Customer Reviews

Descanso Dominical

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4 star:		(2)
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I was 11 years old when I first heard some of the songs from this fabulous album. Being unable to forget the exquisite sound of Mecano, I finally found the album some 4 yrs later. Then, over the next 5 yrs I was driven mad by not understanding what this beautiful lyrics actually ment. So, I started studying Spanish. Understanding the meaning of the lyrics has made me an even more devoted fan of Mecano. These are songs of love and hate, happiness, sadness, and about the beauty of living. Mecano sings in pictures, describing situations so vividly that you almost feel you are experiencing it yourself. Buy "Descanso Dominical," "Entre el cielo y el suelo," and "Aidalai," learn Spanish, and see how much this will bring to your life...this is about so much more than just music!

This is the best Mecano album hands down. 'Aidalai' and 'Entre el cielo y el suelo' come close, but this baby tops them both.

If you've already heard Mecano, you know how lovely Ana Torroja's voice is. It can be lyrical and grand, but it can also be playful and childish when necessary. As for the song writing, it's the usual Nacho and José Mari mix of all their records, basically each one writes half of the songs in the album.

As for the tracks, standouts are 'Mujer contra mujer' (a gorgeous song about love between two women), 'La fuerza del destino' (a quirky love song suppossedly written by Nacho for his then girlfriend and now Ms. Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz), 'Quédate en Madrid', '"Eungenio" Salvador Dalí" (as José Mari tells it, he is a great fan of Dalí's work and when he learned that the great painter was sick he wrote him a letter telling him how much he admired his work, well, after a while Dalí passed away while Mecano was on tour, and upon returning home, José Mari found a package in his mail that had a book of Dali's paintings dedicated by the master himself! He had signed it only days before leaving this earth!), "Un año más" and "Hermano sol, hermana luna".

I bought this album on a trip to Spain about ten years ago. I listened to it once and thought "quite nice, but not anything special". One day I placed it on my record player and started to listen to it again. "This is actually quite good" I thought. After having heard it several times more I found myself having a new favourite album. Descanso dominical is still among my all-time favourite albums. For me the highlights of the album are Un ano mas, "Eugenio" Salvador Dali, Mujer contra mujer" and especially "Quedate en Madrid".

This album was among the few that we took with us during a one-year stay in Morocco. Cut off from western civilization and entertainment, I got to listen to it over and over, and discover its depth, despite not speaking a lick of Spanish. It is one of those CDs where every song is somewhere between good and fantastic.

After several months, I finally discovered that two of the songs on the CD are the same, Mujer contra mujer, and une femme avec une femme, but in Spanish and French. Since I speak enough French to get by, I was able (finally) to get the words, and was completely taken by the poetry of the song. Years later, again in Morocco, I made a Spanish woman who was staying with us sit down and translate every word, discovering more of the interesting and sometimes quirky content of the lyrics.

Over time, my favorites have changed. I was at first captured by Hijo de la Luna, with all its richness (note how in the finale the orchestral arrangement echoes the brief piano solo interlude), but later found I was playing La fuerza del destino and the title track over and over. Lately, I have found the piece on Salvadore Dali irrestible.

If I sound like I'm gushing, I probably am. But what else can you say about your all-time favorites? I've probably played this CD hundreds of times, singing away (and I'm sure butchering most of the words of a language I still can't speak or understand). And still, like Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark, I never seem to get tired of it. A masterpiece.

It is very hard to say wich of all of Mecano's album is better, because they all are great. But if I had to choose one this would definitely be. At the time of the launch of this album (1988) Mecano was a well knowned worldwide pop (synth pop) group and now after many years the band was enyoing great success. Nevertheless, that success didn't affect their creativity, they were even more creative and maybe a fact of that were that they were now famous and wealthy enough to worry about other things. This album contains the classic "La Fuerza del Destino" wich is a song with such a magic melody and rhythm you never get tired of hearing it and if it was to be released today it would again be a hit. Then you have other great melodies in "Laika" and a very "synth poppy" song with a great bassline and beat called "Los Heros de la Antartida". "Eungenio Salvador Dali" has a great chorus and "Un ano mas" has a very catchy chorus and a feeling of celebration as it was supposed to be (is a new years eve song). Well, what else can I say? Almost all the songs have a distinctive great melody that would not bore you. Try findind this characteristics on an album... not many albums do this, so that's a sign that you just can't be wrong about buying this album.

This is a perfect album, no doubt about it. Every song sounds different and wonderful, which is a sign of creativity. This is what makes Mecano so much fun to listen to. I love every single song, but my favorites are "Laika", "La Fuerza del Destino", and "Quedate en Madrid". I really recommend this cd. No Mecano collection is complete without it!

Me gustan todas las canciones de MECANO y lo considero uno de los mejores grupos españoles. Siente su musica, vivela, disfrutala, vibra con ella, escuchala y sabras porque pienso esto. Hasta pronto.

Spain's Mecano has no equivalent in Anglo-American pop music. Take Velvet Underground, get Abby Lincoln, add some Vangelis and some Patti Smith and you'll begin to get the true meaning of Mecano. Descanso Dominical is a must for any decent collector of Spanish music and for any fan of Mecano this is truly their holy city.

