El Bando En Fuego!

Lee Press-on and the Nails | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2002)
• Original Release Date: October 11, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: LPN Enterprises
• ASIN: B00007JZ9Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #607,076 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The world's weirdest swing band goes Latin -- sorta, January 28, 2004

By 

Claude Avary "West Coast Reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: El Bando En Fuego! (Audio CD)

Lee Press-On and the Nails is a swing band that actually takes an intelligent approach to modern swing: they interpret swing as the punk music of its day (1930s), and present it that way. They play like and out of control circus train loaded with boxes of corpses. If Tim Burton ran a swing band, it would be like this!

LPN is best live (they're almost a comedy act, and Leslie looks sooooo delicious in those red dresses of hers), but make great albums too. The focus of this album is on their Latin tunes, so there is less of their characteristic hard-swing, so I like it a bit less than their last two albums. Nonetheless, it's still great. Listening to it is a party in itself.

The best tracks are the first and last: "Pico and Sepulveda" is a energetic swing-polka on the names of Los Angeles Streets. It gets the album off to a awesome start. "Mexican Radio" takes the Wall of Voodoo song (and its screamingly funny lyrics) and swings the hell out of it. I love listening to them play these two pieces live, and having them on disc is a real pleasure.

Other great works: a Latin version of the swing classic "Begin the Beguine" (recording technology turns the band into a real sixteen-piece big band on this one!). "(You've Got a Shaolin Kung-Fu Death Grip on My Soul" is the most danceable song, a sort of Stray-Cats like bit of rockabilly with hysterical lyrics. "Pink Elephants on Parade" ressurects a very un-PC Disney song. And Leslie croons sexily on "Coax Me a Little."

If you want some unique modern music, grab a copy. Also get "Playing Dirty," their live recording. (Hey, I was there!)

Watch out for Lee Press-On, he is the future leader of your planet!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Album Ever, December 7, 2002

By 

Brian (LBC, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: El Bando En Fuego! (Audio CD)

This album has rarely left my CD player! I've been a fan of Lee since seeing them at the Derby, and what a release! Some great covers and wonderful original stuff! Great big band sound with a latin kick! (And I can't forget Leslie..Coax ME a little bit, please!)
You won't regret the buy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LPN's best work yet..., January 3, 2003

By 

Ruthie (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: El Bando En Fuego! (Audio CD)

I got "El Bando En Fuego" soon after it was released, just in time to take it along with me to a party that night. Midway through the evening, I put LPN's latest into the CD player. A few people knew and recognized the band, and were thrilled with the sound of the new CD. Many others approached me, asking, "Who is this?" All of them wanted to know where they could pick up a copy for themselves.

I have been a longtime fan of Lee Press-on and the Nails. In all honesty, I like some of their CDs better than others. "El Bando En Fuego" is easily their best work to date, and was well worth the wait for its long anticipated release. Mr. Press-on is at his most creative and entertaining yet (I'm only just now beginning to appreciate this man's genius), and Miss Leslie Presley's vocal abilities have matured from simply good to utterly enthralling.

I'm not certain that I can pick a favorite... I adore the way "Coax Me a Little Bit" mixes swing and latin rhythms, "Pink Elephants" is as fun as it is fabulous (I can't help but smile every time I hear it!), and the swingin' version of "Mexican Radio" makes me get up and dance, no matter where I am. One of the best little surprises on the CD is the special guest appearance of David Vanian (of "The Damned") in a duet with Lee for "Well Did You Evah?"

Lee Press-on will have a difficult time topping this one, but I look forward to the attempt! (perhaps he'll even put some of his marvelous harmonica playing on the next one!)