Soda Stereo

Soda Stereo is an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982 by Gustavo Cerati (lead vocals, guitar), Héctor "Zeta" Bosio (bass) and Carlos Alberto Ficicchia "Charly Alberti" (drums). As the first Hispanic group to achieve mainstream success in Latin America, critics have considered the group as one of the most influential and popular Spanish-language rock bands. The band ventured into many styles, such as "música divertida" ("fun music") in their beginnings, new wave, darkwave, hard rock, alternative rock and electronic rock during their final years.

Soda Stereo is the best-selling band in the history of Argentina, setting landmarks in record sales and concert attendances. The band has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide as of 2007.

In 1995, the band won the Merit Diploma at the Konex Awards for their outstanding career in Argentine music during the decade and the Platinum Konex Award for Best Argentine Rock Band of the Decade. In 2002, they received the first MTV Legend Award for their musical career. In 2006, the American magazine ''Al Borde'' listed many of the band's songs among the best 500 songs in the Spanish-speaking Americas. In 2002, the Argentine edition of the Rolling Stone magazine in partnership with MTV issued a list featuring Soda Stereo's songs among the best 100 rock songs in Argentina.

Music videos for "En la ciudad de la furia" and "Ella usó mi cabeza como un revólver" were also finalists and winner, respectively, at the first edition of the MTV Latin American Music Awards.

After the band's breakup, all three of its members found separate endeavoursGustavo Cerati continued a successful solo career after the band's split, releasing five studio albums (most of which achieved Platinum and Gold status in Argentina), while Zeta Bosio worked for a time as bassist for several underground groups and is now touring as a DJ; Charly Alberti has also found moderate success, both with the foundation of his CybeRelations company, and his family band MOLE. In 2014, Cerati died of cardiac arrest after four years in a stroke-induced coma, signalling the official end for the band as a trio. In 2020, Bosio and Alberti embarked on a reunion tour under the Soda Stereo moniker across North and South America, titled Gracias Totales, it features several guest singers, among them Cerati's son Benito, Richard Coleman, Mon Laferte, Juanes, and others.

History

Formation and early years (1982–1984)

In the summer of 1982 Gustavo Cerati, at 22 years of age, and Hector Zeta Bosio, at 23 years of age, collided at Punta del Este, Uruguay, both studying majors. At the time, both men were part of rock bands, Cerati with his group Sauvage and Bosio with the Morgan. Cerati and Bosio, each drawn together by the other's musical tastes, established a friendship and a musical bond that encouraged them to start playing together. Cerati first joined Bosio's group ''The Morgan'', then formed ''Stress'' with Charly Amato and drummer Pablo Guadalupe, also working on the project ''Erekto'' with bandmate Andres Calamaro. Both projects did not meet Cerati's expectations, however, and both fell through.

Meanwhile, Cerati's sister, Maria Laura Cerati, saw herself repeatedly harassed by Carlos Ficicchia, a man she had met in River Plate, Argentina who called repeatedly to ask her out, all advances of which she rejected.Lernoud, Pipo: ''Enciclopedia Rock Nacional 30 Años. De la A a la Z'', page 206. Buenos Aires: Mordisco, 1996. (Spanish) On one occasion, when Cerati answered the phone for his sister, he entered a deep musical conversation with Ficicchia, who mentioned that he was a drummer, and the son of famous Argentine jazz drummer and songwriter Tito Alberti. Interested in his talents after hearing him play, Cerati and Bosio would ask him to join the bandif he would cut his hair. It was during this time that Ficicchia would adopt the stage name " Charly Alberti".

The band, after experimenting with multiple names, eventually settled on the name ''los Estereotipos'' (the Stereotypes), which referenced a song by the Specials which they enjoyed listening to. The band would record a demo under this name, with Richard Coleman on backing guitar, a short-lived member of the band who was recruited to "beef up" the guitar sound. The songs recorded would include "Porque No Puedo Ser Del Jet Set?" (Why Can't I be Part of the Jet Set?), which would become a hit single for the band on their debut studio album. Other songs recorded included "Dime Sebastian" (Tell Me Sebastian) and "Debo Soñar" (I Must Dream) by Ulises Butrón, in which Ulises Butrón played guitars and Daniel Melero played keyboards; Melero, a growing figurehead of Argentina's electronic rock scene, would become an instrumental influence on the band's sound in its final years.

