Customer Reviews

Luaka Bop 10th Anniversary: Zero Accidents on Job

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David Byrne's Brazilian music compilations are some of my favorite, so when I ran into this Luaka Bop album celebrating 10 years of existence, I didn't hesitate too much. I really didn't know what to expect, and hoped I wouldn't be disappointed. Well, I simply love this compilation of great songs from all around the world. What a break from the stuff played over and over and over on the radio! On disk one,entitled "Steamy Hits", some songs, like Brimful of Asha, are more famous, but there are some great discoveries on this album such as the bird-like female vocals on Rafiki, or the unlikely, but very melodic, pairing of David Byrne and Selena on God's Child. One of the tracks has the unexpected talent of Ry Cooder playing a very different style than what you'd expect- In Jing Jing he plays a very Asian-themed pop song with Soukichi Kina...and you will definitely want to polish those platforms and brush out that big hair wig once you listen to Clinton's People Power in the Disco Hour. This CD has songs from Brazil, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, India and more...and that's only disk 1...Disk two, entitled "Slow Jams" is obviously more mellow, and more laid back. Despite the predominance of Portuguese language songs, there is still a balanced amount of world-music artists, such as Susana Baca (who has a lovely clear voice) and Los Van Van. Tom Ze's Um Oh e um Ah is kooky and delightful with its senseless lyrics (not because of the language!), and Cesaria Evora's Sodade is filled with bittersweet beauty. The only selection I did not enjoy on this album was Waldemar Bastos "Sofrimento"- although he has a very moving voice, and the topic of his song-a suffering earth/people-is relevant and thoughtful, it is just too depressing, if you understand the Portuguese lyrics. When I heard "our earth is dying" over and over again, accompanied by other sad comments I just had to skip to the next song. A different song should have been chosen to showcase this artist's talent. It's just out of place here. Listeners will certainly discover new sounds and artists they'll enjoy. There is always a risk when buying a compilation consisting of artists you don't really know well-and it's immensely rewarding when you discover your gamble payed off! I highly recommend this compilation!

Unlike most `world music' labels, David Byrne's Luaka Bop is not so much interested in `traditional' music from distant places and cultures, but in new paths in `popular' music created outside mainstream American/UK pop & rock styles. In other words, the bands that Luaka Bop signs are considered `alternative' even in their homeland. Almost every track in this compilation is awesome, for it compiles music from some of the most amazing musicians in the world from the sixties until today. Psychodelia, funk and folk get fused with traditional sounds from India, Venezuela, Portugal, Brazil and other places. Luaka Bop was the first label to bring into america the soundtracks of both the Cuban Revolution, and the Raji dances in India. It gave us both Cornershop and Los Amigos Invisibles, and for that we must be very, very thankful.

David Byrne, former frontman of "Talking Heads" fame has his stamp all over this CD. He is the executive director but the man responsible for many of the original CD's this music was taken from. He is even featured on a soulfull duet, with of all people Selena. Many of the tracks featured on this compilation are songs taken from Byrne produced CD's where he has tried to expose the world to alternative and roots third world music. Luaka Bop is his brainchild and the artists featured are as diverse as the cultures they come from. Get out your passport as you hop from country to country, jumping continents all across the globe. Marshall McCluhan coined the term "global village", he percieved it through a visual medium, Byrne's global village comes via music, not tv. There are some real quirky numbers here, oddities represented by alt rock, funk from the grandfather of funk, the other Clinton, Cuban jazz by "Irakere", it's all here, never a dull moment. You'll never be bored with this CD as it changes artists and styles constantly. Since Byrne has a penchant for digging up "old" music, some of the featured songs are up to thirty years old. One would think it wouldn't work alongside such contemporary remixes as those by "Fat Boy Slim" but it does. This is cutting edge meets old school, a Renaissance man's revision of musical history. There are so many great cool songs that it is hard to single out any. The CD is a double disc and is broken down into "Steamy Hits" and "Slow Jams". Of the two I prefer the "Steamy Hits" but both are excellent. Lots of artists to "discover" here as after you find something or someone very appealing you'll ineveitably buy a whole CD. Susana Baca comes to mind and it just a matter of time for me. The booklet has mini reviews or quotes from the top music rags like Spin and Rolling Stone to illustrate the nature of the featured CD the music was taken from. This CD is at bargain basement price(26 songs=over 2hrs.) but will take you to the rooftop for a musical vision of the world, especially the third world.

