Clandestino
Manu Chao
1998
Album Summary
Clandestino is the first full-length solo album by Manu Chao, released in 1998. The album contains many soundbites throughout, two of which are bits of a speech by Subcomandante Marcos and, like Chao's subsequent albums, was mostly recorded by the musician himself in various locations around the world, using a small laptop—which is referred to in the liner notes as Estudio Clandestino. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 67th greatest French rock album (out of 100). The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album was ranked number 469 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020.
WikipediaI 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
Spanish shite. Like the stuff you hear when you're hungover, eating breakfast in a bar in Benidorm
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.
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.
Deze moet ik deze zomer zeker nog eens opleggen, buiten op mijn (of een) terrasje. Lekker wegdromen. Het hele album hangt als mooi als een ketting samen.
Jedan od najdražih vinila koje posjedujem, topčina manu chao je prava momčina! Nije mi iskreno baš baš čista petica, al čem sam sve dao 4, mora biti ovdje među odabranima.
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.
A classic. I don't listen to Manu Chao anymore but I'm giving this album 5 stars for still being fun and relevant in 2021.
An old favorite from way back. I mean, he's the king of Bongo Bong, what more is there to say?
Let's be honest here. Bongo bong is a hit. Could be an album of silence with that at the end and were still giving it 4 stars...but it's not silence, so 5
this was great - like hearing nicola cruz for the first time, only with more languages!
habs mir nicht wirklich angehört, aber eure Bewertungen sagen, dass es ganz gut sein soll. Also will ich das Album trotzdem mal mit vier Sternen würdigen.
Un disco performance, recuerdo clarito que a Manu Chao lo descubrí, como tantos otros seguramente, por el exitazo "Me gustas tú". Disco performance porque es un pastiche, porque así como recuerdo cuando un profesor en Letras nos decía que una guía telefónica no es literaria sino hasta que se incluye dentro de un texto literario y se resignifica, Manu Chao hace algo similar en la música cuando incorpora discursos (esas palabras del subcomandante Marcos), extractos radiofónicos, quizá televisivos, hasta "La llorona"... Me gusta sobre todo que las pistas son continuas y disfruto especialmente la triada (y sus transiciones) de "Desaparecido", "Bongo Bong" y "Je ne t'aime plus". "La vie à 2", acaso la única que refiere explícitamente un tema amoroso, también me parece destacable. Aunque hay comentario social, creo que se diluye y se deja muchas veces en el aire, no aterriza. Las melodías siempre bien y por alguna razón, toda esta mezcla de sonidos, de recursos, me recuerda a M.I.A. Podría ser como un álbum hermano de Arular (o primo, por sus distintas tradiciones). También lo sentí cercano a la trova en esencia, pero no en la ejecución. Si Clandestino se lanzara hoy, podría ser acusado fácilmente de cultural appropriation. 8/10
Thoroughly enjoyed this album. The upbeat sound throughout really carried this for me. his vocals were kept me interested despite the language barrier on most tracks and otherwise I could just listen to his guitar and get into a groove
Quite enjoyable to listen to, added to library. Already knew some of the songs so some nostalgia there as well. 4
Otroligt! Det är är ett album jag redan lyssnat en hel del på. Det är något med Manu Chaos musik som bara gör mig glad. Jag fattar ju absolut ingenting av orden han sjunger, men det spelar ingen roll. Det är känslan i musiken som gör det. I de snabba låtarna som "Luna y sol" blir jag sugen att dansa på ett sätt jag vet att jag inte behärskar. I de lugnare låtarna kan jag bara luta mig tillbaka och drömma mig bort till en annan plats jag aldrig varit på. Bäst: "Clandestino"
I dont speak spanish so I obviously did not get the lyrics but his singing is very cool. He had a lot of nice melodies under his belt. Great spanish album
Ecléctico total. Si bien no es mi estilo, hay que ser sincero respecto a lo increíblemente variado y rico en influencias que es este álbum (no por nada su popularidad ha abarcado gran parte del mundo hispano parlante). Es genial como logra condensar cada influencia sin comprometer su simpleza y el flujo del álbum. Para mí un sólido 8/10
Creo que todo mundo ha escuchado al menos "Clandestino" (la canción) y posiblemente alguna de las otras canciones, pero nunca había escuchado el disco completo. Es un disco muy interesante. Es como un electrovocal progresivo, con muchas cosas ocurriendo al mismo tiempo: - El uso de "samples", algunos de los cuáles se repiten a través de todas las canciones. - La mezcla de idiomas - La mezcla de estilos musicales: la base es como electro-reggae autóctono, pero no podría clasificar la música como un estilo específico - Lo diverso y "universal" de las letras: una mezcla de "protesta" contra los gobiernos, pero también de amor / desamor. Es un disco que se puede escuchar bien tanto en europa como en latinoamérica. Una nota especial sobre la canción "Clandestino": ahora que conozco un poquito más la situación geopolítica y que he tenido oportunidad de platicar con franceses, es claro que la letra se refiere a la situación de los inmigrantes en Francia, pero tiene un eco escabroso con la situación de los migrantes Mexicanos (latinoamericanos) en Estados Unidos. Hablando sobre el aspecto musical, tiene canciones muy agradables y poderosas, no sólo por la música, sino por la letra y los "samples" que eligió agregar en algunas de ellas. Es sólo que a mi gusto, hay algunas canciones un tanto aburridas, lo cual bajó un poco la calificación.