The trio, regretting using cliches in their band name (claiming that "Los" (The) in a rock-band name was overused), would often brainstorm random words and write them down, a university pastime for Cerati and Bosioeventually coming up with ''Soda Stereo'', thanks in part to Cerati's excessive soda consumption during band rehearsals.

The first show under ''Sodas new name occurred in December 1982, at Alfredo Lois birthday party, Cerati and Bosio's university classmate. Lois would go on to become Soda's video director as well as their visual and stylistic guru; he would later be recognised by Cerati himself as "the fourth Soda member". Shortly after this first show, Richard Coleman, fourth member, left the band on good terms, recognizing that the band sounded better without him.

In July 1983 the now-trio made their debut at the Discothèque Airport in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Belgrano, Buenos Aires. The band reminisced on this show:

Our debut was at a fashion show at the "Disco Airport" (Discothèque), which was close to where we practiced in Buenos Aires. Nobody gave us so much as a nod. The three of us played on a very deficient sound system. But we were happy, even though no one paid attention. We really looked like a punk group, we didn't know how to play and the sound was loud, even though it was just that.

Following that gig, Soda Stereo would gain slow traction throughout the underground rock scene of Buenos Aires, making a name for themselves alongside other emerging bands at the time, such as ''Sumo'', '' Los Twist'', '' Los Encargados'' (with Daniel Melero), and other bands. Soda would take up residency at the traditional and deteriorated Cabaret Marabú club in Maipú 359. At these early shows, Soda would play songs like "Héroes de la Serie" (Heroe of the series), "La Vi Parada Alli" (I saw her standing there), and "Vamos a La Playa" (Let's go to the beach), along with other songs that appeared on their second demo.

Throughout 1983, the band would become slightly notorious for their sound. Beginning at a pub show for a no-show band, Soda would begin a period of constant shows; at their third show, Horacio Martinez, a historic Argentine rock producer and "talent hunter", heard them and would quickly invite them to record for CBS. This came to fruition in 1984 when Soda signed to the Rodríguez Ares agency.

First album and Chateau Rock '85 (1984–1985)

Soda Stereo recorded their debut during the second half of 1984. The album was produced by Federico Moura, vocalist for Virus. By that time, Moura and Cerati had developed a fruitful artistic relationship. The recording took place in the defunct studios of CBS on Paraguay street. The end result was cooler sound than of the live shows, which the bands were pleased with. The trio was aided by on keys and on sax. Both were listed as "guest musicians", a practice which would become common for Soda throughout their career. Such guest musicians would be recognized by the public as the "fourth Sodas".

The attention garnered by Soda was manifested in their playing of larger and larger venues. First was "La Esquina Del Sol" in Palermo. "El Recital De Los Lagos" on 1 and 2 December was their first multi-headlining show with top Argentine acts. The show was hosted by Argentine television personality .

Soda Stereo presented their debut album at El Teatro Astros on 14 December 1984, it was their first show there. The stage was designed by Alfredo Lois, who for the occasion located 26 television sets in the background. The TVs were turned on and out of sync with each other – the theme of "Sobredosis de TV" (TV Overdose). The TVs, together with a large amount of smoke, created an unusual but captivating visual effect.

On 26 January 1985 Soda played the Rock in Bali festival in Argentine port city of Mar del Plata. On 17 March they played the Festival Chateau Rock '85 at the Estadio Olímpico Chateau Carreras in Córdoba Province. The official biography of the band attaches great importance to this appearance, indicating that the band played for 15 thousand people and that they were the revelation of the festival. However, Córdoba media outlets claim that, "only half the number of people actually showed up and that Soda were hardly noticed because their first record had was just released a few months earlier." They also added " Raul Porchetto was the biggest draw of the night". Regardless, their presence at Chateau sparked a personal relationship between the band and the youth of Córdoba, it marked the moment that the band began to take flight toward national stardom.

