Musicians - Soda Stereo

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	Musicians - Soda Stereo

Soda Stereo was one of the most important Argentinian pop and rock bands of the '80s and early '90s. Their success and influence spread to the rest of Latin America.

Created as a trio in 1982 and dissolved in 1997, the band was formed by guitarist and vocalist Gustavo Cerati, bass player Zeta Bosio (b. Héctor Bosio) and drummer Charly Alberti (b. Carlos Ficcichia). In the beginning they were deeply influenced by the New Wave and bands such as The Police, Television and Talking Heads. Musically, they had an ever changing style based on pop that avoided set formulas, exploring and pursuing new sounds (as U2 did on the international scene). Soda Stereo was a light rock band that took elements from different popular music styles such as New Wave, ska, reggae, dark, soul, noise rock and electronica at different points in its career. But the identity of "Soda," as it is often referred to in Argentina, was not rooted solely in music. From the very start of its career, the band paid close attention to all aspects of their image, including music videos, live shows, clothing style and graphic design.

History

No explanation of the origins, and later the renaissance, of the Argentinean rock movement in the early '80s would be complete without mentioning the return of democracy in 1983 following seven years of Military Government . Although Soda Stereo was not one of the bands that sang about political topics, its first steps were marked by the return of freedom of expression and hopes for the new political situation, which was also a factor for bands like "Virus", "Los Twist" and the punk band "Los Violadores". Out of all the bands that emerged from that post dictatorial rule government, Soda Stereo was far the most popular and enduring.

With their first album, self titled Soda Stereo, released in 1984 they reached national success with joyful and ironic lyrics, and a sound that combined pop, reggae, ska and new wave. At the time they were accused of being superficial and frivolous. This response may be seen as understandable, coming from a possibly disconcerted population that had, over preceding years, grown used to music that carried elements of a political and/or social protest message, however veiled due to censorship. The second album, Nada Personal ("Nothing Personal"), strengthened the popularity of the band with some instantaneous classics, such as "Nada Personal" and "Cuando Pase el Temblor" ("When the Tremor Passes"), which opened the doors of the Latinamerican musical market to the band. Their international popularity increaed in 1986 with the released of the LP Signos ("Signs"). The musical arrangements and the lyrics had attained a sophistication not previously heard from the band's productions, leading the press to take them seriously. They embarked in an extensive tour through Latin America that brought the live album Ruido Blanco (White Noise).

In 1988 in New York, the band recorded its fifth album, Doble Vida ("Double Life"), produced by David Bowie's guitarist Carlos Alomar. The trio heavily used horn arrangements that gave its songs soul music flourishes and distinguished Soda's new sound. This album was followed by the EP Languis, a minor work that did well commercially. The year 1990 brought a sudden and successful event for the band, which released Cancion Animal ("Animal Song"). Notwithstanding its marked change to a raw sound based on guitars, the band's popularity reached its peak. Much of the credit for that change was due to Daniel Melero, an Argentinean techno pop pioneer who renewed the band's sound and attitude and came to be called "Soda's fourth" at the time.

By the end of 1991 they had played to 250,000 people in the streets of Buenos Aires and published the EP Rex Mix containing some songs recorded at live performances as well as a new studio song. In early 1992 Gustavo Cerati and Daniel Melero released the delicate duo album Colores Santos that combined some experimentation with synth/pop songs. Daniel Melero's influence reached the recordings of the next studio album Dynamo. This 1993 work was controversial: some fans considered it the band's best, others hated it while majority simply ignored it. At any rate, this record, the lowest selling of their career, put a damper on the band's enthusiasm for experimentation. An impasse followed for the band, marked by certain solo projects, such as Gustavo Cerati's Amor Amarillo, and tragedies and losses involving some of the band members' relatives. Rumors of dissolution were on the rise.

In 1995 Soda was on the road again, releasing its calmest and most relaxed work, Sueño Stereo ("Stereo Dream") followed by the an MTV Unplugged-like album named Comfort y Música para Volar ("Comfort and Music for Flying"), juxtaposing classic songs performed live (not necessarily unplugged) with some outtakes from Soda's last studio album, which also includes the participation of Andrea Echeverri of the Colombian group Aterciopelados on the song "En la ciudad de la furia". Personal problems between the members and artistic differences, magnified by the stresses of 15 years of coexistence, led the band to announce their breakup in 1997. The group first went on a farewell tour through Mexico, Venezuela, Chile and finally Argentina. On September 20th, 1997, Soda Stereo played their last show to an audience of 65,000 at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. After playing the last song (De Música Ligera) Gustavo Cerati said: "No sólo no hubiéramos sido nada sin ustedes, sino con toda la gente que estuvo a nuestro alrededor desde el comienzo. Algunos siguen hasta hoy. ¡Gracias totales!" ("Not only would we have been nothing without you, but neither without every person that was around us from the beginning. Some of them continue to be there until today. Absolute thanks!") to the audience and his soon-to-be former bandmates. From this final concert came the live records “El último concierto A y B” ("The Last Concert" A and B) in 1997.

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