Clandestino

Spanish (etc) reggae. Quite enjoyable. Reminds me of Cat Empire.

Not awful, just not my style.

This was a surprise, loved the album

This was another one of those albums where I have no idea what’s going on but it sounded pretty entertaining and I could see people listening to this pretty often. However without knowing what is being said and cultural context this could an album that just the list maker likes and isn’t that good. I don’t think it’s standing out either way. 2.9/10

7 / 10 A finales del 98 esto fue una música diferente del resto que se hacía en España. Su música fresca, medio reggae en ocasiones y sus letras comprometidas fueron un pelotazo.

ehh, I can take it or leave it.

This was a fun random album that I never would have come across on my own, so thank you 1001 album generator. “Clandestino” is a very catchy world beat album that combines reggae, ska, and various other worldly genres. It’s very multicultural, featuring lyrics in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English. The instrumentation is diverse, with guitars, bongos, congas, and subtle synth and electronic elements that are very effective at creating a good atmospheric sound.

⭐⭐/5

Was pleseantly surprised with this. I can get jiggy with this one.

Mexican based music. OK but wouldn't listen again

Not bad, but not really my kind of thing. I'm not sorry that I listened to it but don't think that I would need to listen to it again. Some of the songs were not bad though.

I'm far from being the word's greatest Latin music connaisseur; but I like this album quite a bit, as it's an extremely relaxed affair. 3.5/5

This thing is impressive just from a language perspective. Manu's family was Spanish, they fled to France to avoid Franco's dictatorship (Wikipedia says his grandfather had been sentenced to death) and he seems to have a lot of influences from both cultures. There are songs on here in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English, it's quite the achievement. The downside for me is that I only speak English, and only like 1.5 songs are in English, so I'm mostly rating on the vibes and not the lyrics. I generally enjoyed the album overall, it has this Spanish-rock thing going on, with a bit of a reggae flair. It's actually a bit of a unique sound, I don't think I've heard a ton like it. I did think it got off to a very hot start with four strong songs at the beginning, and then fell off a bit from there. The rest wasn't bad or anything, just a little less interesting. Overall a great example of something I never would have come across without this project that I'm glad I heard, even if it's not my favorite thing ever. Favorite song: Bongo Bong Other: Clandestino, Desaparecido, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mama Call, Minha galera 6/14/24

Excellente

Wasn't sure that I would like this, but found the tunes very catchy. Nothing too crazy going on musically, but still fun to listen to.

JAAAAAAAAAAAA!

There were definitely songs in can see myself adding to my rotation from this album. The Bongo Bongs song was a fun highlight for me that I didn’t expect. I can understand about half of the words at once (still learning Spanish) and this just makes me want to learn faster. I like the sound and am going to listen to more of his albums now!

Nice and recognizable sound.

This was quite varied for something that sounded so overtly Latin. Really not my kind of thing but was bright and colourful. Also 'Bongo Bong' seem to be the song Gorillaz based a fair bit of their career on.

Not for me but I see they appeal.

Don't mind that they are recommending international albums, but this one was not for me.

Pretty dull, not going to lie. Often can't get on with non-english vocals as there's nothing to relate to / agree with etc. there are a few exceptions but this definitely isn't on them. Music itself left me a bit bored.

Love Manu Chao, great memories and great music.

Nice. Relaxing, just a bit global, would listen again.

Pop

I listen to a lot of music with repetitive elements that I think many people find annoying but this album bugged the crap out of me. Give the Galaga sound effect a rest, dude.

taitavaa latino-indie runoutta...

Alright, really. I'm actually in Spain so I thought it would be evocative in some way but really just sorta fine, passed me by a little bit.

Bongo Bong ist bekannt. Alles andere reißt mich nicht vom Hocker

I'm not sure why this is in here - it sounds like the music you hear in Spanish restaurants on holiday.

Not for me to judge but here I am.

This was a really fun listen, even if it does get a bit repetitive later on with the same background music being used several times on the record, but I guess that's just reggae music for you. Although I have heard this record before, it was still my first time checking out its lyrics, and I must say they were surprisingly poetic and relatable (at least in some places). But let's be honest—even if the lyrics were sh*t, that's the beauty of music in foreign languages, it's easy to ignore the words and vibe with the music anyway. Clandestino isn't something I'd listen to everyday, but if I were looking for this specific type of music, this would be the album I'd put on. 3.5 stars

S U P E R L A T I V O Allora io ho un debole per lui perchè mio padre me lo faceva ascoltare da piccola quindi rievoca un sacco di bei ricordi, ma in generale secondo me è un album molto interessante per le musiche e le vibes che emana.

king of the bongoooo

mentre ascoltavo Clandestino mi sembrava di conoscerla già, ma non capivo perchè. poi, l'illuminazione. quando nel 2012 c'è stato il concerto Italia loves Emilia post terremoto, Fiorella Mannoia e Jovanotti hanno fatto una cover di esattamente questa canzone. allucinante. la tromba sotto Welcome to Tijuana penso sia uno dei motivetti più utilizzati della storia, e comunque "welcome to tijuana, tequila sexo marijuana". genio. in generale, è scorrevole e piacevole, mi aspettavo che fosse un uno ma mi sono dovuta ricredere!

