Maná Album: “Solo Para Fanaticos”

Mana is the best rock and roll band out there today and have been for a long time now. One reason this is so true is because they are constantly changing their sound and improving upon their musical talents. Solo Para Fanaticos is not there best album by far, but after a few listens I was able to really delve into the music and get a better understanding of where Mana got their start. This album is a lot more pop rock then there current rock and roll sound but it is fun, energetic and has the same old Mana vibe. Give this cd a chance because it is interesting to listen to and has some really good songs.

Please understand that music in Spanish has always gone through its own growth process, independently of what the American music scene is like.

Maná is their own band, not an imitation of the Police or anybody else. They started out small, incorporating the current trends of music in Mexico at that time. That was the 80s, people, so don't be surprized that this disc sounds like 80s music. It is a compilation of mostly songs from their very first album. No, it doesn't sound like the songs from Sueños Líquidos, or, heaven forbid, MTV Unplugged.

Maná has since continued to define their sound. If you progress through their studio albums, following this compilation with Falta Amor and then ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños?, you can hear the evolution in progress.

In short, don't knock this disc for being what it is: the beginnings of Maná. If you don't like it, in the paraphrased words of Eddie Van Halen, then go buy the albums you do like. But don't call yourself a fanatic. Maná's fanatics know their beginnings, and appreciate them.

This is the second Mana album I've listened to, after "Revolucion de Amor." This album has a very 80s pop sound, in contrast to the rock sound of "Revolucion." I also noticed that "Revolucion" shows a lot more Hispanic influence in its sound -- the rhythms, instruments and so forth -- than "Solo Para Fanaticos." You can tell this is early work. Nevertheless, it's fun and bouncy, and I like it.

(Note: I am not a native Spanish speaker, and most of the time I don't attempt to understand the lyrics when I listen to the music. I am probably missing a lot.)

Es cierto, las bandas comienzan en algún lugar pero si yo fuera integrante de Maná me aseguraría de destruir las grabaciones masters de estas canciones. Se nota que no tenían una idea definida de la clase de música que querían tocar y se pierden en el intento. El CD no incluye ninguna explicación del porqué de esta re-edición de canciones malísimas. Quizas no hay explicación posible... Quizas alguien lo produjo para dañar a Maná...

Whew, This is one of those badly produced, badly recorded, can't we find something to throw on a CD .... It is a shame that with the great work done by this band that this collection of rejects has made it into print. I was so unhappy with this disc that I was seriously tempted to try to get a refund on it. I love Mana, but there is no excuse for offering this to the public. Solo para Fanaticos? The Fanaticos deserve better. Bad retreds of old studio cuts.