The success of the band began at a very peculiar time, related, on the one hand with the return of democracy to Argentina (10 December 1983), and on the other hand, with increasing notions of postmodernism, particularly in the way the 1980s youth created their role in a newly democratic society, one that had just emerged from bloody dictatorship and war.

Years later, Zeta Bosio would reflect on this juncture:

The democracy produced the adrenalin of something new, something was occurring, I knew I was going to make changes without knowing how. There was more air for us to make things and to wander, and we were a band of kids that wanted to make trouble. Our attention was on punk and on trying to show that there was something else that was more direct

On 13 October of that year, Soda played in front of a large audience in Buenos Aires as part of the third night of the Festival of Rock and Pop Held at the José Amalfitani Stadium home of the soccer club Velez Sarsfield . They shared the stage with INXS, Nina Hagen, Charly García, Virus, and Sumo, among others. By then Fabian "Vön" Quintero and Gonzo Palacios were "stable guests".

''Nada Personal'' and Obras 1985–1986

Soda's second álbum '' Nada personal'' was edited in October 1985. During the summer the group toured Argentina, playing in Mar de Plata, Villa Gesell, and Pinamar, and ending the tour at the Festival De la Falda in Córdoba, which featured Andres Calamaro and Charly García on keyboards on "Jet Set".

In April the band decided to officially present the album at a concert at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias in Buenos Aires. There they did four shows with a total attendance of 20,000 spectators. Footage from the first show was edited into a long play video. After these concerts records sales began to increase at an accelerated rate, quickly passing the Gold certification that they had achieved during the summer, platinum certification, and finally double platinum in the following months. Without abandoning the danceable rhythms, the second LP resulted in more depth in the lyrics and a melodical maturity.

Latin American success (1986–1989)

In 1986 Soda Stereo made their first Latin American tour, called Signos – still touring with the Nada Personal record. The band played in Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, and Chile with considerable success. In Chile they gave four performances in Santiago, on 21, 22, 24, and 25 November, and one in Valparaíso on 22 November 1986. In November 1986 Soda arrived in Peru for the first time and revolutionized the market. Their album sales were good and their three shows at the Amauta Coliseum were successful.

At that time Latin Rock was not that popular with the youth of Latin America (with the exceptions of Argentina and Uruguay) and bands were not accustomed to international tours.

On 10 November 1986 the band released their third album '' Signos''. With its lead single "Persiana Americana" ( :es) (American Blinds), ''Signos'' was a key step for Soda Stereo, who by now had come under a great deal of stress due to ever increasing factors: sales expectations, external pressures, the risk of failure, and internal tensions. The band was joined in the studio by on keys, Richard Coleman on guitar and on back up vocals. ''Signos'' became the first Argentine rock album to be released on compact disc. It was manufactured in the Netherlands and distributed throughout Latin America.

On 3 December Soda made their first appearance in Ecuador. In early 1987 Soda returned to Chile, this time to the Viña del Mar International Song Festival where they won the prize "Antorcha de Plata" (Silver Torch). The festival was broadcast via television to many Latin American countries, expanding the band's fame throughout the continent. It did not take long to transform itself into a massive unconditional following which was called "Sodamania".

On 23 April 1987, Soda broke records for ticket sales in Paraguay with their show at the Yacht Club. Meanwhile, ''Signos'' reached Platinum status in Argentina, triple platinum in Perú and double platinum in Chile. Soda's first show in Mexico occurred on 4 August 1987 at the Magic Circus in Mexico City.

The ''Signos'' tour was a milestone for Soda as they played 22 concerts in 17 cities to almost 350,000 fans, in the process opening up the idea that Latin Rock can transcend the nationalities of the bands, something that would come to fruition in the upcoming decade. With live recordings from different shows, a live album ''Ruido Blanco'' was compiled in 1987. Mixed in Barbados, it was considered by ''Rolling Stone'' (Argentina) to be one of the top 5 live albums of Argentine Rock.

