Clandestino

I liked, but I can't listen to foreign language music regularly

Completely forgot about this album. When I was in high school, so many of my friends were obsessed with the track "Bongo Bong" to the point that it became more of a novelty than anything else. The album itself is clever, with an almost seamless transition between every song across the album with exception of a few pointed stops. As a whole, it definitely feels like it was written to be a singular project more than a collection of songs thrown together. Overall, I enjoyed it, even if I'm not likely to come back to it for another listen anytime soon. The immediate nostalgia upon hearing "Bongo Bong" was a trip though, right back to my freshman year of HS. A strong 3/5

Short and ridiculously catchy this is a great listen from genres far from my comfort zone. Strong 3, maybe 3.5 but rounding down.

Would put on during dinner with my parents.

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

ehh, I can take it or leave it.

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

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

Nice and recognizable sound.

Not for me but I see they appeal.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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”.

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

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.

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

Swägä men lite långtråk

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A few I really liked

Good album. Mostly came across as background music.

Super solid album.

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

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.

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.

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

Nice, catchy world music. A pleasant listen overall.

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

60/100

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!

Ok

Nice and chill, enjoyed it more than expected

Bongo bongo

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.

Not bad at all! C

Decent album

Listenable

Ágætis plata. Öðruvísi stemming en venjulega, og velkomin.

Neat sounds and grooves.

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

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.

Tolerable. Feels like island vacation 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.

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.

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.

not bad, not great either

A nice blend of languages and tunes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Not my style, but catchy.

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

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

Very unusual, but kinda like it!

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.

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

Very pleasant!

Funky, groovy, good dance music at times

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

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

Well, yeah, not transcendental, is it? I can parse its appeal; but it doesn't appeal to me, not very much. But one must be fair

Hard for me to write this one as it’s way outside of my wheelhouse.

Can't understand most of it, but I liked it anyways. Nice and chill.

Hard to not like but still not something you have to listen to.

It definitely is some cool music - something that I haven't really heard of. I wouldn't say that it is my type of music, however, and the vocals don't do it for me.

Wasnt expecting much but thgis way up there. Much better than a lot of sit on this list. + the Narcos vibe

It was a beaut

6/16, 38%

Interesting. Didn’t know what to expect but it’s catchy and I enjoyed it mostly. Wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again though.

not really my style.

Interesting mix of musical styles and languages. I preferthe reggae tracks.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Bonus, this was the first Spanish language album I listened to that was in Spanish, English and French. 3.5/5.

Me gusta, tiene canciones pegajosas y otras de las que por unos meses no podías escapar: estaban en todas partes. En todo caso, me aburre rápidamente.

A pleasant surprise of an album! I liked it. It got a little repetitive toward the second half, but I found the blend of genres really surprising in how well they worked. A lot of these records I feel like I've heard before and don't remember where from. Just really liked it overall, 3/5

Big ups , rest still sounds average

this was a breath of fresh air! manu chao's clandestino is an easy, fun listen. it's different from other albums on this list by the virtue of it being world music (which is just too vague of a term!). but i enjoyed some incorporations of hip hop and electronic music. the concept of this album is cool and is, i think, the reason why it comes across as so fresh. traveling to different locations to record music on a laptop might be a very 1998 thing to do, but i enjoyed it anyway. 3.5

I had never heard of Manu Chao, but was pretty impressed! The way one track flowed into another was immaculate here. He traveled from location to location recording this album, and it really shows; this is sung in four different languages and played in a corresponding cultural genre, and Manu does it all masterfully. It all just made for a great mix of music. He isn't particularly doing anything revolutionary here from a musical perspective, but the blend of languages and genres certainly makes this a unique creative outlet. At the end of the day, it seems like Manu Chao just really enjoys making music, and he makes it fun to listen to.

Surprisingly meta

bango bong was poggo

Honestly don't have a big reaction to this... which means average.

I thought I'd like this one more, but with each song going into one another, it flows so much I can hsrdly tell songs apart, and makes everything blend together. Doesn't help when some songs use the exact same backing music as well. It was alright overall, certainly some good stuff, but it left a lot to be desired. Right down the middle with this one.

3.5

Spanish, French, English singing, interesting but not grabbing me.

Not my type, but pretty okay to listen to.

