El Circo

Never heard of this artist before, so I got to go in completely blind. With the first few seconds I thought, "Oooh, some ranchera?" NOPE, LATIN SKA BABYYYYY. This was fun, filled with variety, danceable, kickass, and other praise-worthy adjectives. I had a blast with this. Thank you for adding it to the list!

Ooh, an interesting entry, I had not expected someone to throw in some Latin Ska. I liked it, very tight, punchy, and fun.

From reading this band's Wikipedia page, I'm sorta surprised they aren't represented on the actual list. They seem unique and ahead of their time in many ways.

Being Spanish one of the most spoken languages in the world, and the second largest native language spoken in the world (don’t quote me), that just around 10 Spanish albums made the 1001 list, seemed very off. Having Soda Stereo, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Caifanes, Cerati, Héroes del Silencio among others it was really sad to not found any of them in the list. So, that is why this one is a refresher. I grew up listening to this guys, and this is an amazing and incredible album from start to end!

All killer no filler.

9/10. This was a lot of fun, and a very quick listen. I think I'd like to listen to more stuff like this

A fine addition to my "What the fuck is this and why does it slap so hard" collection that I am slowly accumulating by going through these user submitted albums. Also a worthy addition to the "Albums that sound the least like their album covers" list. Extremely unexpected but welcome Ska Punk jumpscare.

Loving all the non-English language albums on this extra list so far. Thanks for suggesting.

This one was really great! Good vibes all around. 10/10

Goes hard, very cool sound, love the refutation of the mariachi laugh

super fun, love whatever kinda vibe this has - 9/10

Wow! I'm 220+ albums in to the user list and thus far this is the best discovery. I've listened 5 times in a few days and have it queued up for a run later today.

Wow, what a fun pull! Posing a very important question of “hey if what makes ska fun is the latin influence, why not check out the uncut version?”

I loved this one so much!

¡Excepcional!

To whomever indicate this album, you'll probably going to like Mad Caddies

Super fun! Loved it.

Good pick-me-up today!

So fun! So good! Thanks!

This was awesome! Well named - as it sounded a bit like a circus - a little of this, a little of that - not afraid to be all over the place. I love it!

very very enjoyable album. Maybe the lyrics were all f-ed up, but I'd like to think they weren't. because how can something sound so festive, joyful, upbeat have bad lyrics?

This was awesome

Expected to hate this, but actually enjoyed it. Deserved of a spot in the list.

Makes me miss stopping at the Bodéga for my morning coffee and bagel. Well, the Bodéga cat anyways… 4/5

A pretty nice ska album

Mare is the highlight for me, but the whole album has such a good vibe — worth a revisit.

Awww yeah, what fun! Their take on ska is plenty lively, and I appreciate all the non-ska thrown into the mix. Fave tracks - "Pachuco" for that screamin' opener, "Pata de Perro" for the calypso, and "Querida" for the full on ska!

Well, this was fun. Heavy ska-influence, didn't take themselves seriously. Would definitely listen to again. Top tracks: "El Gran Circo," "Pachuco"

I had this on tape. I didn't remember all the songs, but quite a few.

Wait so originally I was like blah. But then I gave it a chance and I actually REALLY liked this album. I don’t know if it’s because I was like cleaning and it was fun but it went by super fast. It’s sometimes fun to have music in another language, and this was a great one.

This was surprisingly catchy. One of those albums that i think should beon a list due to its uniqueness.

Now we're cooking with gas!

This was fun! I don't really know what any of it means.

This was fun. Short and to the point. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

ok Pachuco you have my attention. Its got that early 90s third wave ska sound. If this were in english this would have been one of the biggest ska records in the US. thinking of it like a circus is a cool way to imagine it. very rad record.

Great groove!

The first track is Spanish and punky? Spunky? It becomes much more poppy and rocky thereafter - sprocky? Decent enough album, although I don't have the first clue what they're singing about, which is always a risk. I could be humming along here to some guy describing utterly despicable things. I'm not sure I am, so let's just say I enjoyed it.