I bought this CD because I was interested in a singer, Susana Baca. So, get this, the CD was on sale with a bargain price so I got it. What a find! I just love being surprised like this...and I'm tough!

With the overwhelming popularity of Peter Gabriel's "Real World" label, Grateful Dead's Mickey hart's forays into world drum music, the emergence of the undervalued Putamayo label, or the acceptance of African and traiditonal Brazilian music brought on by Paul Simon's groundbreaking "Graceland" and "Rhythm of the Saints" lps, it's easy to forget that erstwhile Talking Head David Byrne has also permeated the world music scene with his eclectic Luaka Bop label. Whether Cuban music, Indian film music, African artists like Zap Mama or Cesaria Evora, modern latin artists like Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles, or re-discovering lost treasures such as Brazil's psychedelic cult heroes Os Mutantes or the anarchic Tom Ze, Luaka Bop has in many ways been a more beneficial (and certainly off the wall and entertaining) label than most others.

"Zero Accidents on the Job" is a 2 cd retrospective that shows well Byrne's diverse musical interests. While the original "Asia Classics" cds are sadly not represented on this collection, the collection more than makes up for it with a superb look at Latin, Brazilian, and African music.

Disc 1 is moe of a get up and dance kind of cd, starting with electronica hero Fatboy Slim's interesting take of Cornershop. The cd grooves hard (save the Byrne/Selena duet, a touching and heart felt one), showing off the tasty licks of Los Amigos Invisibles, Zap Mama, King Chango, Brazilian legend Jorge Ben, and Bloque, to name a few. Its a non stop fiesta of sorts.

Disc 2 offers music that one could take a siesta to, featuring new sensation Jim White, Brazil's Susana Baca, Cuba's Los Van Van, and Brazilian legends Tom Ze and Os Mutantes. While disc 2 is more mellow in nature, it is no less intense or amazing.

The collection, despite leaving out the "Asia Classics" cds, or recent re-release of Shuggie Otis, is a wonderful place to begin a foray into world music. Byrne does a great job of mixing in many varied styles and moods. The results are pure magic. Find out why Luaka Bop is the vanguard of great, eclectic world musics. A must have.

Usually the goal of a discount compilation released by the label is to give listeners a just-better than average taste of their catalog. They compile good songs, but save their gems for those who purchase the entire albums. Here's a compilation of pure greatest hits. If you own one product from luaka bop, this should be it. Its one of the best compilations ever. Every track is a gem. If you've never heard Zap Mama, Shoukichi Kina, Bloque, The Visible Man, Waldemar Bastos, Tom Ze, Silivio Rodriguez, Susana Baca, Cesaria Evora, or any of the others, you are in for a treat! I'm going to have fun with this for years.

One main reason for this anthology is, of course, to showcase relatively obscure (in the US at least) artists and encourage sales of their output. Knowing this, I resisted at first, but quickly picked up albums by two of the acts included here: Los Amigos Invisibles (a potent mix of funk, acid, and salsa) and Susana Baca (guitar-accompanied Peruvian vocalist reminiscent of a Spanish-language "Blue"-period Joni Mitchell). Not every track is of the same quality, but for about $12 this is a great sample of what the rest of this hemisphere has produced in the 90's...

If you're ADD like me and a cd can't hold your attention, you'll love this one. Each song is very unique, but everything flows vrey nicely together. If you like world music, but don't know much about the artists, this CD will give you a little taste of everything. Guaranteed to hold your attention!

I am a big fan of this mix by Luaka Bop. A nice bargain cd, which allows you to sample many different groups from all over the world. The first cd is really upbeat and gets you going, while the second cd slows you down alittle and is perfect for a relaxing dinner party.

When I saw this in the store on a listening post I decided to give it a listen. Not having heard of many of these artists I wasn't sure what to expect. Man what a surprise. This is a wonderfully diverse collection of music from many corners of the globe, with one thing in common...it all grooves like crazy! If you aren't dancing around your room when this is playing you better check your pulse. And at 12 bucks for 2 CDs! Wow! You'd be hard pressed to find 2 more entertaining CDs, and all for less than what one CD with 50% filler usually costs. Most of this isn't anywhere close to what you'd call "commercial" but for those looking for a different, more worldly groove this touches all the bases.

I guess in the end the real point of a sampler like this is to lure you in. Give the customer some bait to reel them in. It worked. I'll be looking into more of these artists in detail in the near future...so maybe my 12 dollar investment is going to end up costing me alot more in the end. Quite allright though, I've found some great music. Don't skip this if you're into groovy music from all over the world.