Clandestino

When you're in Mexico, and you go downstairs at whatever dive backpacker hostel you're staying in after a huge night drinking the shitty local imitation Corona, this is exactly what the seedy cunt who owns the hostel will be playing as he has a ciggie and hoses the vomit off the floor. He somehow won't be hungover, but you'll want to die. You'll also remember, through the haze, getting knocked back by that cute fair-weather hippie chick who is staying in one of the other rooms. You thought her flowing skirt, flirty behaviour and see-through top were a come-on, didn't you? lol. Just drink your breakfast beer and hang your head in shame, loser. Maybe you should give googol bordello a go if you're serious about trying to root chix who are pretending to be free spirits for the duration of this one holiday. Throw your standards out the door; just do it. Snarky disses aside, this was pretty catchy. 3/5.

I expected to say "I respect this, but it's not for me" and call it a day, but it was way more listenable than I expected. Plus, who can resist a lyric like "Welcome to Tijuana / Tequila, sexo, y marijuana"? Best track: Welcome to Tijuana.

Well, that was a delightful surprise. This album was just fun. It was energetic without being frantic, proud of its roots while staying accessible, complex without being too complicated. I really enjoyed it.

TIL that, in spite of all the spanish in his music, Manu Chao is french?! I was convinced my entire life he was latin american. The first few tracks flow so well into each other. Really vibed with this, 5* Fuck the reviewers that trash this or any other album only because it isn't in english; what a shitty, close-minded, ignorant take. Highlights: je ne t'aime plus, desaparecido, bongo bong, luna y sol

este album es wank

Es difícil hablar chido sobre un wey que creó un personaje con este disco y que luego se lo creyó hasta que que el Manuel Chao, ciudadano francés, desapareció por completo. Un wey que seguro tiene un pinche castillo en Francia o algo así por el estilo pero que en algún momento representó cierta posición política altermundista, de izquierdas pues, que era interesante. Para empezar, puedo decir que el wey nunca superó este disco. Ni lo hará. Creo que en Clandestino volcó todo lo que tenía que decir. Y ya no hay más que agregar. O mucho que agregar. Y está bien, no pasa nada. Eso que tenía que decir es esa idea de mestizaje desde el primer mundo, Barcelona mestiza. Yo siempre le olí un poco de turismo de clase a ese pedo. Digo, al final muy vivan los zapatistas y no sé qué pero vives en Europa, carnal. No es lo mismo. No es lo mismo tomar esa posición en México o en Chile que en la España del capital. Pero al menos lo intentó, hizo algo con eso, me caga la palabra privilegio, eso. Pero fuera de esa disonancia que siempre estará presente en lo que haga Manu. Igual les platico el ciclo con Manu Chao (que me ha pasado con muchas bandas): Lo amé, me formó. Me cansó, me hartó y luego me cagó. Odio, mucho odio. Escuchando el disco hoy, enero de 2020. Creo que tiene más sentido que antes. O al menos lo entiendo mucho mejor. Ritmos cubanos, ska, reggae, trompetas de esas que los españoles llaman fronterizas, flamenco. Me da esperanza, me da orgullo (¿?). La fuerza de nuestra región, la riqueza de nuestras expresiones. Creo que lo más chido es que es un disco profundamente melancólico. Celebrando la mentira, la muerte, lo ilegal, lo que se oculta. Una melancolía vital. Una que alienta la esperanza porque hay que estar vivos para sentir esa melancolía. La malegría. Trisfeliz dice un gran amigo. Mención aparte tiene Welcome to Tijuana. Es raro verme representado en el rock o como quieres llamar a esto. Está lleno de bangers este trip. 14 rolas, 14 likes. Bye.