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"
Lies, lies from tiny eyes. Manu, stop trying to lay claim to SHACK's crown as King of the Bongo.
Aquest va ser el punt en la seva carrera que les forces van confluir i totes les mostres que havia deixat anar amb Mano Negra, més un nou toc més llatí i més personal van donar origen a EL disc de Manu Chao. El posterior encara conservava alguns temes interessants, però a 'Clandestino' va ser on els astres es van conjurar amb l'artista per fer el disc de la seva vida, i on la seva particular barreja d'excerpts, tonalitats, idiomes i cançons sobreposades van adquirir tot el sentit i la força. Només una major aposta estilística el separen de ser perfecte
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
Surprisingly good. Could see myself using one of his songs in an edit if I ever visited South America
Tällainen latinorallattelu ei ole normaalisti ihan kaikkein mieluisin genre itselleni. Manu kuitenkin yllätti ihan positiivisesti, ja levy tulikin kuunneltua useampaan kertaan. Ensimmäisen biisin kohdalla piti ihan tsekata lyriikat englanniksi käännettynä, enkä pettynyt. Positiivinen ja aurinkoinen levy keskelle marraskuun pimeyttä. Nelonen!
Super album that makes a good mood. Because of the simplicity it makes it fast moving. (7/10) FT: Clandestino, Bongo Bongo
multilingual album of which i don't speak many, regardless the songs are nice and sound poetic. Musical composition is great. Surprisingly good album for a street busker
Not really my general area of expertise but I really dug this. It was catchy and upbeat and didn't edge too far into the more obnoxious elements of a lot of Latin music I've heard.
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).
Un début tonitruant de la part de notre Manu national, qui m'a rappelé mes escapades à la plage dans la voiture de mon voisin, grand fan de Manu mais également de Christophe Maé. Un personnage haut en couleurs mais d'une extrême sympathie. Petit point d'attention, il ne faut surtout pas confondre le Manu de Manu Chao avec le Manu de Tu me mets quelques whites, ces deux individus n'ayant absolument rien a voir.
Best Song(s): Luna y sol. Malegría. Upbeat and high tempo songs that wake you up out of the otherwise relaxed atmosphere. Worst Song: Lágrimas de oro. Just wasn't a fan of the "rapping" near the end of the song. Overall: Really fun album that seamlessly transitions between chilled out café music with outright lively dance songs.
I'm not exactly sure how to rate this album so I was tempted to just give it 3 stars and be done with it. It does feel somewhat generic, but I'd imagine that's just because I'm not super familiar with this style of music. It was a fun listen though so I'm bumping it up to 4 stars.
Never heard of this guy before, after listening I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. Lots to love here, super catchy vibes. Will come back to this artist for more
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...
Why is this actually really good? I seriously thought that I would hate this, but I was vibing. It's really fun, even if there's a language barrier. Speaking of languages, it's really impressive - guy sings in over 9 languages according to Wikipedia.
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.
Kind of interesting to see how many of these songs I actually knew. Which were most of them.
The reggae-influenced stuff tends to be hit or miss for me, but this was definitely a hit. I found myself shamelessly vibing to (nearly) every track and could see myself listening to this entire thing without stopping.
This is definitely the best foreign language album I've gotten so far. They switch between English, Spanish, and French and it flows pretty well. Very catchy as well
Had a great listen, I loved the different influences and languages. Overall great album with tracks that made you fly away to a different countries
Hmm. I dig this, but my limited Spanish puts me at a disadvantage. This sounds like the soundtrack to the amazing Netflix show Narcos. I'm guessing this was playing on a loop at all of Pablo Escobar's various homes. I would totally listen to this around the house regularly though, which is one of my major criterions for a great album.
Travelling Australia in 2006 it felt like Manu Chao and Jack Johnson were being played in every hostel & backpacking bar. For that reason got a lot of sentimental love for this album, which to be fair is a pretty fun, easy listen
čim san čula prvu pismu san znala da ću guštat! nisan ni znala da je pola pisama s ovog albuma ono šta cimi svira na gitari zadnjih po godine. samim time ocjena je veća nego šta bi bila da mi je prvo slušanje budući da ovo nije nešto šta bi sama upalila
Nie moja bajka jako gatunek, ale w sumie za to fajne latanie po różnych językach, wesoły vibe, przyjemne rytmy i parę oczywistych bangerków daję słabiutką czwórkę.
