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Rating:
Legalegalización ¡CANNABIS!,
quality and cheap
Legalegalización ¡CANNABIS!,
enough of prohibition.
Ska-P releases their first live album, a sort of live greatest hits that includes seven songs from "Que Corra La Voz" (2002) out of a total of sixteen. Four songs are taken from the album "Planeta Eskoria" (2000) and three from "El Vals Del Obrero" (1996), while crumbs (only one) for Eurosis (1997), and completely ignoring the self-titled debut ("Ska-P") from 1994.
Generally, a Greatest Hits (better called a live collection) should be distributed throughout a band's career, also because the first album contains tracks less known to new fans but very important to the historical core of the band's supporters (Aboliciòn and El Hombre Reseka Baila Ska! above all).
PulPul's vibrant voice, Pipi's madness as an entertainer and cross-dresser (see to believe), LuisMi's unleashed drumming, Julio's bass, Kogote's keyboard which literally "jumps" during the concert, and the guitars of PulPul himself and Joxemi that battle it out are ideal ingredients for a gripping and never monotonous sound. The horn section varies from tour to tour, so there are no fixed members recognized as permanent band members.
The variety of songs is consistent and tackles themes that are at times playful and sometimes of great importance. It ranges from the typical sound of '90s ska to much more punk songs, without neglecting "ethnic" sounds with accordion and waltz melodies.
The album opens with a long version of "La Estampida" (2002), recorded in Turin, which became famous in Italy for being the theme song of "Le Iene" two years ago. The song appears as an anthem of resistance (does the phrase "El Pueblo Unido Jamas Serà Vencido" ring a bell? ). The second song is titled "El Gato Lopez" (1996), and it talks about a "worker" cat, resulting in a very fun and engaging track to dance to. It continues with "El Nino Soldado" (2002), which is about a child trained to kill, and with "Planeta Eskoria" (2000), which is much harsher than the previous ones and talks about today's world situation. Number five, "Mestizaje" (2000) urges a world of equality, once again demonstrating the band's extreme left-wing attitudes, while what I consider the best song of Ska-P is "Intifada" (2002), a representation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that heavily criticizes Israel.
It starts with El Vals Del Obrero (1996), which repeats endlessly "Resistencia" and "Somos La Revolucion," engaging the audience in this energetic swirl of the worker's waltz. The song concludes with the audience singing "Bella Ciao," and immediately after, the song "Mis Colegas" (2002) starts, which is also the only non-ska track on the CD. The next is "Verguenza" (2000), which criticizes the uselessness and cruelty of bullfights in Spain. At this point, Ska-P gives us a gem, the Italian version of "Solamente Por Pensar" (2002), dedicated to Carlo Giuliani with the audience shouting "Assassini" referring to the G8 cops. The next song contains a massive accordion part and is called "Romero El Madero" (1996), but excluding the conclusion with the punk drumming, it doesn't engage like the others. It continues with a keyboard intro that preludes another Ska-P symbol song, "Welcome To Hell" (2002), a harsh attack on the death penalty and especially on the United States. Another strictly political song is "A La Mierda" (2000), followed by "Casposos" (2002) with its engaging charge.
The album closes with the anti-fascist Paramilitar (1997) and the true symbol song of Ska-P, Cannabis (1996), which you can imagine what it's about.
The album is a double that includes a DVD featuring the 2003 tour with a slightly different setlist compared to the CD, a documentary on Carlo Giuliani, and some studio videos of the band plus photos.
Recommended for all ska-punk lovers, all communists, and everyone who wants to go wild...
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