3.3 - This album immediately transports me to a hostel lobby circa 2001. There are tapestries of Ché Guevara and Bob Marley hanging on the wall. I'm sipping on a lukewarm cup of Nescafé waiting to use the communal computer so I can book my next train ticket. Some Belgian chick who I just met is sitting across from me explaining why George W Bush sucks. I nod my head politely, mostly tuning her out and listening to this music bumping in the background. "Did the singer just rhyme 'Tijuana' and 'marijuana'?" I think. This scene which may have excited me when I was 20 just seems tiresome now that I'm older. And that's exactly how I feel listening to this record. There's a chill vibe throughout but it's overall uninspiring.

The sound of white dreadlocks.

Love the vibes of this one. Something that will definitely make my rotation since I'm always looking for good world music to vibe to.

Habe dieses Album auf dem Weg zum Splash 2011 gehört, obwohl das LineUp weiter weg von Manu Chao nich sein könnte. Aber so bringt man sich halt in Stimmung. Irgendwas zwischen 4 und 5 würde ich als Bewertung da lassen, aber Rationale Zahlen sind ja nicht möglich. Danke Entwickler.

Very interesting mix. The music itself seems to be more Latin American inspired but the lyrics are sung in many languages including Spanish French and English. The music is infectious and very danceable. My Spanish isn’t as good as it used to be so I don’t understand as much as I like, but from what I’ve read, the lyrics have an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist

Spanish shite. Like the stuff you hear when you're hungover, eating breakfast in a bar in Benidorm

Was not in english so not for me

An old favorite from way back. I mean, he's the king of Bongo Bong, what more is there to say?

So far I like this one. I think the soundbites add some interest to the songs, and I like the sound of Spanish music. I liked this one a lot. I would consider downloading this one.

The album has a beautiful sunset feel to it. I also like the minimalistic production. Would have never guessed this guy is French-Spanish.

I'm not always on board with the mood Manu channels, but the craft of that channeling is immaculate as far as I'm concerned. The mixing of vocals into the rest of the sounds is especially perfect. The dash between "French" and "Spanish" on Chao's Wikipedia is audible. Feels good to really love an album on the site again. No single track leaped out at me, which gives me more confidence in the score.

Loved it. I was impressed when after 4 or 5 songs he had shifted from Spanish to English to French. Apparently Minha Galeria (track 14) is in Portuguese. But aside from his mastery of different languages, the style is upbeat, the beats are catchy, and his lyrics are interesting (at least from what I could understand from English and French...minimally Spanish). Regardless the language, there's lots of neat wordplay. One knock is some cheesy studio effects added in periodically (e.g., the 80's video game missle sound in Desaparecido and other songs). My favorite tracks were Malegria (crazy cool pace), Dia Lunadia Pena (his best vocals and elegant melody), Welcome To Tijuana (weird and wonderful), Je Ne T'Aime Plus (great beats, which were the same as Bongo Bong but lyrics not as cheesy), Clandestino (nice intro to the album), La Vie a 2 (simple guitar arrangement combined with intense vocals).

Becomes grating as it moves forward draining the joy from the cultural source of the music. Flat and uninteresting.

A few tracks are alright, but most are either forgettable or actively annoying.

I really had absolutely no expectations for this album but wow. This really feels like the document of someone who travelled the world no absolutely no plan, to try to find themselves, and befriended the Zapatistas along the way (as you do). I appreciate that that may sound insufferable to some listeners but it's a really romantic image of unshackling yourself from the confines of the modern world to experience life, culture, philosophy, and people from all over the world. This is escapism at its best. For those of us so lucky to have travelled in our youth, it can trigger some beautiful flashbacks to a simpler period in our lives. It's an aimless mess, apparently with songs selected based on how appealing they are to children. But I love it.

this just rules. I don't know anything about this genre of music, and I'd never heard of Chao, but this was such an enjoyable experience. it's sort of beneficial that I feel like I don't know what's going on (due to both language and genre), because I can get very lost in the music!

This is one of my favorites ever. Manu Chao is an absolute party - incredible talent, catchy, great melodies, spectacular use of language. And a damn good concert.