Allora. Non avevo voglia di ascoltare questo album, perché per qualche motivo ero convinta non mi sarebbe piaciuto. Insomma, avevo poche aspettative. Oggi pomeriggio, però, dovevo fare la spesa all’Esselunga, e mi sono detta: “Boh, perché no?”. Mentre aspettavo il tram ho ascoltato “Clandestino”, e mi sono detta: “Boh, perché no? Potrebbe essere un onestissimo album da 3 stelle”. Poi sono andata avanti con l’ascolto, e mentre girovagavo tra le corsie dell’Esselunga di Viale Zara mi sono detta: “Boh, perché no? Perché non fare la rivoluzione ballando su una spiaggia tropicale?”. E niente, alla fine il mio scetticismo si è trasformato in 4 stelle. Ecco un elenco dei fattori che sono entrati nell’equazione: - ✨MULTILINGUALISM✨; - la transizione perfetta tra “Bongo bong” e “Je ne t’aime plus” (seriamente, è davvero soddisfacente); - attivismo climatico, random; - legalizzazione; - come anticipavo prima, un “facciamo la rivoluzione ballando sulla spiaggia” kind of vibe; - un “Alla luna” di Leopardi in versione latina (più o meno); - ancora ✨MULTILINGUALISM✨; - la ripresa del tema di “Bongo bong” / “Je ne t’aime plus” verso la fine (non lo so, mi ha dato un’idea di coesione di insieme).

Ma pensa te che piacevole sorpresa. Non più clandestino, ha cittadinanza nella mia playlist

This reminds me of a band called the Cat Empire, but not as fun. I can see this working in the right circumstances, but it just didn't gel with me. I was going to give this a 2, but reading the notes and finding out that he recorded it on a laptop while traveling, I'm giving it an extra point.

Favorite Tracks: Bongo Bong Clandestino Welcome to Tijuana

“this music makes me think of being a hungover tourist” thanks for the insight m8.

Just like 25 years ago when “Bongo Bong” was inescapable i feel that it has a pretty good vibe but I don’t need bigger doses of it. I like the global, found sounds approach though.

After listening to a lot of this album, I still have a hard time knowing what to think about it. The music is all fun and very charming. He has a great voice. However, the production on the album always feels a bit thin, like it hasn't been properly mixed. This could be an issue with the version that I'm listening to, though. Either way, this is a fun, breezy album that it's easy to be in the mood for 4/5

Awesome and fun. The Spanish-French combo is captivating. Great grooves!

I have heard about this a lot because I was trying to listen to more Spanish-language albums. It was OK, but not super distinctive. I liked “Malegría”.

Also not my thing

Could listen to this on endless repeat. Gorgeous blend of language an instrument. What am I even writing?

Absolute classic. Bangers.

Way nicer than I anticipated. Bongo bong is a classic, but some of the French/Spanish songs are quite nice as well. Not a daily listen, but definitely a repeat listen!

Clandestino I feel like I’ve been trapped on a canal boat with an 55 year old weirdo who hasn’t finished doing it up or hasn’t cleaned it in ages. It smells of BO and stale weed. All the cups and mugs are really tea stained. There is a bed but there are no sheets on it. However there is a duvet cover on the very thin duvet and a pillow case on the single pillow. The furniture is made from bits of fucked wood. I want to leave but he’s trapped me an intense conversation about being a common law freeman. ⭐️⭐️

At first, I just thought this was going to be a style of music I don't particularly like, as it is not my culture or something I ever grew up listening to. However, when I heard "Bongo Bong," I was immediately amazed at how it sounded like a Gorillaz song...but 3 years before the first Gorillaz album. The rest of the album had a lot of other surprises, and while it is not going to be a new favorite, I can see myself listening to it again, and I'm amazed at how it was ahead of its time.

A cool enough one to hear, but nothing in there to make me want to go back to it

Excellent listening for a foreign language album. My different types of Latin music. Poetic and creative lyricism. Very solid listen, would get a vinyl at a fair price.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Not sure repeat listens would bring more joy however. Classic 3 record.

Is this French or Spanish? I really like the way the background vocals blend with the less in Je ne taime plus and in general it does a good job at Hispanic tones and even goes beyond that almost into pop. Favorite: Lagrimas de oro , mama call Least favorite: Malegria 3.7/5

Not in English. Not into.

Monipuolinen kielivalikoima ja periaatteessa ihan kivaa musaa. Valitettavasti tää on mulle vähän liian sellasta nuotiomusaa joka ei oikeen tartu. Varmaan tällä on paikkansa tällä listalla, muttei välttämättä mun levyhyllyssä. 2/5

Muutama oikein kiva biisi, muttei tää kokonaisuus kyllä omaan makuun kanna loppuun saakka.

kiinnostava kielikattaus, mutta ei musan puolesta ylitä peruslattaria

This was a pretty good album. I really enjoyed it's laid back nature and the mix of styles. It didn't seem super unique or ambitious so I'm giving it a 3, but not a bad listen. 3/5.

Hér eru frábær lög og nostalgísk og önnur sem maður þekkir síður en vinna á strax við aðra hlustun. Skemmtilegt.

Amazing that this album survived so many editions of this book, but it’s alright. A fun atmosphere

Swägä men lite långtråk

Very intimate sounding recording, as if you're in the room with him. Bongo Bong and Je ne t'aime plus is a quite special and unique two part song with lyrics in English and then French. There's a repetitive melody and some instrument I don't recognize. Mentira again has a repeating riff for the whole song, but it's charming and appealing in its simplicity. Minha galera is a highlight from the second half. Overall, a compelling hour of music that defies categorization for me.

Really enjoyed as background music.

