Soda Stereo Mix
Yvone Samiento
Soda Stereo was an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982. The band's membership consisted of singer-guitarist Gustavo Cerati, bassist Zeta Bosio and drummer Charly Alberti. During their career, the band released seven studio albums before disbanding in 1997.
In the summer of 1981, Gustavo Cerati and Hector Zeta Bosio, then 22 and 23 respectively, met 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.
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.[5] 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.[3] 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 Soar" (I Must Dream) by Ulises Butrn, in which Ulises Butrn 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 first show under Soda's 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".[7] Shortly after this first show, Richard Coleman, fourth member, left the band on good terms, recognizing that the band sounded better without him.
Our debut was at a fashion show at the "Disco Airport" (Discothque), 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.[7]
Following that gig, Soda Stereo slowly gained 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 Marab club in Maip 359.[3] At these early shows, Soda would play songs like "Hroes de la Serie" (Heroes 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.[8]
Throughout 1983, the band would become notorious for their sound. Beginning at a pub show for a no-show band, Soda began a period of constant shows; at their third show, Horacio Martinez, a historic Argentine rock producer and "talent hunter", heard them and invited them to record for CBS Records. This came to fruition in 1984 when Soda signed to the Rodrguez Ares agency.[3][9]
Soda Stereo recorded their debut during the second half of 1984. The album was produced by Federico Moura, the 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 Records 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 Daniel Melero [es] on keys and Gonzo Palacios [es] 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".[10]
The attention garnered by Soda enabled them to play at larger and larger venues. First was "La Esquina Del Sol" in Palermo. Their show at "El Recital De Los Lagos" on 1 and 2 December was their first to headline along with top Argentine acts.[11][better source needed] The show was hosted by Argentine television personality Juan Alberto Bada [es].
Soda Stereo presented their debut album at El Teatro Astros on 14 December 1984, their first show at the venue. Notably, the TVs were turned on and out of sync with each other to the theme of "Sobredosis de TV" (TV Overdose), creating a captivating visual effect.[12]
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 Olmpico Chateau Carreras in front of a claimed audience of fifteen thousand.[13] However, Crdoba 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".[14] Regardless, their presence at Chateau sparked a personal relationship between the band and the youth of Crdoba, it marked the moment that the band began to take flight toward national stardom.[15]
The success of the band began at a very peculiar time, related, on one hand with the return of democracy to Argentina (10 December 1983), and on the contrary, 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.
The democracy produced the adrenaline 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[16]
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 Jos Amalfitani Stadium home of the soccer club Velez Sarsfield . They shared the stage with INXS, Nina Hagen, Charly Garca, Virus, and Sumo, among others. By then Fabian "Vn" Quintero and Gonzo Palacios were "stable guests".
Soda's second album 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 Crdoba, which featured Andres Calamaro and Charly Garca 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 melodic maturity.[citation needed]
In 1985, Soda Stereo visited Los Angeles California for a press tour and was interviewed by Miguel Banojian, a U.S. journalist with a degree from UCLA Los Angeles, who at the time was also the first Hispanic rock concert promoter in Los Angeles, and was scheduling Hispanic music concerts in the Hollywood area in clubs like Whisky a Gogo, the Rainbow & Paladium Theater hall; Mr. Banojian with the support of the record label and the sponsorship of M&M Chocolate brand scheduled Soda Stereo's first United States concert at the Paladium hall in Vine Blvd with a packed audience of more than 2,200 people, later on the same Year Mr. Banojian repeated the show at the same theater with a second sold out show, from that moment on Soda Stereo started to be played in radio stations in the U.S and several television interview were followed.
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 Fabin Vn Quintiero [es] on keys, Richard Coleman on guitar and Celsa Mel Gowland [es] 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.[19]
On 3 December Soda made their first appearance in Ecuador. In early 1987 Soda returned to Chile, this time to the Via 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 Per 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.[20]