A collision of Latin rhythms, ska, punk attitude and street-corner storytelling. It has the feel of street performance and that gives it a warm and fun energy. It does feel like they're pulling a lot from son, cumbia, danzón, perhaps even more than from early punk. While reading up on it it seems this really was a foundational album for lots that came after it. Highly enjoyable

Such a fun listen, love the cover art

Fun Mexican rock would listen again

September 2, 2025 If I listened to this when it was actually generated, it’d be perfect for that day’s hot weather. Now it’s overcast and like 15°C, but honestly- I think I need this record more today. A bit like that Fishbone record, in that it’s very much late-stage 80s production, before grunge did a lil reset, but also like it in that it has basically no drag whatsoever. 4/5

Ska from Mexico! While the original list certainly dabbles in the 2 Tone era of ska, I was surprised to find no trace of any third-wave ska. No Doubt, Operation Ivy, and Streetlight Manifesto would all make bespoke choices, but I'm equally as happy to check out something from somewhere outside the US or UK. Maldita Vecindad are a key band for the alternative latin rock sphere, and are perhaps the best to ever do it. Their unique approach to ska music by taking root in traditional Mexican songwriting makes them more than an excellent band, but a party band. These guys elevate the genre and make it their own in a tight 36-minute romp. Primo. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: 100% yes.

This one was a lot of fun.

Loved it. Very cool injection/combination of all sorts of influences.

Good stuff, thanks for adding

An incredibly catchy and varied Latin ska album with hooks for days. This was just very very fun

This was a pleasant surprise and super fun to listen to!

Much fun 🙌

Mexican punk rock, yes please.

My initial comparison is NOFX, or maybe Less Than Jake: it's got that attitude and speed that comes with a punk record, but with a liberal amount of horns. It was only later in the record that I figured out this wasn't a ska-punk record, but, like, Los Tigres Del Norte punk record. It's fun. Enjoyed thoroughly. Favorite tracks: "Crudelia", "Querida"

Wow! This is way more varied than I expected, and really good fun. Punky at points, ballady chill at others. Another lovely surprise I'll definitely come back to.

What a pleasant surprise this album is. Great Mexican rock with several influences, styles and a fantastic opener in Pachuco.

This was like Mexican Debo. Super funky and catchy rock that was a great time throughout. Mare was my fav song.

This was a great album. I wish the original list had included more music like this. Musically, I was expecting a ranchera album based on the opening, but was pleasantly surprised when the ska kicked in. The high energy was maintained throughout as well.

Fun

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Pachuco, Solin, Un gran circo, Mare

Happy to see another cool Mexican artist that completely got ignored on the original list. This was so much fun. Ha, I like how they start out with the classic Ranchera sound before going full ska on us. Engaging sound, with strong energy and drawing on a rich musical palette. Really enjoyable. Fave Songs: Kumbala, Querida, Un poco de sangre, Pachuco, Un gran circo, Mare

Brilliant inclusion, thank you for submitting. Love the ska, brass, Latin rhythms and percussion. All mixed in with ska guitars and a strong party vibe. Bringing to mind Police, Manu Negra, Pogues and slightly B52s. Great!

Vey high energy, keeps things just different enough to keep attention. Don't understand the lyrics but that's on me. 3.8

oh hell yeah! This is going straight on the work playlist. What a cool album. Never heard of it before, great energy, bit of an exotic (to me) flavour. 4/5.

One of Latin Rock classics. I didn't have it quite on my radar, since I've always been more of a fan of Argentine rock, but I've enjoyed rediscovering it and enjoying it. Such a powerful story with vibrant and catchy tunes. Thanks for sharing

Very interested in the blend of influences like punk and Ska in a Mexican idiom. Was even able to pick up a fair amount of the lyrics with my mediocre Spanish, a rare treat with these non-English selections.

I don't speak a word Spanish. But I really liked the energy and the 'ska'-ness of this album

El Circo is absolutely rollickin', and gets a lot of mileage out of the sublime sound of complete contemporaneity; Not easy when you include this much ska. As circuses go, less polished acrobatics but more value for the price of admission at that. The only thing dating the record is a bit of sounds-like-rap, an attempt at hipness maybe fifteen years back.