He’s the king of bongo bong

I was disappointed with this one. Thought it would be joyful and fun but it just didn’t grab me

Ok

I heard the name before, but didn't know the guy. So I somehow thought this would just be our 200th random US or UK Indie rock album. Unfortunately, it's much worse than that. According to Wiki, this is Raeggae Rock. While I like rock, I don't like it nearly as much as I loathe raeggae. I listened to the larger part of the first 10 tracks, until I allowed myself to stop torturing myself. Calling the vocals understated is a huge understatement. These raeggae people aren't even trying to make music with any semblence of either skill or passion. The instrumentation, while minimal, has more to offer than raeggae normally does. I guess that's the representative rock component? The one track I already knew, Bongo Bong, is extremely annoying [even more than the rest of the album] - does anyone actually enjoy this, or is it only considered a meme song?

Doing both too much and not enough simultaneously.

A really great world pop album with what I imagine are political lyrics.

ei voi prkl käyttää lyriikkaa I'm the king of bongo bong ja ei vittu järisyttää maankuorta bongoilla... siitä huolimatta, olipas hauska albumi. manu elvistelee kulttuurisuuttaan käyttämällä eri kieliä (ei suomea, only dogshit laguages) . vähän toispuolinen sillä b-osio vähäm kyllästyttävä muttatotanoin faktaa on nyt se... ett' koko paska on hyvin tehty... welcome to tijuana.... tequila sexo marijuana... mentira

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Enjoyable listen, fun and great production.

GREAT

I had only heard the top hit before. The album is fun, but I think it would get old quickly.

This reminded me of Breaking Bad, and I quite like Breaking Bad.

Very interesting album-takes traditional folk sounds and throws his spin on them, creating a sort of Latin Alternative music, with some rap, plenty of loops (with great grooves) and a mix of Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese, sometimes within the same song. Favorites are Clandestino, Bongo Bong/Je ne t'aime plus, Welcome to Tijuana, and Minha Galera.

Funky fresh, trilingual experience

Every hostel in the world is required to play this album at least once a day.

Probably a solid 3 for me. Obviously a great album, good production, nice songwriting, but not necessarily my jam.

Mediocre and indistinguishable from most Latin stuff I've heard. It was mostly tolerable, although a lot of Spanish singers get annoying quickly in my opinion

Bong bon was my favorite. Overall I really liked the album even tho it is not similar to my usual genres. Very fun. Would not have guessed the French/spanish influence. Liked the sound bites of his surroundings cut into the songs.

I love this album. It's so much fun. This time I found the middle part to drag a tiny bit, but then I listened to the whole thing again as soon as I was done.

Honestly, this was pretty good! None of the songs really felt the same, and I liked the overall vibe. I’ll probably listen to some more Manu Chao.

it was decent background listening but i was absolutely bodyslammed into the boards by a surprise bongo bong. you gotta warn people.

[a series of salsa girl emoji] Yeah, this is enjoyable all the way through. I like it as background music while I do things. bongo bongo bong

I didn’t like it.

immaculate vibes

4.45?

Ich weiß gar nicht, warum ich diese Musik nicht öfter höre. Sie ist unglaublich beschwingt und macht gute Laune.

Not bad, really good mixing, & made for an enjoyable few listens.

He truly is king of the bongo. I liked this album a lot more than I thought I was going to.

I do like Manu Chao but Proxima Estacion is a much better album than this. Meh.

I've heard of Manu Chao before, but I'm unfamiliar with his music. Overall though, I thought this was a fine album. I wish I had the time to look up translated lyrics for all of the songs, but I don't have time for that today. Hopefully I can do that in the future though. The first half of the album wasn't really my speed, but I felt like things picked up for me at "Luna y sol," and I enjoyed the album more from that point on, with the exception of "Welcome to Tijuana," which I really didn't care for. The vocals on this album weren't anything to write home about, but the musical arrangements were fine. "La vie á 2" was easily my favorite song on the whole album; I really loved its unique sound.

top review nails it: hostel soundtrack. clandestino desaparecido je ne t'aime plus lágrimas de oro luna y sol malegría

"Clandestino" is the first full length album by French singer of Spanish descent Manu Chao. The music was recorded by Chao himself at various locations around the world using a small laptop. The music is classified as reggae rock which I guess is fine although I would just put it as Latin/Carribean. The album has been included in various best of lists and commercially, hit #1 in France. The lead song "Clandestino" has a reggae beat and layered vocals. Sung in Spanish, he describes illegal immigrants living in the shadows. I think comparing the US and other desired countries to Babylon. In "Bongo Bong," there is a light repetitive beat and melody. Chao's rapping. The background music is from a Black Uhuru song and the title and lyrics from a 1939 jazz song "King of Bongo Bong." I believe he's singing about smoking weed. The melody and beat continue in the next song "je ne t'aime plus" where sings about a lover he doesn't love anymore. The trumpets and trombone are brought out in "Welcome to Tijuana." There's various noises including some of people partying. This is a party; sung in English and Spanish, it's about people's struggle for justice and freedom. The album ends full circle with "El Viento." Simple guitar strumming. The conclusion of those people immigrating to Babylon is that they are hungry and want to back. This is a good album. It kept my interest. There's varied music from reggae to Latin. Chao has a good voice and sings in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and English but it wasn't hard to get the tone of what he was singing about. And that about includes the struggle of the common people for justice and freedom, love relationships gone wrong and smoking weed. A potpourri of topics but it worked for me.

