Track Listing

1. Merry Blues
2. Bixo
3. Que Paso
4. Promiscuity
5. La Primavera
6. Me Gustas Tu
7. Denia
8. Mi Vida
9. Trapped By Love
10. Le Rendez Vous
11. Mr Bobby
12. Papito
13. La Chinita
14. La Marea
15. Homens
16. La Vacaloca
17. Infinita Tristeza

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8811 in Music
• Released on: 2001-06-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Proxima Estacion: Esperanza translates as Next Stop: Hope, with Chao articulating his feelings of rootless travelling's attendant potential for ups and downs. He should know, after having only recently put down cautious roots in Barcelona. Before that, after disbanding Mano Negra in 1995, he'd been almost constantly road-bound. 1998s Clandestino solo debut was one of the absolute cross-genre classics of the last decade, its blur of short songs prompted by Chao's persistent globe-trawling, coming across like a postcard collage of melodies, modes, found sounds and even languages. Chao continues the cultural kaleidoscope approach towards songwriting, even directly quoting from Clandestino at several key points. His vocals jump from Spanish to English, French to Arabic, then into a Portunol (Portuguese/Spanish) jumble, sometimes lurching lingos in the space of a single verse. Chao's guitaring mixes reggae choppiness with Hawaiian-slide purity, his natural knack for phonetic rhythms also highly impressive, particularly when he's jogging and skipping out his ska-inspired verses. All the while, he's dropping in crackled bursts of globalised sound effects, sneaking these beside his ramshackle backing chorus chaos, or maybe disrupting a bullying street brass arrangement, or tweaking one of his gut-infiltrating basslines. Listen to the cascading vocals of "Eldorado 1997", the accelerated cartoon ska of "Promiscuity", the lunatic swing of "Trapped By Love" or the perverted cabaret oompah of "Papito", each song weaving into the next, the mulching getting ever more manic as this album races towards its climax. --Martin Longley

Customer Reviews

this is REAL music
I still can't beleive how good this album is. After 13 consecutive months in my stereo, I am awestruck at how effortlessly compelling it remains. I simply can't think of a good reason to take it out of my stereo.

I never thought I would like such a cheesy (sometimes), lighthearted (sometimes) and fun POP album so much. For some reason UK record labels seem to think that pop is just a term for manufactured rubbish churned out by pubescent boybands with no apparent musical talent, and the only music forms that should use live instruments and authentic sounds is rock. But this is pop as it should be, inventive, interesting, individual, relaxing, different, authentic, and just plain good.

I don't know why the comparisons with "Clandestino" are so unfavourable, I guess its just an example of whichever you buy first you like most. But for me, "Proxima" wins every time. It's awesome. Take note UK record labels, and give Manu the exposure he deserves!!

BrilliantBrilliantBrilliantBrilliantBrilliantBrilliant
Why on earth does every record shop in the Anglophone world relegate this kind of genius to the dungeon of 'world music' while they promote derrivative cack like The Jets or Franz Ferdinand? Manu Chao is worth his weight in Inca gold for creating an album like this. And where does he languish? In a box in the cellar of an independant music shop filed behind a cardboard divider with 'Latin' scrawled on it. Such a travesty. Let those who have ears hear: This is your rich substance!

Why buy the Strokes when you could own something good?
Best album of the year by several leagues, this deserves to be bought not only by world music worthies, but by all fans of intelligent, infectious pop music to laugh and cry to.
As others have said, those who own Clandestino will initially be disappointed; then we realise it was our own conservatism. After a few listens, the more vibey Proxima Estacion clearly wins out over the linear song-writing of Clandestino. There's an obvious Marley influence in parts, while standout track Me Gustas Tu could have been written by REM when they were good (if they spoke Spanish and French and had the rythmn, that is).
If you're unfamiliar with Manu Chao, it's "world" music in the positive, life affirming, accessible, sense. Yes, there are lots of five-star reviews around, but this guy's unique. Check it out.