In late 1988 Soda Stereo were considered the most important band of Latin American pop/rock. They began to work on a new album alongside Puerto Rican producer Carlos Alomar. Alomar had worked with David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Simple Minds, Iggy Pop, and Paul McCartney, among others. ''Doble Vida'' (Double Life) was recorded and mixed in New York City, and was the first record by an Argentine band to be completely recorded abroad.

The album produced four singles, "Picnic en el 4º B" (Picnic in Room 4B), " En la Ciudad de la Furia" (In the City of Fury), and "Lo Que Sangra (La Cúpula)" (That Which Bleeds (The Dome), and "Corazón Delator" (Tell-Tale Heart). The video for "En La Ciudad de La Furia", directed by Alfredo Lois, was a finalist for an MTV Video Award in the category of best foreign video (there was no Latin MTV at the time).

After more than a year without playing in Buenos Aires, Soda showcased ''Doble Vida'' at the hockey field at Obras in front of 25,000 fans. To top of a stellar year, Soda headlined the Three Days for Democracy Festival, which took place in Buenos Aires on the intersection of Avenida del Libertador and 9 de Julio. The show was attended by 150,000 people and Soda shared the stage with Luis Alberto Spinetta Fito Páez, Los Ratones Paranoicos, , and others.

With sales of a million copies of ''Doble Vida'' under their belt, Soda began a massive tour in early 1989. The tour began with 30 shows in Argentina, covering most of the country, which were attended by nearly 270,000 fans. These shows were followed by a new Latin American tour (their third), which cemented a massive following in Mexico.

Near the end of 1989 Soda records a new version of "Languis" (from ''Doble Vida'') and a new song titled "Mundo de Quimeras" (World of Chimeras). Both songs were released in the EP ''Languis'' (1989) along with remixes of "En El Borde" and "Lo Que Sangra (La Cúpula)". Following the release of ''Languis'' Soda played two sold-out shows at The Palace in Los Angeles, becoming the second Rock en Español to play in the United States, following Miguel Mateos.

The Consecration: ''Canción Animal'' (1990–1991)

The album '' Canción Animal'', released in 1990, is considered to be one of the best albums of all time of the Latin Rock genre.Un viaje por los 250 discos del rock Iberoamericano
Revista AlBorde

In early 1990 the band co-headlined a show for 32,000 people with British new wave band Tears for Fears at the José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires.

Soda Stereo then traveled to Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida to begin work on their fifth album. They would enlist the help of , Andrea Álvarez, and Tweety González (all very important figures in the Argentine rock scene of the time).

The resulting album ''Canción Animal'' (1990) is considered to be one of the best albums in the history of Latin rock. It contains their best known song " De Música Ligera" (Of Light Music), as well as other classics such as "Canción Animal" (Animal Song), "Un Millón de Años Luz" (A Million Light Years), "En el Séptimo Día" (On the Seventh Day), and "Té Para Tres" (Tea For Three). These songs are considered to be the band's strongest and at the same time are their most popular. Overall, the album is considered as the most consistent work by the band, along with ''Signos''.

Their massive tour ''Animal'' (1990–1991) included 30 Argentine cities, many which had not been visited by a band with the reach of Soda Stereo. The cities visited in Argentina were: San Juan, Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Junín, Clorinda, Puerto Iguazú, Trelew, Neuquén, Santa Rosa, Trenque Lauquen Mendoza, Córdoba, Río Cuarto, Santiago del Estero, San Miguel de Tucumán, Salta, Rosario, Buenos Aires, Olavarria, Pergamino. International cities included: Santiago de Chile, Asunción, Punta del Este, Barquisimeto, Caracas, Valencia, Mérida, San Cristóbal, Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexicali, and Tijuana.