Bardzo ciekawy mix muzyki latynoskiej, francuskiej, afrykańskiej podany w trzech językach. Bardzo rytmiczne piosenki, niebanalne użycie języka i coś innego niż standardowe amerykańskie/brytyjskie przeboje. Bongo bong to klasyczny banner, również z Me gustas tu, które nie jest na tej płycie. Ciekawym zaskoczeniem było Welcome to Tijuana. Mocne 3.5/5
Znałem 3 utwory z płyty, całość niezwykle pozytywna i spodobała mi się o wiele bardziej, niż się spodziewałem. Dobry vibe, uśmiech na twarzy i wielojęzyczne piosenki, czego chcieć więcej.
Fun album, Bongo bong is a banger! Enjoyed Manitira too. Lots of different languages and instruments, and a nice relaxed, easy sound. Would definitely listen again.
pretty groovy found it to be like an 8/10 not anything above exceptional but still fun and enjoyable
Genuinely really interesting latin music. The album flows beautifully from one track to the next exploring a variety of worldly sounds not often heard by guys like myself. Unique production notes include the use of field recordings from this guy's laptop in 1998! Perhaps commonplace now, but a total novelty back then. Excellent music from outside the usual US/UK stream.
Znowu powialo egzotyka, ale tym razem jeszcze dziwniejsza niz zwykle, bo album Clandestino pana Manu Chao moznaby zaliczyc do krazkow ktore dziwne, ze staly sie klasykami na tyle zeby pojawic sie chocby na liscie generatora, bo jest to debiutanckim material pana Manu Chao, ktory rowniez jest ciekawa postacia, bo spiewa w dziewieciu jezykach, glownie po hiszpansku, wychowal sie we francji, a jednak jego muzyka nawiazuje bardziej do latino, a cala plyta byla narywna w warunkach praktycznie domowych podczas podrozy po swiecie, a to przeciez rok 98 i debiutancki krazek, wiec o ile ile z poczatku sadzilem, ze slysze cos zupelnie nowego, to jednak po dwoch hiszpansko brazylijskich trakach pojawilo sie bong bong, ktore gdzies juz slyszalem, ale nie moge przypomniec skad je znam, moze glownie przez ten sampel gdzies sie przewijajacy, no i jest to jeden z trzech utworow po angielsku, co do sampli to sa one trzonem muzycznym albumu, bo skoro robionie przez jednego, prawie, czlowieka to oczywistym wydaje sie wykorzystanie samplowania, do tego dochodzi kwestia skitowych dialogow wplatanych do poszczegolnych piosenek, ktore czesto gesto traktuja o postaci pana Subcomandante Marcosa, ktory jest pewnego rodzaju powstancem, wojownikiem o wolnosc rdzennych mieszkancow poludniowego meksyku, wiec pomimo tego ze niektore traki moga sie wydawac wrecz jesterskie, to czuje ze przemycane sa tutaj pewnie glebsze wartosci zwiazane z wolnoscia i komentarzem polityczno spolecznym, discog okresla plyte gatunkiem pachanga, muzyka zywa, wrecz zabawowa, potwierdza tez ze liryki brzmia zartobliwie i lekko, ale jednak niosa ze soba pewny komentarz nierzadko w czule miejsce, nie czesto zdarza trafiaja sie takie plyty, ktore czuc tak dobrze nawet nie rozumiejac wiekszosci liryki jak ten pick listowy, czuc w tym czlowieka, 45 minutowa calosc sklada sie z 16 trakow, wiec sa to raczej krotki utwory, ktore bazuja na domowej roboty beatach, lejerowaniu sampli i wielojezykowych wokalach pana Manu, hajlajtami plyty poza wspominanym bongowym songiem byl dla mnie tytulowy opening clandestino i welcome to tijuana, nie bede sie zaglebial w biografie artysty, ale udalo mu sie oddac ducha hamryki lacinskiej na tym nagraniu, wiec chyba musial samemu go doswiadczyc
Ik versta niets van de Spaanse taal, maar het geeft me wel een bepaald vakantie gevoel. Verder klinkt het ook wel weer een beetje "kaal" op den duur. De liedjes lopen echt in elkaar door. Het nummer "Je ne t'aime plus" klinkt nog helemaal als "Bongo Bongo", haha. ****
No me esperaba encontrar a Manu Chao en esta lista. Creo que es una acierto incluir algo tan ecléctico y no anglosajón. Y las primeras 5 canciones especialmente buenas: "Clandestino", "Desaparecido", "Bongo Bong", "Je ne t'aime plus" y "Mentira...". Se merece 4 estrellas.
Perfect album to listen to at the beach or just to relax, this was really fun. Short quick songs mostly in spanish but some english too. I liked the variety.
Is the second half really boring or is it just the effect of post-nut clarity that I got in the first half? Freaking Latin music.
Mi pare di avere a casa dei miei il singolo di Clandestino. Parte bene, ma tra le prime 3 'Bongo Bong' è un classico insuperabile. Bello bello, non un capolavoro.