This was OK. Nothing wrong with it really. Just not my type of music

Today's listen was very interesting! Spanish/French vocals with a bit of English mixed in! The musical accompaniment was highly influenced by Spanish culture though it sounded like. Beautifully intricate Spanish guitar mixed with modern sampling and rapping techniques left you with a very interesting sound. What I like about these international albums is that it isn't necessarily something I would ever have discovered on my own. I like hearing how other cultures music have different influences. Even though I didn't understand most of what was said, the beauty of the music that was made still came through. Overall, a great listen today. Nothing spectacular, but it was still very good! Favorite songs: Luna y Sol, Clandestino, Welcome to Tijuana, Minha Galera, Mama Call Least favorite songs: La Despedida 3/5

C'est pas forcément ce que j'ai l'habitude d'écouter à 2h du matin mais je n'ai pas détesté l'expérience

Not something I thought I would enjoy. I didn't enjoy it but it was tolerable simply because it was different.

The variety of languages and styles makes Manu Chao stand out among world music. Chao has been called Latin alternative, but it’s interesting because he’s Spanish rather than from the new world. Despite his European origins, he brings a lot of Latin influence into his music, along with a melange of other styles. I don’t always enjoy his voice, but the mix of styles is pretty cool.

I liked this a lot more than I expected, which was to not like it at all. Couple really neat songs on there. Might throw a few in a playlist.

Album has a nice, kinda lo-fi vibe to it that I like, but the tunes just aren’t that strong. Kinda dull. 2.5/5

Pleasant to listen to, Mano negra more my kind of thing, 3 stars

Pretty cool album, foreign vibes. Would be a good listen on a summer day.

Not what i expected

Middle of the road for me

I mean this is fine... just sounds like typical Spanish hippie music. Those dudes you'd see in a botellon with dreads not really drinking but smoking a ton of weed. I thought I recognized the guy from "Me Gustas Tu" on a different album. 6/10.

Started strong, didn't stay there

My dad texted me about this album

Eigenlijk totaal niet mijn straatje, maar toch erg gezellig.

Normaliter niet helemaal mijn ding, maar op een zonnige vrije dag prima te doen.

Het zonnetje schijnt!

Jeugdsentiment!

3 star

Funky tunes by the king of bongo

Suojautuu yksitoikkoisuudelta hienovaraisin keinoin, ja seurauksena kuulijan mielenkiinto pysyy yllä. Toimii. Kannattaisi silti kokeilla duuripohjaisiakin biisejä - eivät ne aina ole niin naiiveja kuin voisi luulla.

skyder en lømmel til det her musik

Not my vibe.

Enjoyable sounds and rhythms

Expresión tolerable de postmodernismo. El problema está si se la piensa como un manifiesto político o la respuesta genuina de un territorio oprimido. Es cierto que los sonidos y las letras sugieren algo de eso, pero lo hacen tan solo como un ejercicio, la posibilidad lúdica de una combinación, que, al final, termina siendo exitosa. La instrumentalización es pequeña y las texturas, suaves: los materiales diversos se armonizan. Y en última instancia, por más que políticamente tal armonía pueda ser fútil, o incluso la solicitud de un conformismo, también amplía el espectro de lo imaginable, crea una especie de no-lugar. Y no todo tiene que ser realismo.

lo disfrute pero a la mitad ya lo queria sacar. supongo que no estoy con ganas de estas cosas ahora

Ok, so this was interesting! As with most music that falls under the “worldwide” umbrella it’s obviously going to appeal to a certain customer rather than a 40 year old, fat Scotsman. But, I enjoyed it for what it was! Not going to be racing down the local record shop for it though!

A good solid offering. Deceptively simple tunes delivered with skill. Didn’t have a clue what was going on but it was all pretty catchy

Pretty good!

Such a nice summer vibe record! Yeah, I've only known Bongo Bong, but the rest is very laid back as well! It has some nice layers, cool sampling and nice melodies. The vocals and lyrics are not too great, but still enjoyable and fit the songs well! Key tracks: Clandestino, Desaparecido, Bongo Bong, Je ne T'aime Plus, Mentira, Minha Galera 7 out of 10

Varme minner fra Roskilde. Helt knall

Groovy

Good vibes

Started off quite strong but got pretty repetitive and boring as the album went on

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Luna y Sol (8) 2 - Malegria (12) 3 - Bongo Bong (3)

Overall a pretty cool and unique album. Songs were a little hit or miss for me, but a few bangers on here for sure.