The tour finished with 14 consecutive shows at the Grand Rex Theatre in Buenos Aires. With a 3,300 person capacity, this was a noticeable achievement at the time. Some of the Grand Rex shows would appear on the live EP ''Rex Mix'' (1991), which included remixed versions of a new song, "No Necesito Verte (Para Saberlo)" (I don't Need to See You – To Know).

By late 1991 Soda's continental success brought the band to the attention of MTV News Europe, who began to take notice of what was taking place in Latin America, particularly with Rock en Español. MTV unconditionally dedicated a whole show to Soda – a first for non English singing band.

In May 1992 Soda embarked on a tour of Spain with shows in Madrid, Oviedo, Sevilla, Valencia, and Barcelona. The lackluster results of the Spanish tour, compared to the fervor they were accustomed to in Latin America, left a sour taste in their mouths. Nevertheless, it did serve as a valid experience, specifically in bringing the band back to earth. To put it bluntly: Spain was in no way a failure, but was far from the success that Soda had been used to in Latin America, in the end it was a good learning experience.

Experimentation and change in style: ''Dynamo'', Cerati's solo career, and musical hiatus (1992–1994)

''Dynamo'', related tours and Cerati's solo career (1992–1993)

In March 1992, Argentine producer and musician Daniel Melero and Gustavo Cerati released an album titled ''Colores Santos'', Cerati's first musical venture away from the band. Heavily influenced by Melero's experimentation with electronic music, it was stylistically not indicative of Cerati's "rock-centered" works, instead choosing to follow a drastically different pattern containing elements from neo-psychedelia and dream pop. Cerati would depart to Spain immediately following the album's release for touring with Soda Stereoupon returning that May, the band immediately began work on new music.

Nearing the end of 1992 Soda began showcasing their sixth studio album ''Dynamo'', first introduced to the public with six concerts at Obras. The band also showcased the album in its entirety in a local talk-show, ''Fax'', famous for being the first stereophonic TV transmission in Argentine history. The album, eventually released near the end of 1992, is stylistically a shoegazing album, and was met with alienation and shock from many fans of the band, who found its radical shift in style from ''Canción Animal'' discomforting and challenging to cope with. Surrounding the band's rushed decision to change record companies from BMG to Sony immediately before the disc's release, ''Dynamo'' failed to sell as expected, and remains the lowest-selling album of Soda's career today.
Despite these challenges, Soda began their sixth tour of Latin America to begin 1993, during which time Cerati officially kickstarted his solo career with the release of ''Amor Amarillo'', his debut album.

Challenges and eventual musical hiatus (1994)

1994 met with fresh challenges to the band and its stability. On 4 July 1994, Zeta Bosio's young son was killed in a freak transit accident in Argentina. This event would deeply affect Zeta on both a personal and professional level, and surrounding his inability to work and growing dysfunction within the band, Soda unanimously decided to take a hiatus to possibly mediate the decision of separating permanently.

During this hiatus, the band's members would explore other personal endeavors. Cerati explored his solo career, Zeta dedicating himself to the production of other bands (Peligrosos Gorriones and Aguirre), while Alberti disappeared from the music scene to focus on personal projects.

At the end of 1994 '' Zona de Promesas'', a compilation of remixes and classic Soda songs, including the unreleased song that gave the album its name, was released.

''Sueño Stereo'' (1995–1997)

1995 saw the release of '' Sueño Stereo'', the last of Soda's seven studio albums. The cover depicts three speaker cones (meant to symbolize egg cells) ready to be "fertilized" by black spermatozoa, the latter of which resembles earbuds. This motif is symbolic of the album's concept, and is even used as a focal point in the music video for " Ella usó mi cabeza como un revólver", a single from the recording.

After a three-year absence, on 29 June 1995, Soda released ''Sueño Stereo'', their 7th and final studio album. The album was an instant hit, quickly reaching platinum status in Argentina 15 days after its release. The album was powered by the radio hit "Zoom" and the promotional video for "Ella usó mi cabeza como un revólver", which in 1996 won the Viewer's Choice Award presented by MTV Latin America.

