El Circo

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

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!

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.

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

All killer no filler.

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!

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

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.

This was awesome

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! 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!

So fun! So good! Thanks!

Good pick-me-up today!

Super fun! Loved it.

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

¡Excepcional!

I loved this one so much!

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?”

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.

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

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

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

An interesting and fun listen! 8/10

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

Fun

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.

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

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

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.

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"

Mexican punk rock, yes please.

Much fun 🙌

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

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

Good stuff, thanks for adding

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

This one was a lot of fun.

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.

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

Fun Mexican rock would listen again

Such a fun listen, love the cover art

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

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.

Great groove!

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.

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.

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

Now we're cooking with gas!

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

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.

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

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

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!

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

A pretty nice ska album

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

A fun groovy time, ya dig?

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

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

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

4 3

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.

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

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

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.

Stadium rock

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

Bloody good time this

Yea, it was ok.

First time listening to Mexican rock, enjoyed it.

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

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

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

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…

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

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

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.

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

Having fun making music!

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

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.

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.

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

A pretty fun sound

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.

Kumbala was cool, but the rest of the album didn't resonate with me.

A few interesting tunes, but the majority just gets on my nerves.

This is the first time that I heared of this band. Although it sounds pretty nice and sometimes catchy, it is still ska/punk; a genre which I have absolutely no affinity with. And that they sing it in their native language doesn't help either.

Mexican rock music. My first thought was there are a lot of Latin albums on the user list. My second thought was this isn’t typical Latin music. It still had the horns and high tempo of most Latin music but having a grungier singer and a mire present percussion helps make this rock out pretty decently. I enjoyed it and once again wish I knew Spanish. 4.9/10

Love the variety, always! Unfortunately, not many tracks on here that clicked for me, some of the genre stuff going on didn't quite hit. But still, cool to hear this, and I appreciate the selection. 2.5/5

A little bit too much of everything

El Circo is decent enough, a little bit flat for my preferences, nice ska but not enough ska punk to it. Best track is Kumbala, despite its lack of punk stylings, but a 2/5 because I didn't enjoy it like I wanted to. Just gonna listen to Ska-P instead.