Instead of giving you an overview of the album, I'll break it down into a track - by - track analysis for your convenience:

1. El Cine: This is the first track, and one of the most balanced. It begins with a repeated drum loop, which turns into an ambient beat, thus starting the song. In English it means The Theater. This is one of my favorites !

2. No Hay Marcha En Nueva York: Probably one if my least - liked track in the entire album because it just doesn't do anything for me. It starts with a jazzy sort of sound, leading into Ana Torroja's wonderful vocals and a low melody. The song translated means There's No March In New York.

3. Mujer Contra Mujer - An OK song, but to low for me. The piano at the beginning is wonderful. Ana's voice really shines here. Translated, it means Woman Against Woman. The most BASIC song on the album.

4. Los Amantes: OK...This IS one of my favorite songs on the album. Although very short, it features a nice arrangement of sounds, with superior percussion, excellent use of Ana's voice, and a wondeful mid - section {Starting at around 2:19 or so}. VERY good. In English the song means The Lovers.

5. La Fuerza Del Destino: Another of my faves. Featuring a subtle guitar, and over the top synth noises, it's great for the 80's kind of sound, and even better using a retro feel. Although it goes a bit long, it's worth it. The song is The Force Of Destiny in English.

6. Quedate En Madrid: A nice, if short piece. Similar in tone to Mujer Contra Mujer {albeit using a guitar instead of the piano}, the song doesn't do much for me, although the guitar in the baxkground makes it worthwhile {It's melody is wonderful !}. It means Stay In Madrid in English.

7. Laika: One of the more FAMOUS Mecano songs, it's also one of my favorites. Very heroic tone to this one, using a SCRATCHING sound familiar in many songs today. The ending is pure greatness {Fading away as the melody continues, with Ana's voice !}. A must - hear.

8. El Blues Del Esclavo: Not a favorite of mine, but good nevertheless. The beginning is GREAT, the melody OK, and the lyrics VERY TABOO if you understand them in a BAD way. I won't tell the meaning, although ESCLAVO means Slave {!?}. It has a wonderful harmonica as well !

9. Eungenio Salvador Dali: OK people, this IS Mecano's masterpiece, and one of the greatest songs you WILL ever hear ! I won't divulge into details because I want you to discover the mystery for yourself. Hint: STUDY and LEARN Spanish for a better understanding of the song and it's meaning. The actual piece translates to Salvador Dalí He was a very famous Spanish painter for those interested in who he was. Eungenio is actually two words {The E has no meaning} together: A Genius in English, Un Genio in Spanish. A MUST - HEAR!

10. Por La Cara: My 2nd favorite song on the album {As a side note, starting from Dalí, all the songs are a MUST - HEAR}. It's an instrumental, with a tango and flamenco flavor. Good to dance to, and it features the best percussion/melodies in the album. It has a passionate, fiery tone {Kind of reminds me of the colors on ENYA's Watermark album and the Flamenco scene in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2}. The meaning in English is Through The Face.

11. Un Año Más: An excellent song, and one of the better - structured Mecano pieces. With strong percussion, and a wonderful FINALE melody, it's a must - hear ! Un Año Mas means ONE MORE YEAR...

12. Heroes De La Antártida: People, this is Mecano's SECOND masterpiece. It's very gothic in the beginning, but turns into a heroic tale {Sort of like the tone in BOOK Of DAYS from Enya; Yet VERY different in sound, with ENYA's song using much better percussion and an overall better sound/structure!}. Featuring excellent lyrics, melody, percussion, and sounds it's a complex, superiorly - created tale of The HEROES OF THE ANTARTIC! Sounds a bit INDIAN {?} in places {Hinting at the TRIBAL and PRIMITIVE feel of the Antartic!}. Enjoy!

13. Hermano Sol Hermana Luna: A favorite of mine, and the first song I heard from MECANO, it holds a special place in my heart. Featuring many of the sounds and percussion used in past songs {Especially the previously mentioned SCRATCHING sound}, it's a great finale to the album {To me anyway}. Listen till the very end, as the melody turns darker and more gothic...A nice twist! In English it's Brother Sun Sister Moon

14. Fabula: THE WORST SONG! I can't stand the instrument used at the beginning {Makes you think of the Victorian Era, with Mozart and all those people}. It has a nice segue in the middle, but everything else is only FAIR! Terrible ending to the album. I suggest you stop the album at TRACK 13! It's Fable in English {Don't confuse it to the WAY superior, and all - time fave Robert Miles song}

Anyways, aside from the ending, the album is a great accomplishment in music, and features some of MECANO's best work. As you've probably guessed, it features a LOT of percussion {To good effect of course}, and just an overall GOOD/HAPPY mood! So, turn of the light, take a deep breath, and relax...{This sound familiar to anyone?; Hint: Used in a very familiar Gregorian - Chant oriented album!}.

Cheers for now!

Si jamás has escuchado nada de Mecano, "descanso dominical" es lo que debes ir consiguiendo. Es un album repleto de buenos temas, melodías tan conocidas como las de "mujer contra mujer", "amantes", "la fuerza del destino" o "por la cara". Composiciones magistrales, tanto en arreglos como en la maravillosa voz de Ana Torroja (también es cierto que su registro se adecúa más a música romántica)MI tema preferido es "Laika", y los que menos, "no hya marcha en NY" y los 3 últimos. Pero aún así, sigue siendo un disco absolutamente imprescindible.