Really enjoyable music to have on while cooking dinner. Easy and interesting to listen to. The songs seemed varied but not too far from each other in theme/feel. Was a bit confused that some of the songs seemed to be in French but then Google told me he is a French born Spanish musician and sings in many many languages.

BONGO BONG

A total fiesta!

Enjoyed this a lot - sultry latin vibes for a cold winter's weekend. Whenever it threatened to get a bit samey he'd chuck in a louder or softer number to keep things fresh, or sing in a completely different language just for the hell of it. Earns its fourth star for absolute commitment to the album format - I don't think anything else on the list so far has flowed so seamlessly between tracks.

Heh, I don’t think Manu Chao had much of an impact on the UK, but he was apparently massive a lot of other places. I first encountered his music while backbacking around Thailand around 2000, as was the custom at the time, and a guesthouse owner kept asking me “Do you like Manu Chao?” and I assumed it was Thai for something, food, or drugs or lawd knows what, and when I said I didn’t know what Manu Chao was he just kept repeating “Manu Chao! Manu Chao!” and waving his arms around - in retrospect to get me to pay attention to the music that was playing - but I was utterly baffled for an embarrassingly long time… The music is alright, I guess - chill, polyglot, a bit juvenile from what I do understand. Probably a three star album, but I'm awarding an extra star for the above anecdote associations... Fave track - "Bongo Bong" which I'm pretty sure was the track that was playing in that guesthouse...

An absolutely fascinating. So many styles and really interesting sounds. Each song seems to have something compelling about it. I like the switch from Spanish to French and back again. I have no clue how to classify the music on this album but I do know I am very much looking forward to the next listen and discovering more layers of goodness. 4.5 stars

Manu's grasp on languages and genres is impressive. You never really know what you're going to get on each song. I feel like a lot of the record is influenced by early hip-hop (including the two rapped tracks earlier in the track list). A solid 3.5 from me. Favorite tracks: "Luna y Sol", "Mentira"

Really fun! A nice variety of moods and feels, but they all make me want to dance.

Reggae. By a French artist. Singing primarily in Spanish. Its very chill. Nice.

Kinda lost me at "king of the bongo" but I thought this was overall quite enjoyable

Surprisingly tasty, and apparently recorded on his laptop!

I’m sure in the right environment (burning in the sun with an ice cold drink in my hand) this would be great, but it’s raining and this is doing nothing for me. Sorry, Manu.

As with the Buena Vista Social Club album I rec'd earlier in this project, I don't understand a word of this, and that's fine. However, counter to being able to feel the passion and the emotion behind the music despite the language barrier on the BVSC recording; this is completely devoid of any of that. 2 stars.

Not for me to judge but here I am.

Manu Chao’s “Clandestino” is a really fascinating tapestry of cultural and geographic musings that fall into each other without really ever clashing. Chao, a polyglot, sings in up to four languages on the album, and with each language, he pulls influences from the respective cultures, making the album a melting pot of ideas and sonic structures that are still cohesive. probably because Chao is selling a message of universal oneness and peace. but that cohesion, a few songs in, begins to breed repetition, till the music blends into itself. the album is light and breezy, sure, but that lightness begins to work against it: all of it fades into the background, with nothing truly lush enough to stand out. though i admit this is not music i would naturally gravitate towards, i can appreciate the courage in Chao’s ideas and thematic leanings; how he not only sings of unity, but strives to sound like it too. but the music just lacks the gusto to really hold itself together — and maybe that alone says a lot about the world it’s hoping to unite.

Interesting listen, much different from anything I would normally listen to. Not really my thing but I thought some of it was enjoyable. Really impressive that he made the whole album on a laptop in the 90s while traveling the world.

I bet The Jesus from The Big Lebowski tells everyone this is his favorite album, but he's probably never even listened to it. Good on him.

Ret groovy men også pænt dumt. Not My Thing.

Nah sorry

Extremely listenable, even if not understanding the languages. It's bare bones approach plus sound snippets make it very intriguing. Looking forward to listening on repeat.

