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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than the US version, March 20, 2002
Mano Negra was a French group built around the Chao family, Manu, Antoine and their cousin Santi. Born in Paris in June 1961 Manu Chao was from a family forced into exile from Spain because of their opposition to Franco's fascist regime. In the slums of Paris the Chaos were brought into contact with kids from a wide range of origins- Spaniards, Portuguese, Africans and Arabs. This cosmopolitan influence is present in the music and in the multi-lingual lyrics. It was the Stiff Little Fingers' album 'Inflammable Material' which persuaded Manu to get into a music career. After hearing this superb Northern Irish punk album Manu discovered other punk acts and in particular the Clash (his bedroom was at that stage papered with tickets from Clash concerts). Mano Negra became France's most influential rock group. Half-way between the Pogues and the Clash, they mixed Punk, Reggae, Ska, Ragga, Falmenco, Latino, Rai, chanson francaise and other styles too numerous to mention. Beyond the punk artists already mentioned Manu was also influenced by Iggy Pop, Chuck Berry, the Stranglers, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley and Lou Reed. The album 'Puta's Fever' was their most commercially successful but many consider their best album to have been 'Casa Babylon'. The Latin influence is the most obvious on this Casa Babylon album because following the commercial success of their earlier efforts the band took off to South America for 2 years of giving free concerts and travelling round supporting various political causes. As with most 'Best of' albums this particular offering can be criticised- why include 'Santa Maradonna', 'Mad man's dead', 'Indios de Barcelona'? How dare they stop the live version of 'Mano Negra' before it goes into a frenetic version of 'Magic Dice'? Why did they not include their very best songs here- 'Rebel Spell', 'Love and hate', 'Drives me crazy' and 'La Vida'? Nevertheless this is an excellent collection of very diverse songs which influenced Maldita Vecindad, Cafe Tacuba, El Gran Silencio, Negu Gorriak, etc. I would like to hear a 'best of' compilation of Manu Chao's pre-Mano Negra material (prior to Mano Negra he was the leader of two other bands -Les Hot Pants and Los Carayos).
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Early Manu Chao, January 31, 2002
Every now and then a disc has to be bought more than once for whatever reason. Whether to turn someone on to something they're "missing", to replace a well used disc, or in the case of my situation, to replace a stolen one. Sometimes special discs are more deserving than one buy. That said, this is a fantastic disc that gets (got) much air play. If you're new to Manu Chao, this is where it began, under the guise of Mano Negra. The roots of his musical sesibilities shine throughout this compilation, that is a retrospective of the now defunt group Mano Negra. Mano Negra set the table for further explorations into different genre, with Latin style and punk attitude. Rock en Espanol has borrowed from these trend setters and have continued the tradition established by these early rockeros. Even veteran groups like Fabulosos Cadillacs, Negu Gorriak, Aterciopelados, Maldita Vencidad, Tijuana No, Todos Tus Muertos and more recently groups like King Chango, Ozomatli and El Gran Silencio owe much to the hybrid crossover sound of Mano Negra. Think The Clash in it's heyday but ala estilo Latino, with latin style. Manu Chao sounds very much the Clandestino captured here in his early years, with his transglobal vision, creating a panoramic view through third world eyes, like a communique from the streets. Case in point, the song "Peligro" resonates with an urban sense of urgency that sounds as fresh today as then with it's reggae back beat and funky horns. The political overtones of "Sueno de Solentiname" are nightmarish visions of right wing death squads in Latin America, complimented by Manu's echoes of hope amidst the chaos. "Senor Matanza" is one of those songs that stays with you and if you just happen to be a first time listener, grabs you and shakes you. The catchy tune demands the listener to absorb the lyrics, to go beyond the beat, to think of "El Senor Matanza." Another highlight of this superb historical disc is that several of the tracks are captured live. The live tracks display the emotion and raucous good times had at a performance by Manu and Mano Negra. There is even a song glorifying futbol, that would be World Cup type futbol, entitled "Santa Maradonna" complete with ole, ole, oles and cries of gooooooooaaaal in French. This is just one of those discs that demands to be replayed, again and again, in spite of thieves. Highly recommended for old and new fans of the King of Bongo.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Best for newcomers and the merely curious, January 12, 2000
Mano Negra have scores of songs in their catalog, so it's anyone's guess why Ark 21 released this 37-minute, 13-track compilation at full price. That being said, some of their best songs are included, covering the range of their influences from rockabilly ("Rock Island Line") to dub ("Sueno de Solentaname"). Features what is surely one of the strongest popular music portraits of a Latin American dictator: "Senor Ma Tanza."
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