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.
WikipediaWhen 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.
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!
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.
Really fun! A nice variety of moods and feels, but they all make me want to dance.
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"
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
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
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).
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
I love this album, it's a banger. Reminds me of Josh Watson circa 2008-2010
A catchy mélange of French, Latin, Reggae and whatever else. MC is a great songwriter, political and satirical, and an amazing performer, as my co-judge and I discovered 20 years ago. Bongo Bong was a big hit in my spinning classes. The theme runs throughout this album, and his next one. I found the original fron Manu Negro a few years earlier, which sounds like it could be a Beastie Boys version. I'm amazed he played mostly every instrument and recorded it on his laptop. And this went gold in Canada!
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.
Lies, lies from tiny eyes. Manu, stop trying to lay claim to SHACK's crown as King of the Bongo.
// Favs: Bongo Bong / Je ne t’aime plus / Mama call Score: Strong 3 to Light 4
Listened to it twice in a row, about 4 songs awesome and the rest good
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
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.
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
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.
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
You know I’m here for the Spanish vibes that are also French sometimes
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
Enjoyed this. I'd only heard Bongo Bong before but there's lots of variety here.
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 really like "Bongo Bong" and "La Vie à 2". This genre of music, for me, depends largely on context. In a cantina eating Mexican food? Yes. Cleaning out the garage? Not so much. But I enjoyed listening to this album.
A lot of the sounds remind me of early Gorillaz. Lots of great tracks and a great vibe overall.
You might not expect a French/Spanish singer armed with an acoustic guitar, sound collages and the ability to sing in French, Spanish, English, Portuguese, Arabic and Greek (just to mention a few) to be one of the world’s foremost figures when it comes to progressive musical thinking challenging a variety of political and humanitarian causes globally. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what Manu Chao is as he encapsulates the spirit of punk way more than most contemporary bands of the genre. Recorded in Estudio Clandestino (basically his laptop) I’m amazed at how alive this album sounds. Being recorded on the go and whenever the opportunity and creativity allowed for it really works wonders for the songs. Whether he sings of the King of Bongo, welcomes you to Mexico or challenges the state of the world in enough languages for at least a couple of world leaders to understand, time just flies by when you’re in the great company of Manu Chao.
Impossible not to enjoy Manu Chao's music and the impact his debut had on exposing people around the globe to world music. One of my go-to artists for chill music that anyone can jam to. And boy does he love his marihuana.
Not even sure where Manu is from. This album is an eclectic mash up of world music. Moving seamlessly from Latin to reggae to African styles. Nice. Worthy of the 1001 albums list
I confess I was a little worried seeing the cover and the 1998 release date, but this is not what I expected- it’s really very nice. For starters, I’m a sucker for CDs where all the songs bleed into each other- check- and this CD does it extremely well too, with a consistent mood that evolves slowly, like a single long track. There’s also strong consistency in the sound, which is lovely- very heavy echo, strong bass (the bass is excellent, and carries a few tracks), light acoustic Latin guitar and Latin percussion. And the smooth transitions plus the consistent sound make it feel like a concept album, which I love. He mixes it up just enough to keep the listener interested and surprised throughout- e.g. adding electric guitar, chorus vocals, and horns on “Luna y Sol”, which is probably the gem of the CD overall. I’m not sure I’d call any track except that one super-catchy, in part because he’s not as focused on melody, in part because I don’t understand a word of what he’s saying. But they’re all fun, and he does rockers like “Malegria” and ballads like “Desaparecido” about equally well. Very solid.
Manu Chao first came to my attention when he produced Miriam and Amadou's Dimanche a Bamako. That 2004 record is probably my all-time favourite World Music record and it continues to be on high rotation today. Manu Chao epitomizes World Music, he was born in Bilbao (Basque country) and grew up in France and speaks like 10 languages. He also infuses his music with a huge range of styles: reggae, salsa, French chanson, Afro-Cuban, latin, ska etc., but the common denominator is that it is all undeniably catchy and fun.
The album really brings something catchy in every song. Seems like you know or heard all of the songs in the past. The mix between language and some spoken part make are also good imo. Only downside I could see is that some of the sing are really similar... 3.5/5
Prefs: Clandestino, Desaparecido, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mentira..., Lagrimas de Oro, Luna y Sol, Welcome to Tijuana, Dia Luna... Dia Pena, Malegria, Minha Galera Moins pref: La Despedida
I really enjoyed this album and this is why I started this challenge, to be exposed to music from around the world.
This album was a pure vibe. Very, very interesting musically. Favorite track: Mentira
Fena deil sdc ilk yarısını dinledim catchydi.... dörde de yükselebilir
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.
I couldn't understand most of the Spanish but the music was enjoyable at points
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
Its alright. The many languages mask the fact that this album lacks a good song.
tiene muy buenas canciones y otras no tan buenas..un bello 3 es merecido
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