What happened to this book in 1998? They put Kid rock and Korn in over Neutral Milk Hotel...This album is certainly great, welcome to Tijuana is a fantastic criticism of the problems plagueing City and the country associated. Bongo bong into Je ne t'aime bang in their own soft way. The smooth flow from song to song is almost unnoticable and all the samples used have clear and important uses within the album. Language barrier aside I have trouble getting past a bit of the cheesiness in the songwriting. Maybe it's my lack of affinity for alot of the traditional latin sounds but I find that everything that is not the beat of this album to be so much more captivating. Great album, will probably listen again sometime but not often 8.3/10
Good vibes and chill sound. Caribbean influence with spanish flair. This is the first album I hadn't heard before being recommended here and I like it. Maybe not an everyday listen, but around a campfire with friends would be the perfect ambiance. Pass the puff and relax into the mood.
Pretty good overall, definitely a noteable album for its time. Loved how he switched to french for one song
Very enjoyable piece of spanish music, and very colorful and not at all samey and boring. Good stuff. Heard it on a drive with my mom and she's fluent in spanish so she kept translating what she heard and told me about the songs. Love the vibe. 4
I wonder how different my rating would be if I listened to this in the summer on a nice day with a marg. It was pretty good and catchy. Spanish songs are always fund. I also liked that someone called him more punk than Good Charlotte (not that that’s hard to do)
Despite the language barrier, the album was a fun listen! Not one I would revisit but I can definitely appreciate it and wouldn't switch off were it played again.
Interesting? My Spanish definitely isn't up to it. Would happily listen in the background for hours at a time.
Des isch des Mastermind hinter Bongo Bong. Da siehste mal. Immerhin den Song kenn ich. Anfangs alles etwas Narcos-esk. Was mir sehr gefällt. Ick kann zwar keen Spanisch nich, knorke is dit aber allema. Diese französischen Tracks sind jetzt ned so meins, weil kein Südamerika Drogen Flair. Rather skip. Solid 3*
Manu Chao has a unique, memorable voice. not knowing the lyrics gives me an unusual appreciation for the music
Always on the vanguard, the unique vocals are matched by unusual rhythms and backing vocals.
I'M THE KING OF BONGO BONG! Do I really need to say more? Ok a little bit. Yes, some of the english songwriting was a bit goofy, but I did enjoy the vibe of this album throughout. Always a fan of an album where all the tracks play into each other. Makes it feel like a cohesive project. You can tell Manu put a lot of love into this album, and the fact that he did it all on his laptop in the 90s is crazy impressive. For that the Bongo Bong King gets a 3.
Manu Chao, por alguna razón, no me cae, pero esto no quiere decir que no me gusten algunas de sus canciones. Hay un encanto raro y emocional en sus letras más sencillas como Minha Galera y Mama Call que me conmueven y me transportan a los paisajes más hermosos de América Latina. Fuera de eso, creo que el disco tiene un buen rítmito y la integración orgánica de múltiples géneros es algo que celebro en este disco. No obstante, me parece que hay tracks en los que el sampling se vuelven excesivos, y parecen más un relleno con poca producción, una especie de excusa para apelar los sentimientos e ideales de un público de tendencias izquierdistas. En fin, el Mood: siendo un hombre blanco del primer mundo que se siente muy cool por mochilear por toda America Latina sin bañarse y disfrutando de las exquisitas drogas naturalitas de nuestra tierra, :v
good album, bit repetitive but i like the way the whole album flows through. i like the way that he uses different languages through the album as well. not something i would listen to normally but its very bearable
I liked this album right away. Brought back memories of beach bars, umbrella drinks and sunburn. Pretty appealing after a long Minnesota winter. I think the first half was better than the second, but it could just have been genre fatigue as the album progressed. This is something that would be good to listen to on a sunny pontoon day at the lake, but other than that I would not intentionally listen to this again.
Probably gave the album more than it deserves, on account of not listening to this genre enough. That said, it's hard for me to see how an album like this made this list.
I like Manu Chao's style, but I have never been able to really get into his music. I tend to listen a bit every few years. Maybe it's the foreign lyrics or that the songs tend to sound repetitive to me. He's clearly talented and the sound is good, I just don't need that much of it I guess.
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Still can't say it will make it to my weekly playlist, but it is definitely nice chill music. Perfect for restaurant background or for lounging on the beach.
Bright Latin jazzy reggae indie stuff. Very world music, but hasn't aged since the late 90s, shark tooth necklaces and blonde tips. Nice enough, but probably not going to listen again. Play at the beach.
First few songs are fantastic, gets a little dry towards the middle and only picks up in moments.