Awesome Brazilian music - really dug the vibe...big fan

could i write poetry to this? n

A literal "World Music" album that doesn't have the feel of a typical World Music album. The songs are fresh and joyful without being cloying. Even the protest songs are danceable. I'll take this over any Reggae album any day of the week.

Background music for a barbecue.

I was not familiar with the artist or album before listening. There's a lot going on and it does have some interesting parts, but overall it's not great. Would probably not come back to it.

it got boring near the end but still has some decent songs

Visst är det bra men når inte riktigt ända fram.

It was fine. Not really my cup of tea but enjoyable.

Respect, but not for me

Enjoyed something different but none of the tracks really stuck with me for a first listen.

I don't understand it, but it sounds like a whole bop.

This album is quite good, with the laid-back, sun-drenched sound associated with places like Tijuana. Favorites are "Desaparecido," "Bongo Bong," and "Lagrimas de Oro." Also, this is an album where I feel that the audio samples work quite well- even if I can't always understand the words.

Listened to it—wanted to like it more than I actually did. Definitely had an international sound going but just didn’t catch my attention or affection that well.

Some songs sounded familiar.

Genius. Excellent from start to finish.

Just wasn't feeling it

every song sounded the same

Even though all but one song were in languages other than English, ut was pretty good.

I didn't really like Manu Chao back when I was in school, but that must have changed, because I really enjoyed this album.

What an awesome album! I knew a couple of songs off this one but never listened to the entire thing. Glad I did!

I really enjoyed this quirky album from Manu Chao - according to Wikipedia he sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek and occasionally other languages! A veritable one man DuoLingo! Lots of interesting little samples and snippets thrown in too - pretty sure I heard something from Galaxians at one point.

This made an enjoyable change

One good thing here is that it's refreshing to hear another language than English in the 1001 albums selections, the list being awfuly biased. I love Mano Negra and if they don't belong to the list, they should. It was really good alternative rock, and of course Chao was a key component of the band. I discovered them as a young teenager, and I was actually pretty disapointed by Chao change of sounds when Clandestino was released years after. Latino rythms are not really my cup of tea; it was nice when mixed with rock with Mano Negra but much less appealing to my ears deprieved of the rock side here. So, 20+ years later, I was reluctant to listen to this record (I was about to give it one star and be done with it), but it came as a nice surprise: I'm still not a huge fan of the latino side of the album, but it's diverse, the music is pretty simple but nicely arranged, and it has this kind of dicey quality that makes it interesting (and reminds me of this patchwork aspect of Mano Negra). It won't be in heavy rotation but giving a new listen to this record was actually not that bad and I can hear its qualities.

I only knew "Bongo Bong" and "Je ne t'aime plus" before this listening session. Interesting blend, but all in all not too exciting.

Enjoyable! Nice to see something like this on the list.

I grew up with this, and I speak spanish. The lyrics are very important; I will have to give it a 5. But for a non spanish speaker (and no attachment) maybe this would be a 3,5

Volvimos al ruedo de escuchar de lunes a viernes recomendaciones musicales. Este disco me recuerda a mis primeros años universitarios. Esos años más revolucionados, de ganas de cambiar la injusta realidad latinoamericana, de soñar con un mundo más accesible a todas y todos. Creo que en otro momento no podría haberlo disfrutado, así que ahora la escucha pasa desde una nostalgia por algo que no volverá. Gran disco, que ahora lo disfruto desde una mayor madurez

The legend himself. The bongo king. The album is nice. Pretty unique sounds.

Not bad, in parts

This album reminds me of Joab, a Portugese migrant who joined my school and struggled to settle as it was very middle class and resistant to non-white people. As a result he was challenging to be around, but I hope he's doing well these days. As for the album, it has a lot of character but isn't something that I'll be regularly playing.

Easy listening vagabond vibes. Feels like traveling and a chill carefree lifestyle. There were some good song transitions and I appreciate hearing several languages on the album. He seems observant of what’s going on in the world with his travels with some political commentary and philosophy. It kind of feels like musical journalism. Lots of different sounds on this album too. Overall it’s fun and easy listening.

Super fun. I love the pan Latin America sounds. It was groovy and bumpin. I enjoyed it. I couldn't understand a damn thing, so not sure I can really make a good review. But I did enjoy it!

This was fun, and was a great way to start the week. Felt myself moving in my chair.

This is definitely not my style of music. I could tell it was well put together, but it’s not for me.

Amazing ability to blend songs in 3 languages with distinct styles that complement each language. Great guitarist

A few I really liked

Good album. Mostly came across as background music.

Fun but not my vibe

5/5 This is the perfect vibe for a hostel, and I love the soundbits scattered throughout the entire album. Quintessential Mexican music, I was bopping my head through almost every track.

Soft spot for anything this guy does as a later album was the soundtrack for a 2001 drive through Italy… this one is fun too, added La Despedida (the farewell)

Pleasant rhythms, but not in English, so not really for me

Super solid album.

Love this

As cool as it is for Manu Chao to be seen as the patron saint of run down hostel and hippie backpacker bar background music, for anyone who sees his music as little more than a fun amalgamation of styles and languages, I recommend reading up a little about his career and political stances, and digging slightly more into his discography. For instance, the same songs that sound chill and laid back on here, are completely transformed in a live setting. 5 bongs out of 5 ⚗️⚗️⚗️⚗️⚗️

Buenas canciones, algunas ya se han convertido en míticas, con ritmos tranquilos y letras revolucionarias. Algunas canciones se parecen entre sí, pero me parece un muy buen disco. Le falta algo de chispa

Not as good as his band Mano Negra’s Puta’s Fever but a nice world music album

Despite the language barrier, it's a very fun reggae album. 4/5. Favorite Track: Welcome To Tijuana

Nice album. I can fumble through Spanish and Portuguese, and these song are slow enough for me to pick out the main messages.