An interesting and fun listen! 8/10

I’ve never heard of this band or this album before, but I welcome any chance to check out an album from a non-English speaking country, and it looks like these folks are a big deal in Mexico, so this should be a cool album. While this album wasn’t really my jam, I did enjoy how fun it was rhythmically. The album got off to a hot start on “Pachuco,” and each song on the album had a really good, driving beat. On the songs that I really enjoyed, like “Pachuco,” “Pata de perro,” and “Crudelia,” I really enjoyed how the saxophone, bass, and lead guitar sounded together. While I wasn’t wowed by this album, I thought it was really unique, and I have to imagine it was influential on American bands who leaned into ska elements in the nineties.

A pretty fun sound

Rock mexicano. Pachuco. Se me ha hecho un poco largo para lo corto que es. Ni fu ni fa.

Rock, Latin: Styles: Alternative Rock, Ska ¡Anda! Una canción de este grupo, Morenaza, salía en la banda sonora de Reality Bites. Justo la que me ha puesto Spotify al terminar el disco.

Great inclusion. Truly a niche and under represented scene in this list. Mexican ska from the 90s? Yeah I can dig, something different for sure.

Mostly ska-punk or "ska-rock" (?). I can understand the appeal on paper, between the apparently topical lyrics and other shenanigans related to Mexican culture. Yet I would lie if I said I connected with this record. Musically speaking, it sometimes sounds like meat-and-potatoes fare for this genre: the meandering vocal lines, performed by a singer lacking clear distinctive features, sound a little cheesy and unfocused for me -- even if some instrumental melodies and percussion work behind him stand out sometimes. Oh, and the production values didn't age very well. Maybe I'm a little bit picky for this sort of thing, I don't know... But for most music styles, I need less streamlined "dynamics". In short, this record feels a little too "safe", even with the spicy Mexican flavors in it. 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 3 7.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 72 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 90 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 175 (including this one) ---- Émile, tu trouveras ma dernière réponse sous le *Inside* de Bo Burnham

Having fun making music!

Jolly fun, an interesting album in a sea of mediocrity.

Not really the type of music I go for generally, but I respect the energy here quite a bit, it's perhaps the most genuine an album of this nature can feel.

Weird mish-mash of traditional Hispanic tunes with late 80's pop-rock. I quite liked a lot of the tracks.

This veered to far into ska for me. Which is one of few music genres I can't stand. This was fine though.

That was fun. I definitely think that Beck and Sublime heard this at some point. I was excited to hear that the band was influenced by The Cure, but I really couldn’t hear that influence. And here I thought that Menudo was going to get an album on this list…

Fun and definitely above average cool. What an albm title, though. "Pata de Perro" is fave cut. Glad to know it. Gracias to recommender.

This album was a pretty fun listen, but it was hard to tell why it was particularly significant. It's interesting rock music for 1991, but it doesn't particularly feel like they are pushing the envelope 3/5

Always good to hear something a bit different. Latin fun Ska type stuff. Glad it was only 30 mins though.

First time listening to Mexican rock, enjoyed it.

Yea, it was ok.

Bloody good time this

This is fun, even though I can't understand a lick of it! Giving early 90's ska punk fusion.

Stadium rock

Fun and hip, but there's little here that really stays with me... blends together to easily. Un Gran Circo was the standout for me and the only track that really engaged. Still an interesting listen.

A super-energetic Hispanic rock album. Bouncy, buoyant, brilliant fun. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: Pachuco Date listened: 03/09/24

Rock mexicano. Pachuco. Se me ha hecho un poco largo para lo corto que es. Ni fu ni fa.

Liked that this LP put a bit more energy into what I would expect from traditional Hispanic pop music, a little bit more verve in the instrumentation did a lot for my enjoyment of the genre.

4 3

I'll need more time, but I left happy.

Pretty decent, not super interesting though (other than the album cover). 3 stars.

Not into this kind of music, even though I understand it's good in the genre.

A fun groovy time, ya dig?

1.5/5

Language barrier, but enjoyed it.

Energetic if not occasionally frenetic ... through no fault of their own it suffers from that period's "sound" which after all this time just sounds stale and bland. As for the music - I actually prefer not understanding the lyrics, makes it easier to flow as an instrument. Overall though it's just not something I connect with or even remembered much of soon after it finished - I could see it being fun for a lot of listeners but just not my personal pref. 5/10 2 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

A strong start to the album devolves into self indulgent half-hip-hop and eventually lunatic hollering.

Det bästa med albumet är att den är kort. Visst, det är lite glatt också.

No point