World music fella does a mix of musical styes in different languages. Dinner party music. Best Tracks: Bongo Bong, Mentira, Welcome to Tijuana
Definitivamente esto es mejor que "me gustas tu", y a mi parecer de lo que traía con mano negra (otra de mis decepciones musicales por qué tuvieron un gran nombre y tocaban pura mamada). tal vez en aquel momento estaba muy quemado el pedo político en varios países y por eso no me atrajo en su momento pero ahora escuchandlo con más detenimiento lo pude disfrutar y tener una opinión diferente aunque no me gusta del todo . Usa por ahí un efecto electrónico muy raro que venía en un teclado que tuve de niño y en un sampler también, solo por eso le voy a dar el 3 cerrado y por welcome to Tijuana (tequila, sexo, mariguana)
3.5 | Recuerdo cuando salió este disco no ponerle mucha atención, simplemente no era el tipo de música que me veía muy dispuesto a escuchar, se oía repetitivo y como de festival Vive Latino. Me agrada hoy en día darle oportunidad y encontrar que en realidad, aunque no será mi máximo, es un bastante buen disco. Sí, es muy repetitivo su estilo, pero siento que es parte de lo que me agradó, quizá es el punto de que las veces que lo puse fue haciendo algo o trabajando, quizá no se presta mucho a sentarte a escucharlo con toda la calma. Es cierto, todas las canciones parece que se van mezclando entre si, a veces no te das cuenta que cambió y podrías pensar que todo suena igual, pero lo que encontré fue que hay mucho uso de son cubano y distintos ritmos caribeños y latinos muy bien colocados y armados. Musicalmente a pesar de ese efecto medio adormecedor es muy creativo y de mayor calidad que muchos grupillos de hippie cochinón que intentaban hacer este tipo de música y letras y solo daban pena. En cuanto a su letra pues justicia social, problemas de la época para los latinos... Siento como si fuera el heredero del legado de Bob Marley en ese sentido. Es como un Rubén Albarrán pero que tiene sentido. Puedo a veces torcer quizá un poco los ojos al escuchar su mensaje pero al menos es mucho mejor colocado y mas respetable que muchos otros similares. Escuche 3 veces el disco, no me peso para nada ninguna de ellas, aunque tampoco llegó al punto de que quiera escucharlo de nuevo. No creo que cambiara mucho mi opinión con algunas otras canciones de él como aquella aberración de Me Gustas Tú, pero al menos en este punto hizo un disco que valía la pena bastante.
A nice throwback to late 90s alternative music. I love Mano Negra's "Casa Babylon", a fucking masterpiece. But Manu Chao's solo output seems a bit too bland (not to mention progressive lefties love songs about Subcomandante Marcos [and no, I'm not an alt-right conservative]).
I admit it's not for me. Not world music. But I will list what I liked and did not like. The production is alright, but I feel the background noises tend to work against it. Even when you understand the subject matter and lyrics, it unnecessarily breaks the flow of the album. I like the overlaying vocals (adds atmospheric value) and sound effects (some Galaga effect here and there which doesn't get too annoying). Soothing voice and instruments. I like the smooth transition between songs, especially from Bongo Bong to Je ne t'aime pas. In fact, those two are the only one I somewhat like, maybe Welcome to Tijuana too. Lots of cultural influences, which some more preachy (Clandestino) or funky (Mentira) than others. The influences and diversity keeps me interested, but there are many tracks I absolutely dislike. Lagrima de soro, Por el suelo, La vie a 2, Minha galera, La despedida, and there are more on the borderline of dislike and mixed. Overall not just something I'd ever listen to again, except maybe the first few tracks for those transitions.
Heard of this guy before but don't really recognise the tracks at the mid-point. Love a bit of Latin American though, it's all so feel good and upbeat. Enjoyed this but not sure I'd go back and listen again. Think it's worth a 3 as I'd happily listen anytime if someone stuck it on. 3/5
I really liked it at first, but then I started to realize many of the songs shared the exact same beat and sound. Even the biggest hit from his follow up album had the same beat from the previous album. Come on, man. Sounds good, but the music is lazy. You can hear a handful of the songs and know what every other song sounds like, just with different lyrics.
Good as a solo record, but why not include the great Mano Negra rather than Many Chao's solo efforts?
The last time I heard this I was on the run from the police. I had butchered a close knit group of teenage girls in Nebraska, after I heard them laughing about the shape of my calves. This record acted like a soundtrack as I fled the country and started a new life as a children's entertainer in Tijuana.
bongo bong is massive, but i reckon this just about gets by without being an album of filler. its a teeny bit repetetive, if anything removing the bongo bong would make the album better. a bit like how taking stevie me out of the liverpool team made them a better team.
It's got some catchy tunes and international flair! I can see why it is on the list. Will I buy it? no. Do I like the bongo song? Yeah :)
I liked it. It was fun to jump genres from what I normally listen to, but for me it was background music that I listened to passively.
Olisin halunnut tykätä enemmän. Levyn alkuun olin fiiliksissä, että tämähän on ihan varteenotettava vaihtoehto Buena Vistalle, mutta levyn loppua ja toista kuuntelukertaa kohti fiilikset laskivat. Jäi jotenkin pinnallinen fiilis tästä. Meininki ei ollut niin hyväntuulista ja rentoa fiilistelyä, kuin olisin toivonut, vaan jotenkin enemmän kantaaottavan kuuloista, marijuanat, illegalit ja mano negrot vaan vilisivät lyriikoissa. Ei voi kolmosta enempää antaa, valitettavasti.