According to Cerati, the album was retroactively a source of pride for him and his band:

Sueño Stereo took two years to conceive. It would be illogical to say that this was urmasterpiece, but it was the most emotional work e had doneat the time, because we were stripped of the need of having competition in the future, or of being the best for another ten years. We had already made it through a lot of things and the band itself felt classic. On the other hand, we were very proud of what ''Dynamo'' had promoted and ow it was subsequently interpreted.. The band had to deliver something important; it couldn't just be "any" record. e hadto find ourselves again after a while and allow the music to flow, without thinking too much about taking huge steps or anything like that. All-in-all, Sueño Stereo is one of the most innovative records of our career, without us trying to make it so – because of its sonic combinations, its lyrics, and because of its sound.

The record became the catalyst for the extensive Gira Sueño Stereo (Sueño Stereo Tour), which began on 8 September in Buenos Aires, at the Grand Rex Theaterit spanned Venezuela, Colombia, Perú, Panama, México and the United States (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Miami). The tour ended on 24 April 1996 at the Teatro Teletón in Santiago de Chile.

In mid 1996 Soda was invited to Miami by MTV to record a session for their acoustic show, ''MTV Unplugged''. Soda, initially reluctant to play, was finally able to negotiate with the network to play with a unique setup: the band would play "plugged in", but with modifications such as heavy orchestration, including brand-new arrangements of some of their classic songs. The result was an eclectic mix of music, an acoustic-electric hybrid. A highlight of the album was a soaring rendition of "En La Ciudad De La Furia", where the chorus was sung by Andrea Echeverri of the Colombian Rock en Español band Aterciopelados. Other songs recorded included "Un Misil en Mi Placard", "Entre Canibales", " Cuando pase el temblor", "Té Para Tres","Angel Electrico", "Terapia de Amor Intensiva", "Disco Eterno", " Ella usó mi cabeza como un revólver", "Paseando Por Roma" and "Génesis" (a cover of Vox Dei). The recording of the MTV show would be partially released on the album '' Comfort y Música Para Volar'' in 1996, and in its entirety in a new version of ''Comfort'' released in 2007. The album contained 4 new tracks from the ''Sueño Stereo'' sessions, as well as an interactive CD-ROM with pictures and videos from the show.

On 30 October 1996 Soda Stereo became the first Latin American band to transmit a live concert via the Internet, through the Argentine radio program ''Cuál Es?'' (Which Is It?). The show was conducted by Mario Pergolini on Argentina Rock & Pop radio. The band played live from the music store Promúsica in Buenos Aires.

Band breakup and El Último Concierto (1997)

The band went silent for a time preceding the separation. The only publicity was the band's participation on the tribute album, ''Tributo a Queen: Los Grandes del Rock en Español'', in which Soda Stereo covered "Some Day One Day" from Queen's 1974 album, ''Queen II.'' Their version was sung in Spanish, as "Algun Día".

Unexpectedly, Soda officially announced their separation in May 1997, through a press release. The following day, Argentine newspapers reported the news. Argentine newspaper ''Clarín'' devoted its entire front page to the breakup. The following day, Gustavo Cerati's farewell note was published on the Music section of the newspaper:

his letter has beeninspired from what I have seen on the street these days: fans who have approached me, the people around me, and from my own personal experiences. I share the sadness that has been created in many by our separation. I, myself, am immersed in that state because few things have been so important to me in my life as Soda Stereo. Everyone knows that it is impossible to lead a band without a certain level of conflict. It is a fragile equilibrium in the war of ideas that very few are able to handle for fifteen years, as we proudly did nd maintained But, ultimately, different personal and musical misunderstandings began to compromise that equilibrium... excuses were generated for not confronting ourselves, excuses for a future group that we no longer believed in as we did in the past. To end for the sake of the band is, in its redundancy, to ive importanceto our mental health, and above all to show respect for all of our fans who have followed us for such a long time. Goodbye.

The band played a farewell tour, making stops in Mexico, Venezuela, Chile and their native Argentina. Their final concert took place on 20 September at the River Plate Stadium