Soda Stereo - Formation and Early Years - 1990s

1990s

In early 1990 Soda co-headlined a show with Tears for Fears at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires, drawing a crowd of 32,000. Following the show Soda began work on their 5th studio album, Cancion Animal. Cancion Animal was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. Soda was aided by longtime collaborators; Daniel Melero, Andrea Álvarez, and keyboardist Tweety González. Cancion Animal was a departure from the Soda's work in the 80's. The guitar driven album fused elements of classic rock and alternative guitar rock, and in many respects preceded the worldwide guitar rock movement of the 1990s. Cancion Animal is considered by many to be Soda's masterpiece. It is arguably one of the best Latin American rock albums of all time. "De Música Ligera" (Of Light Music), one of Soda’s biggest hits and most recognizable songs, "Cancion Animal" (Animal Song), "Un Million de Años Luz" (A Million Light Years), "En el Septimo Dia" (On the Seventh Day), and "Te Para Tres" (Tea For Three), are all Rock en Español classics.

The Massive "Tour Animal (1990–1991)" expanded Soda's reach inside and outside of Argentina. The Tour culminated with 14 shows at the, 3,300 capacity, Grand Rex Theater in Buenos Aires. A collection of live tracks from the Grand Rex shows were released on the Rex Mix EP (1991), which included a remixes of a new track, "No Necesito Verte (Para Saberlo)" (I don’t Need to See You - To Know).

By late 1991 Soda's success brought the band to the attention of MTV Europe who had their eye on Latin America, particularly on the burgeoning Rock en Español scene. MTV dedicated a whole show to Soda Stereo - a first for a non-English singing band. In May 1992 Soda embarked on a tour of Spain playing shows in Madrid, Oviedo, Sevilla, Valencia, and Barcelona. Their arrival in Spain was tepid at best but was seen as a learning experience by the band.

Upon their return to Argentina, Soda embraced “La Movida Sonica” (The Sonic Movement), the new wave of Argentinian guitar rock, also referred to as, "El Nuevo Rock Argentino" (The New Argentinian Rock). Soda returned to the studio to work on Dynamo. Dynamo was christened with six concerts at Obras. Each show featured a different band as support; Babasónicos, Juana La Loca, Martes Menta, Tia Newton, Demonios de Tasmania, los Brujos, Massacre, and El Otro Yo. Dynamo was played live, in its entirety, on the Fax talk show. This was the first stereophonic transmission for a live TV show in Argentina.

Dynamo marked a sonic departure for Soda. It was a much more experimental and visceral sounding record. Some songs made use of samples and had a more electronic dance groove. Other songs such as, "En Remolinos" showcased a noticeable droning guitar sound reminiscent of British shoegaze. According to Gustavo Cerati, Dynamo was a deconstruction of Canción Animal, "It is as if we took Canción Animal and put it under water. And, at a sonic level, we wanted to produce that, the songs had more to do with something hypnotic. The idea was to remix it, to mix it with something more dance and include something more trance in our music. I know that those who understood that record loved it and it is the same with me". Unfortunately, Dynamo did not sell as well as their previous albums, in large part because the band had parted ways with Sony.

In January 1993 Soda began their sixth tour of Latin America, visiting Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, and Venezuela. The trio decided to take a break that year, which fueled rumors of a break up. There had been talks of dates in the United States, Spain and other countries, but diverse factors during late 1993 and early 1994 forced the group to take a "rest" from Soda Stereo.

1994 was a tragic year for Zeta Bosio. On the 4th of July, Zeta's two young sons died in car accident in Argentina. The event deeply affected Zeta, both on a personal and professional level. Soda decided to temporarily disband. During the break, Cerati released his first solo project: Amor Amarillo (Yellow Love). Zeta dedicated himself to the production of bands (Peligrosos Gorriones and Aguirre) and Charly focused on his personal life. At the end of 1994 Zona de Promesas, a compilation of remixes of classic Soda songs and unreleased tracks was released.

After a three-year absence, on June 29, 1995, Soda released Sueño Stereo (Stereo Dream), their 7th and final studio album. The album was an instant hit in Argentina and Latin America, 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" (She Used My Head Like a Revolver), (a Mark Bolan reference), which in 1996 won the viewer’s choice award presented by MTV Latin America. The album became the axis for the extensive Sueño Stereo tour which included four U.S. dates; Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Miami.

In mid 1996 Soda was invited to record a session for MTV Unplugged. The band convinced the network on performing electric. The show was an eclectic mix of music featuring semi-acoustic versions and new arrangements of soda classics. Some songs made extensive use of effects and orchestration. The result was totally different take on Soda's signature style. The highlight of the show was a soaring rendition of "En La Ciudad De La Furia" featuring guest vocals by Andrea Echeverri of the Colombian Rock en Español band Aterciopelados. Most of the MTV Unplugged tracks were show were released on the album Comfort y Música Para Volar (Comfort and Music to Fly By) (1996). 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 October 30, 1996 Soda Stereo became the first Latin American band to transmit a live concert via the internet, with the a show for the Argentinian radio program Cuál Es? (Which is?). The show was conducted by Mario Pergolini on Argentina Rock & Pop radio. The band broadcasted live from the Promúsica (music shop)in Buenos Aires.