I didn't know what to expect going into this, but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised by Manu Chao's laid-back delivery, the occasional banger, the the calming repetitions of the songs like ripples on a swimming pool. For all I know, Cao might be singing about heavy and horrific subject matter, but "Clandestino"'s pervading musical mood is mellow, light, hypnotic in its Latin grooves. It often veers into a kind of Euro-reggae, with similar offbeat guitar rhythms crossing each of the numbers. There's a not great deal of musicality on show: the songs are simple and seem at ease with themselves, repeating basic chord progressions and often revisiting each other over the course of the album. Chao's limited vocal range is ideal for this style, often repeating one or two phrases over the course of each song until they almost become a mantra. "Minha Galera" is the prettiest melody, while "Bongo Bong", "Je ne t'aime plus" and "Mama Call" got into my head and carried me all the way to the nearest Spanish bar (several hundred miles). Manu Chao creates a great atmosphere, but at times I wanted him to be a bit more riotous: when the tempo kicks up a gear in "Luna y sol" and "Malegria", it's a real joy, with the frenetic guitar criss-crossing over the horns and poly-rhythms. I would have loved more of this- the party atmosphere is still there, but it's more coy, breezy, detached. Overall though, lots of fun with this album and the ambience of the background recordings was a great immersive touch.
Nije loš album, ono što mi se sviđa mi se baš sviđa, jest da smo sad taj album dobili na ružno vrijeme jer je ovo baš onak ljetni odabir, ali šta je tu je. Nije mi baš toliko odličan, ali stvarno ništa loše nemam reć za album, ali jednostavno nije moj đir. Sve pjesme koje znam, to su što je društvo puštalo i zato mi i jesu drage te pjesme. (Vidi favoritne) Favoritne: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Luna y sol, Minha Galeria.
I am impressed that Manu Chao sings in so many languages. I could do English and maybe… Pig Latin? (Okay, maybe a bit of Spanish if I was pressed.) I did not find his vocal range to be very impressive. I was hoping for more there. I did like how each song flowed into each other, which was different. The brevity of the songs was also good, not hanging on one riff too long. Least favorite track was Welcome to Tijuana. That got annoying really quickly. The instrumentation seemed pretty sparse, I was hoping for more. I just don’t see why THIS is in the top 1001.
Notre Manu Chao bleu blanc rouge est en effet totalement clandestino au sein de ce génerateur mais on finit par s'habituer à sa techno hardcore.
Great album and vibes, I used to listen to Manu Chao as a teenager and I'm pleased that by and large he still elicits the same joy from me.
When I was a little boy the older brother of a friend had this album and so for decades this has been this symbol of cool, evolved, advanced musical taste. It's pretty good. The friend in question listens to mainly country music now, but at the time? He was the barometer of cool music taste. Also introduced me to BNL and Daft Punk
Good music to have on in the background though admittedly not something I'd choose to give my full attention to
It's cool how Bongo Bong blends right into je ne t'aime plus, which means "i don't love you anymore"... Lagrimas de oro, which I believe means "beers of old" is pretty good. I'm being told by my producer that it means tears of gold. This might just be an indication that three languages on one album is too much. And maybe also one bongo too much... I didn't understand why I can't get no satisfaction or have heat?
I had a good time with this one. It's not something I would typically listen to but it was fun. I really liked Bongo Bong
A multilingual treat. Also found the French language earworm I'd been struggling to identify. 3/5
Enjoyable, interesting, different. My Spanish is lousy, but if you grab the lyrics off genius.com & toss them into Google Translate, monolingual English speakers like me can discover that Manu Chao is a heckuva thoughtful lyricist as well.
Another one I thought I'd hate but actually very listenable. It kept me interested with all the changes in language etc
I started off dreading this a little as I'm typically not wild about music in other languages. Was surprisingly interesting.
Interesting! Wasn't expecting to do much more than just have it as background music while I worked on some stuff but it ended up being fun and diverse in both sound and language
this was a pleasant listen, although I think the reviews were more enjoyable to read haha
I’ve heard this before, but have no idea where. There are at least 3 languages sung and apparently the singer uses up to 8 in his work. Latin dance moving bombastic horns to cypress hill slow groove.
Aye, fair enough. A welcome change in lyrics language, that's for sure. Hot latin rythms, liked the brasses in some tracks. A pleasant album. Highlight: Bongo Bong (ofc)
This is an album comprised of about 4 songs. First off, Bongo Bong - an absolute banger, a masterpiece, a bop, a true classic Then, there's the french one. Not much to say about it, it's pretty french, I'm not the biggest fan of how the french language sounds, it's okay Afterwards there's Welcom to Tijuana, a pleasant tune that worms its way into your ear. Then there's the fourth one, the one called... you know the one. it takes up the rest of the album, gets repetetive after ten minutes and a little annoyting after 20, and brings the original experience down overall. This might be diffrent if I understood the lyrics, obviously, but I do not, and so this is the only rating I can give. 3/5
HI- Bongo Bong/Je ne t'aime plus, Welcome to Tijuana I first heard "Bongo Bong" as a remake called King of The Bongo by Deekline & Ed Solo, so it's nice to hear the original...I don't have to understand the language to know what Welcome to Tijuana is about (Tequila, Sex, Marijuana, duh). The language barrier didn't really stop my enjoyment of this album, I find it musically appealing and well-rounded. I'd probably keep some of these tracks in the same playlist that I keep other Latin music, like Daddy Yankee.
