Manu Chao - Radio Bemba Sound System

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: Music

2008 reissue of this two CD live release. Radio Bemba Sound System is Manu Chao's live album originally released in 2002 and has sold almost one million copies worldwide. It is the accompanying CD to his live DVD Babylonia en Guagua, which was filmed over two nights in 2001 during the tour for his album Proxima Estacion: Esperanza. Many of the songs found on Radio Bemba Sound System, such as 'Machine Gun', 'Peligro' and 'The Money' are songs originally recorded by Manu's previous band Mano Negra. Because.
Anyone who's caught Manu Chao and his band Radio Bemba Sound System at one of their live gigs will testify that the Parisian troubadour sure knows how to throw a party. This live album draws on reggae, salsa, and Latin pop songs from Chao's first two excellent solo albums (Clandestino and Proxima Estación: Esperanza) as well as joyous gems from his time leading the more punk-tinged Mano Negra. While the styles vary as often as the languages (Chao flits from Spanish to English to French as he translates his life as a global nomad into his music), the common thread is a sense of vitality and hope. From the uplifting reggae of "Bienvenida a Tijuana" to the African pop and salsa of "Casa Babylon," this album showcases Chao's role as the pied piper of multiculturalism, leading his crowd on a (literally) merry dance. And it's the crowd that really makes these 29 tracks come into their own. You can almost picture the mob waving, cheering, blowing whistles, shouting into megaphones, and generally having the wildest time this side of Rio Mardi Gras. A great flashback for those who have seen Chao live and a perfect introduction for recent converts. --Ian Watson