It was okay just not my cup of tea

Not something I’d go back to again and again but it was pleasant enough

If nothing else I could see me using Bongo Bong in some situations. I do like some of the background to this album. His style and voice mesh well. Nothing has really grabbed me hard but this is decent. I did feel like it went on a long time for only being 45 minutes though.

The singer is not particularly great. Most of the tracks seem so basic and flat. Luna y sol, is the first track that I had any interest in. Por el suelo is alright, but gets a little busy with the samples. Welcome to Tijuana signals something deeper going on here, but I wish there was some tighter production over all. Día Luna... Día pena is a nice track that benefits from being more stripped down.

This was fun and rather unexpected. It wasn't until the last few songs that you can appreciate the journey. What seems to be an obvious underpinning rhythm cleverly evolves as the tracks go by, almost like a walk through a city with different cultures. While there is nothing startling it is infectious and calming.

There's some definite jams here, and I can understand the appeal, even if it's not fully my speed.

I see this album as anticipating the pan-global musical attitudes that other acts like Gogol Bordello and M.I.A. would adopt later on. Unfortunately, I like both of those two acts better than this.

Would be really good pool day music, if you want your pool day to be about anti-globalization and Bolivian water crises.

This was...not for me.

16 tracks had me worried but this was a pleasant, breezy listen! Lot of this sounds like the sort of thing that would play in a Mexican restaurant (complimentary), but dug the weirder cuts best (Bongo Bong, Welcome to Tijuana, etc.)

mostly pleasant, nothing too crazy

Absolutely captured the identity of sitting in a cafe or bar on the street of many countries through language and style variation. A great album for exploring

Not my type of music, but I enjoyed some of the songs, I was even able to recognize a lot of Brazilian stuff on It and It was cool. Unfortynately, there were only 2 songs that I enjoyed listening (Luna y Sol and Welcome to Tijuana), so to match the songs I liked, I will give It a 2 stars.

Not an album I had to hear before I died

I made it three songs. Didn’t hate it but meeehhhhhh

Nice, catchy world music. A pleasant listen overall.

Spanish jazz with a very cool sound. Released in 1998 and its age is not recognizable.

Really enjoyed this, sort of an introduction to this genre for me. Super unique artist, gonna listen to him some more. 4.3/5

Great album.

i change my mind, Adam and The Ants SUCKED. please refer to the bottom review as a 2 pls

60/100

An absolute joy. I knew Bongo Bong, but this whole album is Latin infused with a French wit and so many styles, but still feels coherent and smart.

Groovy world music (though that term probably isn’t used anymore). “Mama Call” and “Malegria” and "Mentira" are best songs. Would be good to know what he’s singing about with such obvious passion, but that’s not Manu's problems. This feels very well made.

I loved Bongo Bong back in the day, but I never looked any farther into Manu Chou. This album is a trip. I wish I had enjoyed it more fully at the time. Ce la vie, I'm enjoying it now!

Enjoyed his work with Amadou & Mariam and heard the name thrown about but otherwise completely ignorant. Not sure if it's a blessing or a curse for the random album generator to spew this one forth on a cold, dark December morning. Doesn't feel quite right listening at 10am with the lights on in the house. Feels simultaneously 90s and timeless. Or perhaps it's just songs like Bongo bong, which if we get more of will negatively affect the score. I enjoyed it more when it morphed into the next track even though it's almost the same, odd. Lagrimas de oro and Luna y sol had me properly bobbing my head. Welcome to Tijuana stays just the right side of daft with the reworking of Tequila. Anyway yeah this album cheered me up on a miserable morning. I'm sure he's singing about important stuff in places but I don't speak the language. Apparently the samples running throughout are from the head of the current wing of Zapatistas in Mexico. So it's a shame I don't speak the language I guess. Would like to sign off with a line from another review because I thoroughly enjoyed it: Está lleno de bangers este trip.

Enjoyed this more than I expected to. Reminiscent of sipping vermut in a packed Madrid bar at 1am, shame I was working on spreadsheets on a freezing winters morning in Yorkshire at the time!

Very nice and I was able to understand the lyrics which made it even better

this album starts out with 3 monumental bangers the rest of the album is such a breath of fresh air! 4*

Halfway between here and the antipodes, aboard a container ship, tucked in with other paperbacks, lies my copy of Papillon. Prior to sending my books on their voyage, I had leafed through Papillon and read enough to hint at the Latin adventures to come. Should the book have been written during the 2000s, I could full well imagine a Manu Chao appearing within as a travelling musician, a character who hides his tales in song, whose languages barely outnumber his misadventures, whose charm lies in a crooked smile and twinkle in the eye.

King of the bongo

Ok

Vibey, Great. I've haven't heard much spanish/english music and because of that all the influences and sounds are pretty new to me and sound great and fresh. Holds up for coming out in 1998 and translating the songs reveal how much of a cool and creative guy wrote these songs, great album.

I quite like this, it remined me of the Australian band "The Cat Empire" which I also like. I enjoyed the switch to different languages.