Relaxed, far-flung music to background a stressful time at work. I’ll give it a more concentrated listen later.

I used to work in a machine shop where my boss would BLAST norteño 8 hours a day everyday. Think constant accordions and twangy guitars absolutely blaring in your ears. It's polka from latin america. 15 years of therapy and I'm still on edge when I hear even the slightest honk in the background. I had shivers even thinking about pressing play on this album. Pleased to report, I made it through. It's a chill album with a good flow and no accordions.

Different and enjoyable

Had a lot of fun with this one. High energy, enjoyable, welcome to Tijuana, tequila, sexo, marihuana!

It was almost impossible to avoid this album if you went to college in the late 90's. They were playing it in the cafés, you could hear it in partys and that girl that just went back from Barcelona with dreadlocks always had a copy of the CD in her bag with a Che patch on it. I personally never cared for it, but Je ne t'aime plus is really good, almost makes me think of Jean Leloup and I gotta say that it now holds a certain nostalgic value for me. Deep down I hate this, but I can't give it less than 3 anyway.

Album is too long, 30 minutes would have been enough.

I had no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The first half is made of very strong songs with original and creative beats. After that, the album seems a bit too long winded and the quality is slowly turning down. Glad I listened to it.

Nice enough and I enjoyed the rhythms and energy. The fact that I didn't understand a word made it difficult to give a higher score.

enjoyable

A couple of really catchy tracks, but nothing too surprising

v̶̢̹̋̉i̷͓̒b̵̹̎͐e̴̹͍̅ỹ̷̢͘͜

I didn’t understand it. But I liked it.

30th November 2022 Listened in the office. Came home on the train and watched White Lotus. Reminds me of Adam Fuller.

Nice Latin music

Musik, deren lyrics ich nicht verstehe, geht mir echt schwerer rein. Vom vibe sehr nice!

I liked this! I liked what another reviewer said about how it was respectful of the culture while still being accessible. I have mad respect for anyone who performs music in multiple languages. “Bongo Bong” was the highlight for me.

01-Nov-2022 I've never even heard of this artist, so will be intersted to check this out! Good to see some other countries represented in the list.

- Never heard of this before - Not usually my thing, but some catchy songs - Liked the switching between languages - Fav songs: Welcome to Tijuana, La vie à 2, Desaparecido

How have I come this far along in life without having heard of this guy or this album. It's the oddest thing I've ever heard. It's like Spanish trip hop with sampling and rhythms that go around and about. Not really tracks as such as it bleeds from one track to another. No real substance as it feels like pop music and certainly not punk rock. Not sure if it deserves one star or 5 stars.

I'm very sick today. Barely upright. This music does nothing to speed my recovery. It's too bright, too happy, it hurts my brain. It's like a never-ending mariachi interlude from Breaking Bad that takes up the whole episode and makes you curse Vince Gilligan for his shenanigans. Grading on a curve today to balance out my harsh attitude, and points added for Bongo Bong. In the end it adds up to neutral.

Jamaika vibes

It was ok and I’m glad I listened, but won’t be seeking out again.

I really enjoyed this but it did get a bit samey by the end

Cool

Enjoyable in parts but it all sort of just passed me by in a mass of sound.

Fun mix of genres.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I spoke more foreign languages other than English. Aside from that, this is a solid album.

3.5/5. Really catchy stuff.

Pretty good listen.

Initially wasn't that impressed but went to bed singing one of the songs.

4/6 references made

Few iconic ones, rest is veel vant zelfde. Leuk zomers sfeertje wel

Good

Not bad really. Some decent chilled out tunes.

It was a good one time listen but I’m probably not gonna listen to it again

Good vibes

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.

