I have this album on vinyl. I love listening to it. Great production, great songs. One of my favorite instrumentals: "Aqua Marine".
The best santana album in my opinion!

This album is pretty hard rocking by Santana standards and
what isn't it produced in an equally dence,weighty manner.Mostl
a showcase for Carlos's patented riff-o-rama's the pleasant R&B
of "Stay Beside Me" is the closest thing the album has to pop,
even though it's equally as likely to punch you out as the rest is.An aquired but rewarding taste.

I remember when "Marathon" came out and the local radio staion started playing "Hard Times". Good solid rocking there, and the band at my high school prom played "Stand Up/Runnin'". I, too, love the instrumental "Aqua Marine". Generally the album flows quite well although it has a more pop feel than other releases which may turn off some listeners.

I first bought this when it first came out in 79 the interplay between Carlos and the lead vocalist are incredible this is a must for any serious Santana devotee.

Sometimes everything just clicks into place and you know that it is as it should be. The trendy term today for this phenomenon is, I believe, "Feng Shui." Whatever you want to call this coming together in harmony, its presence permeates this excellent recording. Carlos infuses each song with his special sound of spirits crying for enlightment---but without the excessive pyrotechnics that sometimes make his albums tiresome after repeated listenings. I agree with the other reviewers who note that the sublime keyboards of Alan Pasqua hit just the right note and that vocalist Alex Litgerwood delivers the perfect tone to these songs. My favorite song, though, is the haunting, transcendent instrumental, Aqua Marine, which will calm jagged nerves and inspire you to scrawl lines in the sand or spin a few haiku.