La Radiolina

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La Radiolina
La Radiolina cover
Studio album by Manu Chao
Released 2007
Genre Worldbeat, Latin, reggae
Label Because Music
Producer Manu Chao
Professional reviews
Manu Chao chronology
Sibérie m'était contéee
(2004)
La Radiolina
(2007)
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La Radiolina is the fifth solo album (fourth studio album) by Manu Chao. It was released on 4 September 2007. Italy saw an advance release of the album on 30 August.

"Rainin in Paradize", the first single from the album, was available before its official release for download on his website. The single features a music video directed by Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica. There is also a video for the song "Me Llaman Calle", featuring Manu Chao performing in a local bar.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "13 Días"
  2. "Tristeza Maleza"
  3. "Politik Kills"
  4. "Rainin In Paradize (Scheps version)"
  5. "Besoin de la Lune"
  6. "El Kitapena"
  7. "Me Llaman Calle"
  8. "A Cosa"
  9. "The Bleedin Clown (Scheps version)"
  10. "Mundorévès"
  11. "El Hoyo"
  12. "La Vida Tómbola"
  13. "Mala Fama"
  14. "Panik Panik"
  15. "Otro Mundo"
  16. "Piccola Radiolina"
  17. "Y Ahora Qué?"
  18. "Mama Cuchara"
  19. "Siberia"
  20. "Soñe Otro Mundo"
  21. "Amalucada Vida"

[edit] Languages and style

The album's title La Radiolina means the small radio in Italian, referring to a small-sized transistor radio. The album is mainly sung in Spanish. "Politik Kills", "Rainin In Paradize", "The Bleedin Clown" and the first two lines of "Siberia" are in English; "Besoin de la Lune" and "Panik Panik" are in French; "A Cosa" is in Italian, a first for Manu Chao; "Amalucada Vida" is in Brazilian Portuguese.

Musically, the album features a trademark of Manu Chao's style in its re-utilizing of the same instrumental backing tracks with different melodies and lyrics:

  • "Rainin In Paradize", "El Kitapena", "Panik Panik", "Siberia" and "Mama Cuchara" all feature the same backing track, which is slightly heavier and rockier than the usual Manu Chao output, with distorted guitars played by Madjid Fahem
  • Other tracks on the album are just coupled by using the same music: "13 Días" and "Besoin de la Lune"; "Politik Kills" and "Mundorévès"; "A Cosa" and "Amalucada Vida"; "The Bleedin Clown" and "Y Ahora Qué?"
  • "Piccola Radiolina" is an edited instrumental version of "Mala Fama"
  • "Soñé Otro Mundo" is a short instrumental excerpt from "Otro Mundo"
  • "Me Llaman Calle" and "La Vida Tómbola" feature the same chords and the same accompaniment pattern, although the music is not exactly identical

A similar "recycling" process also affects some of the lyrics. "Tristeza Maleza" features the repeated phrase "Infinita Tristeza", from the album Próxima Estación: Esperanza; the lyrics for "Besoin de la Lune" originally appeared with different music, and in a slightly longer version, on the album Sibérie m'était contéee; that same album also included the original French lyrics of "Sibérie" (again with different music), which Chao partly translated in "Siberia"; the lyrics for "Mama Cuchara" were originally written in Quito, Ecuador, during a rainy Sunday[1], and originally appeared, with different music, in Chao's short film "Infinita Tristeza", included in the Kikelandia bonus section of the 2002 Babylonia en Guagua DVD (that performance was never officially released). Additionally, "13 Días" and "Otro Mundo" contain phrases appearing several times in Chao's previous output, such as "Me hielo en la habitación / No tengo calefacción" in "13 Días" and "Calavera no llora / Serenata de amor" in "Otro Mundo".

[edit] Personnel/credits

  • Manu Chao – vocals and guitars[2]
  • Madjid Fahem – guitars and bass
  • David Bourguigon – guitars
  • Jean Michel Gambit a.k.a. Gambeat – bass and vocals
  • Roy Paci – trumpets
  • Angelo Mancini – trumpets on "Politik Kills"
  • Tonino Carotone – vocals and harmonies on "A Cosa"
  • Amadou Bagayoko – guitar on "A Cosa"
  • Cheik Tidiane – keyboard on "A Cosa"
  • Flor – Spoken vocals on "A Cosa"
  • Beatnik – vocals on "Tristeza Maleza"
  • José Manuel Gamboa and Carlos Herrero – flamenco guitars on "Me Llaman Calle"
  • Writing, composition, and production – Manu Chao
  • Mixing – Mario C., Andrew Scheps, Manu Chao, and Charlie VDE Farravox
  • Mastering – Adam Ayan at Gateway Sound
  • Artwork – Manu Chao and Wozniak
  • Photos – Chucolinai

[edit] References

  1. ^ from Babylonia en Guagua DVD booklet
  2. ^ all credits taken from La radiolina CD booklet
Preceded by
"Life in Cartoon Motion" by Mika
European Album Chart number one
September 22 - September 28, 2007
Succeeded by
"Curtis" by 50 Cent

[edit] External links