7/14/2022 - ALBUM #168 Today's Album: "Clandestino" by Manu Chao - As with most latin albums I review here, I have to address the disconnect between myself and the music due to not understanding the language. But, like many other albums I give this disclaimer when reviewing, it was actually a really pleasant listening experience. The opener Clandestino welcomes the listener in with these swinging bass melodies and a chilled out shaker groove. There are some interesting vocal effects going on in the chorus and I think it sets a good tone for what is to come. I really like some of the production choices on this album, with this descending, ‘video-game’-like, synth sound being used throughout the tracklist, tying many of the tracks to one uniform theme, and there is overall a lot of attention paid to the way the vocals interact with the instruments. Bongo Bong is a pretty fun and lighthearted track that still follows the chilled out groove set up by the first track, but brings some more auxiliary percussion and some english vocals to spice things up before carrying into ‘Je ne t’aime plus’ with the same groove. The album actually transitions very smoothly across all the tracks and just does a really good job of getting the listener lost in a swaying latin groove and keeping them there, even if you don’t speak the language. I really appreciate the layered guitars and stringed instruments that create the instrumental backbone for many of the songs and I think the bass is mixed really nicely into the back to the point where the focus is drawn much more on the tone of the bass than the attacks and movement (even if it do be movin’). In the songs where the band implements some english lyrics into the mix like Bongo Bong and Mama Call, I really start to see the chain of influence from this band to groups like Santana and even later contemporaries like Sublime. They end up being some of the most enjoyable moments on the record for me for fairly obvious reasons. Overall, I think this album is a great demonstration of the state of latin music as the 80s were coming to a close and the baton was being handed back and forth between groups like this and prominent latin acts like Santana. If you enjoy latin music that occasionally caters to English speaking peoples or have ever enjoyed a track from Santana, this album is a great history lesson in that sound. Highlights: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, La vie a 2, Minha galera Score: 6.75/10 A dense meditation on Latin music by an achieved French artist

It was alright. I’ll relisten in the future to see if I like it more than I do now.

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.

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

Nur das eine Lied…

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?

Didn’t care for all of it, but I did enjoy how Manu Chao weaves through different genres & languages

Утром было слушать задорно, вечером уже похуже. Самобытность

Some cool songs and a nice listen overall. Nothing jumped out to me so I didn’t save any though.

3.5 / 5 Heard this one before. The more I hear it the better it gets.

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.

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

Entertaining, and wow - the diversity of language.

5/10. Eh.

Surprisingly good. I’m usually not interested in Spanish music, but this was different. 3/5

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.

I had no idea what to expect but I rather enjoyed it. I probably forget I ever listen to it in a year.

While I enjoyed this much more than anticipated, not sure I’d reach for it again. Love the guitar, horns, energy, production though.

It was fine. not something i'd listen to again.

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.

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.

This was jazzy, cool background music.

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

good international album. I enjoyed the sounds.

Förvånandsvärt bra. Var inte beredd på att jag skulle tycka om hans musik så mycket som jag gjorde.

Not bad. Can't see myself queuing this up again, but was enjoyable for a single run. C+

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

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.

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.

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

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)

Don't speak Spanish, but it had some jams.

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.

this was a pleasant listen, although I think the reviews were more enjoyable to read haha

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

Interesting album. I enjoyed it

I started off dreading this a little as I'm typically not wild about music in other languages. Was surprisingly interesting.

Another one I thought I'd hate but actually very listenable. It kept me interested with all the changes in language etc

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.

I never knew there were so many words that rhyme with marijuana.

Totally forgot about this album. Very enjoyable

This album surprised me. For sure.

A multilingual treat. Also found the French language earworm I'd been struggling to identify. 3/5

Enjoyable

Groovy

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

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?

Good

Good music to have on in the background though admittedly not something I'd choose to give my full attention to

Not a fan of salsa but this was as good as it gets for 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

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.

I like how the songs flow into one another

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.

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.

Fair

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.

Valeu a experiência da sequencia de músicas pelo mundo a fora.

some really good multi lingual tunes, especially bongo bongo

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.

Cool, I guess...

It's nice, but getting a bit monotonous halfway through.

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 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.

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 :)

BONGO BONG!! I liked this album, it was pretty enjoyable and easy to listen to.

011121 17:32 3.5

Fun, interesting, occasionally twee, but not something I will listen to again.

not my ting

Cool Latino

Lots of short songs, not bad but didn't engage me

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.

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.

Really cool, funky stuff.

Good vibes. A little repetitive

Good sound, but I wish I understood the lyrics. Can’t judge it appropriately.

Chill music in Spanish and French

Good as a solo record, but why not include the great Mano Negra rather than Many Chao's solo efforts?

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.

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

It’s fine, just not what I would choose to listen to

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.

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]).

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.

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)

World music fella does a mix of musical styes in different languages. Dinner party music. Best Tracks: Bongo Bong, Mentira, Welcome to Tijuana

Latin jazz und rock

First few songs are fantastic, gets a little dry towards the middle and only picks up in moments.