Clandestino look what we've got here is a concept album of an aging revolutionary putting into song the history of Cuba, so the new generation understands what the CIA did. Operation Mongoose: The sabotage, the poisoned cigars, the chemical warfare. Operation Peter Pan: The kidnapping of 14,000 kids Operation Zapata: the Bay of Pigs. Operation Northwoods: The plans to blow up American ships and blame Havana. Operation AMLASH: The poison pens Operation 40: The specialized hit squads roaming the Caribbean he does it well this shit fucks. Phenomenal touch to close it with the wind, the wind of change

I love the bones of this album

++*: Mentira..., La Vie à 2 ++: Clandestino, Desaparecido, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mama Call, Luna y Sol, Por el Suelo, Welcome to Tijuana, Día Luna... Día Pena, Malegría, El Viento +: Lágrimas de Oro, La Despedida +-: Minha Galera 9,7/10

A French dude made this!! It's a whole stew of genre influences at play here, which he mixes into a mostly seamless, very uniquely laid-back listen. It's nothing short of mesmerizing! Standouts: Bongo Bong • Lágrimas de oro • Luna y sol • Por el suelo • Welcome to Tijuana • Minha galera

FUCK YEAH LET'S GO I LOVE THIS ALBUM. First heard it on the Rolling Stone Top 500 list and it immediately caught my attention as it sounded nothing like what I was normally listening to at the time. It really keeps a consistent vibe all the way through but is always varied enough to surprise me.

This has aged very well, not a lot of people have tried to copy that sound. Somehow inspiring. Favourite Songs Clandestino and Bongo Bong

Demasiados recuerdos con esta música . Si pudiera darle más de cinco estrellas se las daría!

great sound. such a unique artist. loved the album

Enjoyed it French is good and relaxing. Will listen again.

Amazing album but it feels like it should be illegal for a frenchman to make music that sounds like this

Perfect!

Why do I love this so much?

I first heard Manu Chao many years ago with the song Bongo Bong. I was very impressed. I listened to this fun song over and over again, forgot about it for a while, but now I've added it to my favourites list so that I can listen to it again and again with a big smile on my face. I didn't know the rest of the album yet. Although I'm not really into this genre, I enjoy this album so much that I'll gladly listen to it again. 5/5

Would give bongo bong 6 if I could

Thoroughly enjoyed this one

Incredible.

Put me in a good mood all day! Best paired with an urge to dance

Loved this 20 years ago, love it now. The first 6-track run in particular is just insane. You could say it’s a repetitive album, but you could also say this is why albums exist. Incredibly cohesive. Imagine how fucking powerful this guy will become if he ever discovers a third chord!!

King of my bongos!!!

banger after banger on this

hola me gusto mucho what the frik ‼️‼️‼️🐐

This was such a fun listen, total vibe from beginning to end. Latin reggae rock that is chill at times, up-tempo at times. Maybe some of the allure is because it's in a language(s) I don't understand but I will be returning to this for a long time. Standouts are the first five tracks, but after that it doesn't lose much momentum and is great from start to finish.

Echt van genoten, met lyrics erbij kon ik ook echt goed meekomen met het Spaans en echt grappige tekst. Man heeft wat gemaakt.

Utterly enjoyable. An album with voice, music and lyrics that are sublime.

Didn't know this existed and it's great, thanks for the tip off.

01) Clandestino - 10,0 02) Desaparecido - 10,0 03) Bongo Bong - 10,0 04) Je ne t'aime plus - 10,0 05) Mentira... - 10,0 06) Lágrimas de Oro - 9,0 07) Mama Call - 9,0 08) Luna y Sol - 9,5 09) Por el Suelo - 9,0 10) Welcome to Tijuana - 9,0 11) Día Luna... Día Pena - 9,0 12) Malegría - 8,5 13) La vie à 2 - 9,0 14) Minha Galera - 9,0 15) La Despedida - 8,5 16) El Viento - 8,5 TOTAL: 9,25 (93/100) Current ranking: 33/776 Te lo dije bien clarito No todo lo que es oro brilla Remedio chino e infalible!

