In the Hell of Patchinko

AMG Review of In the Hell of Patchinko

Thom Jurek
All Music Guide

As if Mano Negra records weren't wild and wooly enough in the studio, to have them recorded live in front of a packed house in Kawasaki, Japan, where the crowd can't get enough, is almost too much to bear on CD. This set not only has every Negra classic on it you can image -- "Magic Dice," "County Line," "King Kong Five," "Indios de Barcelona," "El Sur," "Mad Man's Dead," four versions of "Mano Negra," "Pachuko Hop," "Mala Vida," "Junky Beat," "The Rebel Spell," and "Killing Rats" -- but every version here is the definitive one. The crazy ockabilly, swing, ska, polka, mariachi, punk, bluesed-out energetic fireball that is Mano Negra live has lost nothing in translation to this CD. A set that is seamless from beginning to end (and unedited), the sound and balancing are near perfect and all the edges are readily apparent to the human ear. There is energy, fun, excitement, pathos, derangement, sickness, blood, sex, and dope oozing from every cut here. Enough said.