Effectivement, cet album a joué beaucoup dans les petits cafés à l’époque et ça se justifie. C’est un album ensoleillé avec une petite touche de modernité. La fusion des genres était rafraîchissante aussi. Bongo Bong est dans la veine de ce que Gorillaz a fait par la suite. Le groupe a été formé la même année que la sortie de cet album. L’influence ne vient sûrement pas de cet album, mais des influences communes entre les deux artistes. Faut voir aussi qu’on est dans les débuts des enregistrements sur laptop à cette époque ce qui permet d’enregistrer en voyageant. Ça permet de penser un album différemment. C’est pas mon genre habituel, mais c’est agréable à écouter.
diverse and eclectic, but I can't shake the feeling that this could have been a bunch of children's daycare songs if the lyrics were changed
Not bad. Can't see myself queuing this up again, but was enjoyable for a single run. C+
Förvånandsvärt bra. Var inte beredd på att jag skulle tycka om hans musik så mycket som jag gjorde.
This was a cool one! As always, I welcome international music, especially of the Latin Jazz-y variety. An interesting mix of styles on here. A bit less energy than I would've hoped, but still a good listen through. Fitting for the warm spring weather. Favorite tracks: Desaparecido, Je ne t'aime plus, Welcome to Tijuana, Minha galera. Album art: Just a guy standing there, really nothing to say to that. His outfit gives me pirate vibes. The whole thing feels ripped from a Just Cause game. 3.5/5
Borrows freely from his global vagabond exploits, slipping between styles as fluidly as he does between songs. Never less than buoyant, even when he occasionally turns contemplative.
It seems good. I would be very happy if this was the background music in a restaurant with servers who barley spoke English. I have no frame of reference to if it's any good or not, because it's not my normal thing. But I didn't dislike listening to it.
While I enjoyed this much more than anticipated, not sure I’d reach for it again. Love the guitar, horns, energy, production though.
I had no idea what to expect but I rather enjoyed it. I probably forget I ever listen to it in a year.
Very fun and lively. Definitely something to tap your foot to. However, probably not something I'd add to my regular listening, but something to put on when I fee like listening to something very upbeat.
Surprisingly good. I’m usually not interested in Spanish music, but this was different. 3/5
Bouncy and spicy and inventively sampled and layered, plus enlightened-sounding and fun to listen to. This monolingual globalist knows he’s missing a lot of meaning and subtlety and probably irony, too. Still, doesn’t quite get to life-changing or deathbed-worthy. 3.4
It was OK. I dont really know if this album is a great of its genre or not since it's not something I really listen to at all. It was a pretty enjoyable experience overall but it felt longer than it really was.
Some cool songs and a nice listen overall. Nothing jumped out to me so I didn’t save any though.
It's fine. That is, the music is good, but ultimately left me cold. Indeed, I have struggled in writing this review solely because I don't have anything interesting to say about it whatsoever. This very sentence is a travail to write. Still, I shall endeavour to bring you insight. Manu Chao is a French-Spanish singer songwriter who, after the breakup of his group Mano Negra in the mid-90s, took a quest across Latin America to imbibe as much of the music as possible. To that end, he collected a multitude of pirated radio samples, which he then scattered throughout this album (hence the title). Along with this, he sought to continue his mongrelish, catholic eclecticism by merging as many genres as he could muster, with son, reggae, hip-hop and French pop being notable influences on the album, and also by singing in French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. So, the sentiments behind the album can't really be dissed, and the music isn't actually bad, but you unavoidably perceive the album's bizarre sameyness. You know how if you mix all the meats together, from rattlesnake to human, it all just ends up tasting of chicken? Clandestino has that resultant poultriness. Now, nobody will slam the taste of chicken, but who has chicken as their favourite meat? Manu Chao travelled the expanses of Central and South America and brought you back some chicken. You wouldn't complain, but could you hide your disappointment successfully? I once had a gourmet burger in South Korea with a French engineer who would always play Bongo Bong in the bar. He liked Bongo Bong because he found it funny and groovy, which is fair enough. Still, I didn't have a chicken burger, did I?
I was well irritable this day, its hard to say whether I didn't massively like this because of that or it wasn't for me. Soz but a 3 start not much to say from Chole
I thought I'd go in totally disliking this, but WOW. I definitely had heard "Bongo Bong" before on another CD, but I'd say I dug "Lágrimas de oro," "Sol y luna," and the title track the most.
