santana and the greatest melodic-rock band ever, Journey.

He was in Santana up to and including “Caravansarai” (aka the good years), before heading off with fellow Santana man, guitarist Neal Schon, to found Journey. Taking the latter band's jazz-fusion roots through the peaks of their melodic rock success, Rolie then departed Journey at their commercial peak in 1981.

The eighties saw Rolie releasing a couple of solo albums, as well as returning to Santana for the “Freedom” and “Shango” albums. The nineties saw him forming the underrated band, The Storm, whose two albums of mainstream, melodic rock are well worth checking out.   “Rain Dance “is a live album, recorded back in 2007, which saw Rolie back with fellow Santana co-founder Michael Carabello, former Santana bassist Alphonso Johnson as well as Adrian Areas (son of original Santana percussionist, Jose Chepito Areas). You won't be surprised, therefore, to learn that the music performed leans heavily on the material they helped create and perform in the late sixties and early seventies, when Gregg Rolie was Santana's voice as well as the band's keyboardist.

Songs like "No One To Depend On", "Gypsy Queen" and "Oye Como Va" are among the most life-affirming music ever. Works of pure emotion particularly with a band this good still cause a shiver to run down my spine after all this time.  A couple of tracks from the Roots album slot in seamlessly beside the older material as well. Rolie is still in fine voice and the album overall is an absolute treat.

The band even gets the chance to kick out the jams on a ten-minute-plus version of Deadric Malone's blues classic, "As The Years Go Passing By," giving guitarist Kurt Griffet a chance to shine.  However, once the percussion kicks in, I guarantee you've never heard a version quite like this one.

With Carlos Santana having gotten bogged down in his all-star albums of diminishing returns, this performance and this band comfortably outshines anything he's put his name to in recent years. It's now been 40 years since the Santana band tore up Woodstock, so there's no better time to take another listen to some of the finest music ever written.

 

Track listing

 

01.  Jingo  - 5:51 
02.  Going Home  - 5:52 
03.  No One To Depend On  - 5:48 
04.  As The Years Go Passing By  - 10:07 
05.  Evil Ways  - 4:21 
06.  Across The Water  - 6:24 
07.  Give It To Me  - 4:34 
08.  Soul Sacrifice  - 10:09 
09.  Black Magic Woman  - 3:27 
10.  Gypsy Queen  - 4:52 
11.  Oye Coma Va  - 5:20 
12.  Bailamos El Son  - 5:43 

 

Credits
Lead Vocals, Keyboards – Gregg Rolie
Timbales – Adrian Areas
Bass – Alphonso Johnson
Congas – Michael Carabello
Crew – Dave Egan, Jerry Daniels
Drums – Ron Wikso
Guitar – Kurt Griffey
Keyboards – Wally Minko

 

Management [Scott Boorey Management] – Jim Welch, Scott Boorey
Mastered By – Jerry Tubb
Mixed By – Sean Rolie
Other [Booking Agent - Paradise Artists] – Bobby Lee
Co-producer – Ron Wikso
Producer – Gregg Rolie
Artwork [Art] – Jim Welch

 

Companies etc
Copyright (c) – Gregg Rolie
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Gregg Rolie
Mastered At – Terra Nova Digital Audio

 

Notes
Mastered [at] Terra Nova Digital Audio, Inc. Austin, texas
Genre: Latin Rock
Length: 70:46
Label:  Not On Label (Gregg Rolie Self-released) ‎– none

 

© 2009