7.5/10 Highlights: Clandestino Bongo Bong

Never liked Manu Chao's music too much. It always sounded like hipster reggae music to me for people who didn't bother to go into reggae and rather lavished the idea of being some sort of pot smoker on a Saturday evening. They would listen to this music and 'chill' - and that's about it. There is not much interesting stuff on this album but a solid, sometimes boring stream of quality. That's why it makes more of a background listen.

There's some fun tracks here but it didn't do much for me as a whole. I bet there's some "story" behind why this album is on the list, no way it's just the music.

what the hell is "world music", 1001 albums generator? im pretty sure its a racist way to say "music thats not in english". anyway, it has a great sound to it, the songs are short and catchy too. mexican music and the styles of music of the hispano-hablante countries in general are so intriguing. they have such a familiar but distant sound to it, its happy its frenetic, its elegant, and spanish is such a rich language, it has a revolutionary sound and beauty to it. its a great album, i dont think ill be listening to it all that much because its not one of my main languages, but its great.

Classique

Classic

Nice and chill, enjoyed it more than expected

Bongo bongo

I would have liked to see Mano Negra -Puta’s Fever on the list instead. I love that album.

This was a pretty fun album. With the exception of Bongo Bong, I pretty much enjoyed the whole thing. Not something I'd choose to listen to regularly though.

Eh. This didn't do anything for me. It wasn't bad but it wasn't interesting either. Too long, too. 2.25/5

Not bad at all! C

Decent album

Listenable

I did not feel anything tbh. It was good, but I also wouldn't play it. nothing bad to say about it, nothing good to say about it either. But I feel like the bad outweighs the good a little bit, as some of the production and sound effects in this was a little annoying and lacked any real substance.

Ágætis plata. Öðruvísi stemming en venjulega, og velkomin.

I will need to see verification of those citations on the wikipedia page

Neat sounds and grooves.

Not quite my jam, although Bongo Bong is a bop!

Suprisingly fire, might want to relisten

fun album. nothing too exciting but still a good tome

I met two French girls at my local bar once who were huge fans of Manu Chao and had assumed, I guess somewhat correctly, that he was French, so I was surprised by the amount of songs sung in Spanish. If I had known more French than “tres bien” it probably would have been easier to learn more about him from them. It also would have made recommending the band Air to them a little easier. Digression aside, Clandestino was enjoyable, but my inability to speak French and an only rudimentary understanding of Spanish might have hampered my ability to translate these songs, though I understand that Chao is an outspoken leftist and that informs much of his music. I definitely appreciate that, even if musically, this wasn’t really my thing.

Passable

Tolerable. Feels like island vacation music.

Living in the metro Atlanta area, I can step outside any given day and hear this style of music being played somewhere and sometimes I don’t even have to travel that far. Normally, by the time the sound waves make it my way, I’m just left with an annoyingly repetitive yet loud bass line. I say all that to say that I don’t mind this style of music; I understand a little Spanish but not enough to listen along and understand but I still found it enjoyable given the peace of my own headphones and actually being able to listen and take it in rather than being forced to listen to it from a distance. Not so much that it’ll end up in my playlist but it was a good album for sure.

Love international music

First listen I wasnt too sure and listening another time I'm still not quite sure. Do think it's quite special to get an album where you've got 3 or 4 languages, and bongo bong is a banger.

Fun but not for me.

Great fun, and probably the most multilingual album I have ever listened to. Only two of them are languages I speak though!

Boring

Manu Chao's debut solo album, Clandestino, is a masterpiece that captures the essence of street culture and celebrates diverse cultures from around the world. Released in 1998, the album has stood the test of time and remains relevant today. It's an eclectic mix of musical styles, blending Latin rhythms, reggae, punk, and electronic beats, creating a unique sound that's both energetic and infectious. From the opening track, "Clandestino," Manu Chao sets the tone for the rest of the album. The song features a catchy melody, upbeat tempo, and lyrics that reflect his experiences as an immigrant. He sings about the struggles of living in a foreign land, trying to make ends meet, and finding love in unexpected places. The song's chorus, "Soy un clandestino / Soy un pobre clandestino," ("I am a clandestine / I am a poor clandestine") becomes a rallying cry for anyone who's ever felt marginalized or oppressed. The next track, "Desaparecido," continues the theme of dislocation and social justice. Manu Chao uses his signature vocal style, singing in multiple languages, to tell the story of a disappeared loved one. The song's haunting melody and poignant lyrics capture the pain and longing that comes with losing someone without a trace. One of the standout tracks on the album is "Bongo Bong." This upbeat anthem features a catchy chorus, hand claps, and a driving beat that's impossible to resist. Manu Chao's lyrics are both playful and political, referencing everything from Bob Marley to the CIA. It's a feel-good song that never fails to put a smile on my face. Another highlight of the album is "Je Ne T'Aime Plus." This ballad showcases Manu Chao's ability to write heartfelt lyrics and deliver them with emotional depth. The song's simple melody and acoustic accompaniment allow his voice to shine, making it one of the most beautiful and intimate moments on the album. But Clandestino isn't all love and politics; there are also moments of pure joy and celebration. "Mentira" is a prime example. This Brazilian-inspired groove features a bouncy bassline, percussive elements, and a sing-along chorus. It's a party in a song, guaranteed to get any crowd moving. Other notable tracks include "Lágrimas De Ouro," which features a stunning piano melody and soulful vocals; "Mama Call," a reggae-infused anthem with a memorable hook; and "Luna Y Sol," a dreamy ballad that showcases Manu Chao's poetic lyrics and soothing vocals. What makes Clandestino such a remarkable album is its diversity and authenticity. Manu Chao draws inspiration from his travels and experiences, incorporating sounds and rhythms from across the globe. He sings in four different languages, representing the multiculturalism that's at the heart of his music. His message of unity and resistance resonates deeply, especially in today's increasingly divided world. In conclusion, Clandestino is a classic album that deserves every bit of praise it receives. Manu Chao's innovative blend of musical styles, combined with his powerful lyrics and distinctive vocal style, create a truly unforgettable listening experience. Even if you don't understand the lyrics, the music itself is enough to move your body and stir your soul. It's an album that belongs in every music collection, a true masterpiece that will continue to inspire generations to come.