Wonderful. Each song is unique enough to enjoy separately, while still managing to weave itself into the greater tapestry of the album. An addictive sound. Favorite Track: Welcome to Tijuana

Discovered this album as a whole a few years ago and realized I had known Bongo Bong since I was very young. Delighted to see it on this list! I absolutely adore the overall style and atmosphere, and I'm always down for a chance to revisit this favorite.

Fun

I could see this guy knowing how to carry a room. This was pretty fun. Solid 4-4.5 but gonna round up to remember.

Imprescindible. Uno de los mejores discos latinos de la historia. Manu pasó de Mano Megra de Casa Babylon a este debut en solitario de un modo natural y en evolución. Se alejó de Punk, del Ska o del Hip Hop (incluso del metal) de la banda francesa y se metió de lleno a sonidos latinos, bien entendidos. Solo Los Fabulosos Cadillacs podían aguantar el envite. Este disco está al nivel de cualquiera de sus discos con Mano Negra (más casa Babylon que Patchanka o Puta´s Fever). El disco es un viaje, y era una manera de dar esquinazo a la sombra de la depresión de haberse quedado sin sus amigos. Aqui hay verdaderos clásicos como Clandestino o Desaparecido. Guiños a Mano Negra como Bongo bong (auto-reciclaje) o referencias francesas como Je ne t'aime plus. Mestizaje que se decía entonces y rock latino, aunque lo que hay es lo que Manu siempre ha tenido: buen mano para las canciones. Mis favoritas: Por el suelo y Welcome to Tijuana. La producción recurre a los trucos habituales de Manu: Doblaje de su voz en agudo y grave. Discursos esta vez del Subcomandante Marcos entonces muy en boga. Continuidad de canciones enlazando temas e incorporación de sonidos de bazar, loops, samplers como si fueran los Public Enemy, multilenguaje...“No puedes cambiar el mundo, pero sí puedes cambiar el barrio”. Rumba, world music, pop, rock, salsa, electrónica o reggae... en apenas tres acordes y guitara, así de simple, así de bonito. El siguiente paso, Próxima estacion, no fue igual de bueno pero sí tanto o mas exitoso. El directo sí que muestra todo el potencial con Radio Bemba y luego ya con Tren de hielo y fuego la banda no pudo seguir a Manu. Ni siquiera él mismo. Pero ahí dejo este monolito. Un disco que con los años reluce aún mas que entonces. Gracias

I Don’t Have To Listen To This Again To Give It A 10

A really good album, I liked Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Je ne T'aime Plus and Luna Y Sol the most. Will definitely listen to the album again.

Up until today I thought Manu Chow was a post-career foray into the pet food market by a former Spurs legend. Anyway, this is great! Five patchouli petals.

Largely fuelled by nostalgia for a past life and a sense of freedom that came from my youth - this album brings me back to some beautiful memories. I can almost feel the joy of singing along with strangers I had just met travelling who became quick friends. This album is a real joy (even without the flashbacks).

love the genre and language mixing

World music, but catchy. What's not to like? Except the fact that this has unfortunately served as backdrop music in way too many sleazy backpacker joints. Still an outstanding album, though.

Looooove Manu Chao

beautiful, hypnotic. Cool samples, many languages, different vocal tones - very nice. Deserves and will get many listens

Actual fucking banger, I misjudged this album art heavily.

I loved it when I was younger and it still holds a special place.

Now this was fresh! Something out of the ordinary and loads of fun. Frenchman singing in Spanish about tequila and marijuana? Sign me up! Seriously, wonderful Latin grooves and a fun, bouncy sound. You don't need to know what he's singing to have a great time.

