Customer Reviews

Mediterraneo

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Every time I hear this CD I feel like packing a bag and getting a one-way ticket to Spain. I love Serrat's tremulous voice, and his melodies and poetry are exquisite, and very visual...I get such a clear image of "Pueblo Blanco"...it's people, it's dryness. "...por sus callejas de polvo y piedra" and of course, "Mediterráneo", calling me to it's shores.

This is a brilliant collection of songs, and my personal favorite of his CDs, perhaps because I find it the most melodic. Ah ! Someday I'll pack that bag, but until then, I have this incredibly wonderful music.

Joan Manuel Serrat (1943) is one of the greatest Spanish folk singer. He is much more than that! He is a Poet, Musician & Troubadour, permanently touring around Spain & Latin America.
Fortunately, for me, Argentina is one of his favorite destinations, allowing me to see him "live" more than once.

Serrat's first compositions were done in Catalan as he was engaged in artistic-resistant movement opposing Franco's regimen & politics that include forbidding regional languages.
His first success sang in Spanish was the single "Poema de Amor" (1968) closely followed by "Tu Nombre me Sabe a Hierba" (1969). After those two hits Spanish speaking musical market was in turmoil demanding more from Joan Manuel.
"Mediterraneo" (1971) and "Miguel Hernandez" (1972) were two remarkable LPs springing from his heart and his political affiliation.
After those years he will deliver a continuous flow of LPs and CDs. We may mention "Cada Loco con su Tema" (1983), "Utopia" (1992), "Cansiones" (2000) and "Serrat Sinfónico" (2003) as a representative simple of his works.

The compositions contained in this CD emerge directly from Serrat's soul giving the audience a magic tour around Mediterranean landscapes, women, flavors, nostalgia and culture.
The first composition, the one that gives title to the whole CD, is a romantic overview of the region and finally the poet ask his friends that when he passes away they should bury him in a hill's side facing the sea.
"La Mujer Que Yo Quiero" is a brave love song describing his ideal love.
"Pueblo Blanco" is the song I love best. It describes a dusty lost town, being depopulated little by little; its melody envelopes the audience with melancholic tonalities.
"Que Va a Ser de Ti Lejos de Casa" contains a very similar subject to Beatles' "She's Leaving Home" with a wonderful musical composition.
The rest of the compositions are outstanding!

This is a CD to be treasured by anyone in love with folk music and soloist admirers.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Joan Manuel Serrat has always been more than a singer for me. He is a poet. And this record has something really very special. It is a cd made from the soul to the soul. It does not matter if you can understand Sapnish or not, the music is so beautiful and his performance so tender than you will be trapped in his web.

The song Mediterraneo is the most beautiful hymn anyone has ever written to the mare Nostrum. And when you listen Lucia I can assure you, you would think that is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

Enjoy poetry in its purest form, enjoy a singer who feels what he sings.

Considering I own over 400 CDs in several languages, this is not small praise. From the lyrics down to the music, it's hard to pick a favorite. The title song "Mediterraneo" brings a plethora of emotions to life, by its rhythms alone. "Tio Alberto" always brings a smile to my lips & "Que va a ser de ti" brings tears to my eyes. The somewhat-melancholic passion evoked by "Pueblo Blanco" is perhaps the pinacle of the collection. I think that even if you don't speak Spanish, you may experience some of these feelings with this marvelous CD. This is music to be felt by all your senses, don't miss it!

Este disco no hizo a Serrat Serrat pero ayudo bastante, es una recoplicacion de temas maravillosos que en su epoca sonaron fuerte y el tiempo los hizo clasicos. Si incluimos el valor sentimental y nostalgico este es elmejor disco de Serrarsi nocontamos recopilaciones de exitos. Temas que aun hoy sigen erizando el cabello y que es para disfrutarse con la nostalgia o incluso si no se tiene pero se disfruta de la buena musica.

Serrat es eso. Simplemente irrepetible. Me alegro de verle repuesto de su reciente enfermedad y espero poder seguir disfrutando de su genio muchos años más.

Serrat has been around since the 70's. I have some of his best works and Mediterraneo is arguably the best or one of his best endeavors. His style changed over the years but he is still a poet and troubadour. Listening to Mediterraneo, one wants to go to Spain, to see the places he talks about on the coast of the Mediterranean ocean, to relax on the beaches, appreciate the beautiful Spanish girls, be one with nature and listen for the things that explain how Joan Manuel was able to write about it. If you speak Spanish, get this CD.

This CD is pure poetry. The lyrics are just outstanding. Although the music is very good, the stories that Serrat tells in every song make me think that the only way to enjoy this CD a 100% is to understand every word that Serrat is saying, as well as understand the spanish culture and way of life. If that's your case GO AND BUY IT NOW.

I did not understand poetry until I first heard Serrat's lyrics set to music. This is his obra maestra, a panoply of rich and vivid odes. The title track is an unabashed love letter to the Mediterranean Sea. Brimming with nostalgia, it will elicit a profound longing in anyone who was born or has spent time on its warm shores. You could write a short thesis on each of the songs, most of which are textured by the heaviness of late summer afternoons of decades past.. Serrat is clearly a man in love with life and with the characters who have colored his.

No, this is not a "Compilation" this is an original work of art, crafted with love and a huge sense of purpose. It is Serrat's best album with many classic titles included. We find a mature composer and a settled singer, with fantastic, orchestrations "Mediterraneo" is the album to have if you can only have one from this very prolific spanish (catalonian) singer-songwriter. The variety of themes and alusions is mind bogling, including one ode to "Tio Alberto". Who has not had an uncle like that! An absolute must buy!