I always wondered where that awful "King of the Bongos" song came from and now I know. Imagine my horror when I realised that the shitty bongo song was actually the best part of this album. This is the sort of music buskers play to be paid to stop. I really hated this from start to finish. I guess I just don't like world music, but there was literally nothing here for me to enjoy.

Fine.

Passabler, aber letztlich eintöniger Raggea Rock.

Not really my style of music, and I don't know much Spanish or French, but there was a good variety and it wasn't boring. What was with that video game sound effect that was in several songs? Sounded like Galaga.

first listen a wonderful taste of Spain

Bored by third song 2/5

Really cool mix or English, Spanish, and French - music style all over the place. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would

A joy to lesson too. Nice flow and a huge variety in intro mental

Listened Before? N Interesting listen. I don't think I'll revisit it just because it's in Spanish but I did like a few of the songs. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist - Bongo Bongo

2.81 average per track. I actually enjoyed this more than the rating suggests. I think the language barrier prevented me from rating anything higher than 3 and there were a couple 2s in there.

This has some interesting bits, but also way too much filler. Not really my cup of tea.

Sounds like whenever they go to Mexico on Breaking Bad. Nando's-core. Shite.

not bad, not great either

A nice blend of languages and tunes.

Man, I listened to this about a thousand times during a road trip through Central and South America. A chill dope-smoking French dude, living in Colombia, singing a variety of genres in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese... lovely memories of backpacking and being a global citizen. I even saw Manu in Sydney in the mid-00s. Or was that a fever dream?

Pretty hard not to enjoy. Just enough variation in the tunes to not get tiresome. Fav track: Bongo Bong 3.5/5

Serves up its vibe perfectly well, its just not one I'm super into. Two and a half. Fave track: Je ne t'aime plus

Started off thinking this was interesting and by the end was pretty sure this was just muzak. Couldn’t get through Bongo Bong without laughing. One and a half. Fave track: Clandestino

I expected to not like this, but it was super fun!

Mixed bag for me. Quite a unique sound, narcos vibes, interesting but unlikely to listen again.

I’ve never heard this before but it was all very familiar. I reckon it’s from being played in those weird little independent shops thst primarily stocked incense and incense related wares just off the beaten path from the high streets of every town and when film studios realised their set dressing wasn’t quite Mexican or Cubano enough, they inserted this as soundtrack over cut aways to women standing in doorways and dogs on unpacked streets. Fine overall but nothing to relisten to unless any of the above apply.

I like the random sounds of a kid's ray gun scattered throughout this. I liked this enough to listen to the whole thing but it's not going into rotation. Reading a bit about him and he seems like a cool guy

2 - These songs blended together a lot and it was a pretty dull listen.

Man this album brings me back! I first heard it while on a 4 month solo trip in Brazil. I was (at the time) staying in a hostel perched high above the bay in Rio with a view down Ipanema. I was a journalist at the time, so I would sit on the roof deck writing articles while this album came heavily on rotation. Needless to say this isn't a pure review of the album, but the life I lived when I first heard it, because I have barely revisited this album since being back in the states. Overall such a wonderful flow and tons of fun! Bongo Boy is, ofc, the standout, but I really loved how much this album blends languages, music types and themes to pain this picture of hispanic culture. Outside the album, I decided to visit his Wiki page (as I do with all the artists), and was extremely surprised to find his beliefs to be both refreshing and non-ludicrous. I feel like its worth people reading themselves , but I'd recommend a read - just an all round brilliant dude who makes banging music! Nice!

i love this album cuz it makes me want to respectfully shake ass with a coconut in my hand and not a care in the world

breaking bad cook montage core

I just found out people do the charlie brown differently than I was taught growing up and it’s shattering my perception of reality.

I actually enjoyed this pretty thoroughly. Not the kinda thing I see myself returning to frequently but really great while it's on. Also the flow of the tracks is pretty immaculate.

Fun

Catchy

Never listened to it fully until today Full of surprises and good vibes. I dig it!

Brightly sprightly bouncy and lively with all sorts.

some definite bops. i like how it was experimental, but at times, i was lost in its sauce.

Pretty good

3.5/5. Hey these are the Me Gusta Tu dudes.

Interesting. Singing in at least three different languages.

Makes me want to dance and smile. Great music for a party.

This wasn't my cup of tea. I don't think it's bad, I just didn't relate well to it. It's hard to rate something like this -- there's stuff out there that is objectively terrible, and this isn't that.

a really strong 3.5 the first half is definetely in the 4 star range but the second half puts it down for me still the king of the bongo bong

Grrrrrrreat album.

Clandestino // Desaparecido // Bongo Bong // Mentira // Mama Call // 3.5/5

Wish I got this on a warmer, sunny day so I could vibe with this even more. The album kind of faded into the background as it went on though. 3/5

Surprisingly enjoyable considering I didn't understand most of it.