5/5. Reggae strikes again! This was honestly perfect, each song did not over stay its welcome and it travelled from one song to the next with such ease. The melodies were catchy and even the "skits" were not annoying, maybe because I didn't understand what they were saying but it still felt correct and created an air of relaxation but still danceable. Although it didn't break the mold per se, there was a lot of 2000s music I heard in this while releasing in 1998. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some influence other artists took from this record. It was wonderful, not really any notes. Best Song: Bongo Bong, Mentira..., Luna y Sol, Clandestino

A friend of mine brought this one back from a semester overseas, and I was hooked. This many years later and I still love this one. Infectious rhythms, clever mixes, great lyrics (as far as I can really tell), I'm never down when this one is spinning.

Unique and a true classic, doesn't get old! 4.6

Excelente álbum. Me alegra que que aparezcan álbumes en otros idiomas, en especial en español. A esta altura Manu Chao es un cliché de la cultura hippie contemporánea, pero eso no le quita mérito a la experiencia. Todos los temas están compuestos y dispuestos de una manera integral a lo largo de toda la obra. Los recursos son sencillos, pero bien integrados. Suena órganico y acústico, pero al mismo tiempo tiene elementos de edición electrónica. El álbum te transporta a otro momento y lugar. Relajado, triste pero esperanzador, como estar de vacaciones en una playa, pero con consciencia de clase.

J’adore

I grew up with my parents playing Manu Chao in the car- I think I must have heard “Bongo Bong” at least 100 times. I remember rediscovering the song back in summer of 2019, when I backpacked across Europe and found this song playing in a seedy underground bar in Prague. Since then I’ve fallen back in love with his oeuvre- I think he’s a fantastic musician that a lot of people don’t click with because they associate him with a certain vibe or time in their life. I, for one, love the music.

Man, this is the vibe. It's really easy to make me sad, but this man managed to make me happy and he didn't even need lyrics for that Favourite track: Despacito

Can't be fully objective, as "Bongo Bong" is one of those nostalgic songs from my childhood, that never get played anymore; but I love the creativity of the sound, something so raw and intriguing about it

Exactly what I'm here for. An artist I've never heard of with a genre I'm not familiar with. And man, does this put the "groove" into............. erm, "groovy". An artist with an uncompromising vision and beliefs translating that into musical form. 4 stars - bonus mark for a track called "Bongo Bong". Yes, I have the humour of a 6 year old - and?

Greatest stuff after Ozomatli

The soundtrack of my adolescence. My aunt gave me a copy around the turn of the millennium and I know every word.

This really made my day. I’ve loved this album a long time and for it to land with me while I’m on hols in Ibiza, the timing was perfect

I am not exactly sure why, but I really like this album a lot. By no means a diehard fan of south american music (though Manu Chao is french), so it's a bit surprising to me. It is a bit of a weird album in some ways. It almost feels like more of a very long song than distinct tracks at times. Melodies from tracks also come back again later in new songs, so it's repeating itself quite a bit. I feel like works both in the favour of the album, and against. On one hand, it feels very cohesive, and on the other hand it feels like a bit of slack to reuse melodies with new lyrics ('Bong Song' and 'Je ne t'aime plus', 'Mama call' and 'La despedida', for example). Speaking of lyrics, they can often times be quite repeating themselves quite a lot throughout the song. Somehow I don't have very big problems with this though, it suits the album somehow. Generally I find almost every "unique song" to be stellar and enjoyable. 'Clandestino' is great, so is 'Bongo song', and probably my favour one, 'Mentira'. Overall this is just a great album. I don't speak portuguese so I don't know what the lyrics are about, but sound wise it's a great cohesive journey that I think is very cool. Easy 5 stars.

Day 7 I had never heard any of these songs before or even heard of Manu Chao but absolutely loved this album. First album that’s made me glad to go through this list as it’s one I almost certainly wouldn’t have tried otherwise. Every song sounds different but they all flow really well into each other. Will definitely be going into regular rotation and I’ll be checking out the rest of his discography. Highlights Clandestino Bongo Bong (adored this one!!) La Vie a 2 9/10

very good interesting sound cool languages cool album