An eclectic multi-cultural, multilingual experience, Clandestino is a tour-de-force of rambunctious ideas that, regardless of the language barrier, burst through with vigor and intrigue. Manu Chao's patchwork of sounds benefit from never staying past its welcome and largely blends from one song to the next and keeping the listener attentive with each step. Favorites: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mentira, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, Malegìra, La ve à 2.
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.
This was like something I'd hear in a cool restaurant while eating a good meal with drinks.
This is a pleasant listen, it sounds friendly, welcoming, happy. I don't hate it, I don't love it, it's okay.
I don't know how I'm using the stars yet. I gave Jazz Samba a 3, and liked this one a little less. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I want to like this album, but for some reason I think it's just ok. Something about the weird sounds coming in different ears for a lot of the songs. Not rating this lower b/c it's in another language, but more so b/c I didn't like the actual music? Actually impressive it's got like four different languages on this album
Really respect the work that went into this - for a person to write an album in NINETEEN NINETY EIGHT using basically only a laptop is impressive. So is his ability to sing and write in so many languages. That said, the album still didn’t hit me. I’m glad to hear this album, but it didn’t resonate. Gotta give it 2 (2.5?) stars.
This album has most of the hallmarks of Modern Spanish Music. That being said, Manu has made a name for himself by pushing the genre to wider audiences. Even still, this album does little to push the genre further, or even deviate from mild influences of Cuban Jazz or a Latin Beat.
Definitely not a style of music I generally enjoy but gave it a full chance; one positive is that I did enjoy the production ... (I feel like I've cheated this for others who enjoy the genre)
luna y sol is a bop. Ooh some French in there thats cool guess the dude is bilingual. Won't be revisiting this tho b/c I cant understand 90% of it
Gute Übergänge zwischen den Tracks. Zweiter Track the Original Despacito Gute Hintergrundmusik Nicht mein Genre
En un principio me dio gusto ver un álbum latino en la lista; luego noté que en realidad es francés y que es aburrido y repetitivo. Incluso para tratar de ser un mensaje de paz o de diversidad o lo que sea (con todo y Subcomandante Marcos) el mensaje es monótono y poco ingenioso.
Mostly background music in a bar on holiday. Bongo Bong was massive though. If it was a footballer, it'd be Lee Hendrie strawpedoing a tropical Reef, then pissing his pants a couple of hours later.
not for me it just didnt connect at all, I appreciate the musician ship so this is a personal review about how i felt about it
Some enjoyable tracks on this bad boy. Still tough to really enjoy a foreign language album
Aunque tuve que escucharlo, no voy a ponerle el 1. Le pondré un 2. Las canciones más insoportables son las que yo recordaba del disco. Pesao.
War zu gewisser Zeit einfach unerträglich allgegenwärtig dieser Esperanto-Studentinnen auf Exotismus Trip. Die 68er machten zeitgleich mit dem Buena Vista Hype mit. Heut höre ich zwar milder hin, weiß die Eingängigkeit zu schätzen, aber das grenzt schon an absoluter Indifferenz, was ich hiervon mitnehme. 1.5
The album starts well and is interesting and restrained. Though hitting bongo bong is a hard no, and the rest of the album is up and down... some spoken work interruptions and luna y sol is a bit irritating. Ultimately, i'll steer away from it.
Was nice soundtrack for the sunny walk, but tbh nothing special. I did like that I heard more than one language through the album.
Je comprends pas l'engouement pour cet album, c'est répétitif et pas particulièrement enlevant... figure sur un top 100 d'albums francophones... avec seulement 2 tounes en français... ok... Cela dit c'est pas désagréable non plus, je peux comprendre qu'on nous l'ai servi dans tous les cafés un peu hippie depuis sa sortie, ça passe un peu inaperçu et c'est pas dérangeant
Sure it is almost entirely in Spanish but the album easy to listen to. Overall it was just alright. I don't really remember any of the songs particularly.
This was fine. I'd listened to a bit of Manu Chao before when I was a teenager (it was the exotic international stuff that you listened to because you thought it made you look sophisticated rather than because you actually enjoy it). It's great background music for a bar somewhere where it's sunny, the sea isn't far away, and you're sipping cocktails. Unfortunately I'm in my home office in Bethnal Green and I'm sipping a cold coffee (cold because I made it about an hour ago, not because it's supposed to be). Sun's shining though... Still, not really for me, fine to stick on the background but nothing more. 2/5.
Folk, rock, 1998. I'm sorry, but "sex & drugs & rock & roll" is much better than "tequila, sexo y marijuana". Just not my cup of tea.
Latin music is not typically my thing, and I even found this sound more blasé than usual. I would love to pretend like it was profound or moved me, but I just wanted it to be over. 1/5
C’est assez monotone comme album. Chaque chanson démarre comme un genre de loop et il chante/parle par dessus. Il n’y a pas de formes, pas de nuances, pas de modulation, à peine une petite progression harmonique par-ci par-là. Des fois, on change de toune et le loop ne change même pas.
dnl