Could be a coincidence, but felt super happy as soon as these songs came on. Much vibes. The songs blend into each other very well, so worth listening to it in order. So far I don't really have a favorite.

Consistent sound, relaxed and upbeat

Excellent - can't believe I have never listened to him before!

Incredible iconic album, one of the best ever

suprisingly decent reggae, I expected suffering but got some groovy tunes

I enjoyed this way more than I thought

Discazo de Manu Chao. Vinilo.

Begint sterk maar zakt daarna wel steeds meer in. Beetje rare combi van Spaanse en Franse muziek. Het Spaanse deel vind ik leuk, het Franse wat minder.

It seems to be well-made but it is not my thing. I see it is world music, so this is another example of my disinterest in the genre. I've probably heard some of these songs at mexican restaurants.

Not my style, but catchy.

loved it so did my daughter bongo bong was a favourite for a long time

How does this have so many listens? Bongo Bong? Christ - its worse than the background music when the fast and furious gang head to Cuba

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

Ok ... I've it when world music comes up. Sounds fun. Not really my thing but respect given.

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

Likte da egentlig litt, men mistenke at eg fort kan gå lei

Ну как можно не любить Ману Чао? 100/10

Very unusual, but kinda like it!

But of a mixed bag .

Nah sorry

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

Un classico!

Almost a 3, but Bongo bong is super- annoying, and I still resent it's omnipresence back in the day. This is the ultimate backpacker album

upbeat and lively music with a mexican twist. i liked it well enough.

My wife really liked this guy in college. Listening now, sometimes I wanted to light up a spliff in my dorm room, sometimes I wanted to just turn it off, sometimes it was a decent background album. Not something I'd go to as a listen, but it wasn't bad.

Don't like foreign songs butt the beat was alright.

Harder for me to get into this album. I have never been all that in to reggae, and while it's clear this is an important album, I'm not sure it's something I enjoyed listening to.

Curto muito, das antiga já

Really enjoyable.

This was a fun, eclectic journey into a variety of world music that has a chill vibe and a bit of an edge. Manu Chao manages to draw from a lot of musical influences without sounding overly disjointed or contrived at all. A couple of songs are a bit silly, but overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. Fave Songs: Desaparecido, Lágrimas de Oro, Clandestino, Luna y Sol, Mentira..., Je ne t'aime plus

Pedorrísimo

Very pleasant!

Funky, groovy, good dance music at times

Enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Not a fan. The closest thing I enjoy are baile and all the different forms of Mexican music. I love those sounds and styles more.

Just not for me.

este album es wank

This seems like something that I would enjoy a lot but I find it remarkably mid. everything is overtly safe and doesn't really stretch far from what I'd expect to hear from some CASIO preset keyboard grooves. Until now I had been relatively happy with the "world music" givings from this list but now I'm starting to understand why it's so notorious. Some particular gripes because I'm going to force myself through the whole thing: The 3rd and 4th song could have easily been cut into 1/4 the length and combined. That way they wouldn't have been offensively bad at least And the lyrics of the 3rd one? Was this taken from a child's beginner french 1 textbook? Hell I think you could say that about a lot of the lyrics. I would even love to say that this album can at least be carried by the good guitar playing and rythms but the fact that they NEVER change is, like, absurd. Song 7 is yet again painfully basic in all of it's composition, the best I could give this is the vocal production at least is a little more interesting compared to the rest so far. Shout out to the russian space race news broadcast clip too Song 8 seems to have picked up a bit finally, but again, suffers from a lot of the previous problems... Maybe if this tried a bit harder to lean into the reggaeton/club vibe and style I'd be willing to forgive this song but when the production is also so lo-fi it's really impossible to say this. Was song 9 an unfinished file that somehow got put on the CD? Song 10 at least serves as a reminder as to why you should pay your session musicians Track 12 gave me a lot of hope. This album has really had to work for the single star that I'm going to rate it and this track and a couple others are its only workhorses

4.4

Not sure I'd call this "rock", but I really enjoyed it.

Okay! One of the main reasons I wanted to do this project was to get exposed to things I hadn't heard or wouldn't ordinarily listen to. This is a lot of fun. It turns out I've definitely heard a couple of these songs before, I just didn't realize it. A pleasant surprise, would listen again!

Buiten is het code geel door de regen, maar hierbinnen in men kantoor te Schoten schijnt die zuiderse zon als nooit tevoren. Heerlijk album met nummers die al in wat zomerplaylisten van me zitten zoals Clandestino en Bongo bong.

Til den kedelige side, men et par gode tracks

Hiukan yllättävä lattari tauko tähän väliin, mutta täähän oli ihan hyvääkin. Oli monipuolisuutta ja paljon parempaa kuin tää nykyinen lattaripoppipaska

72 of 1001 Manu Chao - Clandestino Rating : 2/5 Favorite Track : Desaparecido I listened.

Influenced Sublime? Cool digital bomb drop track throughout.

-i’ve heard this guy before!!!! -he had a song trend on tiktok -i Love songs that are in spanish so this is so nice -favorites: mentira, -i like the switch between spanish and french -listening to this while making breakfast is such a vibe

Perfectly listenable, just wouldn’t choose to listen to it again

Pretty fun!

Un álbum sumamente interesante, que mezcla una gran cantidad de estilos e idiomas. Un influyente proyecto, y excelente representante de lo colorido que puede llegar a ser la música alternativa en español.