Argentine Music Icon Gustavo Cerati Died

Argentine rock legend Gustavo Cerati died on Thursday at the age of 55.

“In the early morning hours today the patient Gustavo Cerati died due to pulmonary arrest,” read a statement on the musician’s website from the Buenos Aires hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Cerati never regained consciousness after he had been in a coma from a stroke that hit him after a May 2010 concert.

Last May doctors claimed that Cerati was “clinically stable” but noted that there were “no significant improvements” to his condition and he continued to be connected to an “assistive respiratory device.”

From 1982 to 1997, Cerati was the lead singer of influential Argentine rock en Español group Soda Stereo. Along with Charly Alberti and Hector "Zeta" Bossio, Soda’s distinctive mix of rock and pop led them to create seven studio albums and thrilled audiences throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

“I still haven’t fallen (into reality).  My stance was always to have faith but evidently his body told him he had to go somewhere else.  I am at a loss for words,” lamented Alberti shortly after his friend passed away.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner officially declared three days of mourning in memory of Cerati.  Meanwhile, several thousand people in Buenos Aires queued up on a line fifteen blocks long Thursday night to get the chance to view his remains.

“High school, my first recitals; all the memories are flooding back.  His legend gave us life,” said longtime fan Alejandro Canario who was one of the many on the lengthy line.

Four Years of Silence for Cerati

On March 14, 2010, Argentine rocker Gustavo Cerati suffered from a stroke following a concert in Caracas, Venezuela.  Sadly, that was the last time the former Soda Stereo front man would grace the stage and four years later he remains hospitalized unconscious and in a coma.

According to statement from Cerati’s family via his website, doctors overseeing the 54-year-old in Buenos Aires believe that he is “clinically stable…maintaining a health nutritional state and without injuries” due to his bedridden state.”  Nevertheless, doctors noted that there have been “no significant improvements” to his condition and he continues to be connected to an “assistive respiratory device.”

Despite the grim prognosis, members of Cerati’s family remain hopeful that he can successfully emerge from his coma and recover.

“He has been bed ridden for four years, but he is doing very well,” said Cerati’s mother, Lillian Clark. 

“If Gustavo was suffering, he would be intolerable, but in reality he is like sleeping. We haven’t seen him get worse,” she added.

“There are days when I wish I could slap him so he can wake up and there other days where all I do is cry,” observed Charly Alberti, one of Cerati’s band mates on the legendary Soda Stereo rock group.

“Gustavo is one of the best musicians ever to come from Argentina, and that is fantastic,” Alberti also noted.

Cerati’s fans worldwide also remembered him via social networking where the hashtag #CeratiDespierta (#WakeUpCerati, in English) reportedly became a trending topic on Twitter on Thursday.

Among the numerous gestures of love and affection by Cerati’s family on his birthday last August was a video from Clark. Created by Gustavo Masó, Conexión intrauterina (Intrauterine Connection) was a tribute to Cerati that can be seen below the page break:

Today’s Video: Soda en Ingles

Last week we looked at "Llámame," the Spanish-language version of the hit "Call Me" by Blondie that was recorded but not released during the peak of the New Wave band’s popularity.  Today we’re going to briefly examine a song that was recorded in English after it became a popular tune in Spanish.

"Cuando pase el temblor" (“When the Earthquake Ends”, in English) became the second single to be released from Soda Stereo’s second album, Nada personal, in 1985.  The lyrics to the song can be interpreted either literally or figuratively as a double entendre but the music itself is a great mix of Andean sounds with traditional rock and roll.

According to an anecdote mentioned on the Hay Que Oir blog, the famed Argentine rock en Español group recorded two English-language versions in 1988 of their previous hits including "Cuando pase el temblor."  These songs were recorded in London and were eventually passed on to “an influential English DJ” (the late John Peel?) who then played them on his program.  The end product was to be an entire Soda Stereo album in English but “monetary issues” prevented that from becoming a reality.

Does "Cuando pase el temblor" en ingles sound better, equal to or worse than the original?  Judge for yourself:

Soda Stereo broke up in 1997 but returned briefly in 2007 for a reunion tour. 

Three years ago this Wednesday, Soda frontman Gustavo Cerati fell into a coma after he collapsed following a concert in Venezuela.  Cerati’s mother, Lillian Clark said last month that her son has shown “small responses” that have given her “signs of hope” regarding his health.

Video Sources – YouTube via users ubriacone88 and joacodelc
 
Online Sources – Los Angeles Times; Wikipedia (Spanish); sodastereo.com; Hay Que Oir; The Latin Americanist

De Musica Ligera: Soda! Soda! Soda!

It's great to see Gustavo Cerati preparing for his latest solo tour of Latin America while Zeta Bosio will soon tour Chile as part of his DJing gigs. Yet nothing could beat their heyday when they along with Charly Alberti became legends as the inimitable Soda Stereo:

It's not too late to reunite again por favor!

Online Sources - Diario La Verdad, La Tercera, YouTube

Today’s Video: Chau Soda…again

Anyone hoping that Soda Stereo would continue their reunion after their successful tour nearly two years ago should think twice. That bubble was emphatically popped by lead singer Gustavo Cerati:

"I don’t feel like doing it. Don’t bother trying to bust my balls. Forget about Soda! It’s gone. There won’t be another reunion. It’s gone. I’m serious,” he said in an interview with (Argentine daily) Clarin.

Sad Soda news aside, Cerati will launch tomorrow his latest solo album entitled “Fuerza natural” (Natural force). The following is one of the songs from that work called “Déjà vu”:

(Hat tip: The always awesome and informative Guanabee).

Online Sources- RPP, Cerati.com, YouTube, Guanabee, The Latin Americanist

Today’s Video: Feliz cumple Charly Alberti!

Today is the 46th-birthday of Argentine musician Charly Alberti. Alberti is best-known as the drummer for groundbreaking rock en español band Soda Stereo. Aside from Soda, Alberti has also launched several Internet projects designed to promote music throughout the Americas and co-founded the rock group MOLE along with his brother Andres.

Nostalgia for Soda aside, we pay tribute to Alberti one his birthday by featuring the music video for “El Bote” by MOLE:

Online Sources- YouTube, myspace.com

Today's Video: Still loving Soda

Enjoy this blast from the not-so-distant past via this 2007 reunion performance by Argentine rock legends Soda Stereo:

Online Sources- YouTube

Today’s Video: Mexicans love Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

Back in April, the lead singer of seminal rock en español group Los Fabulosos Cadillacs said that the band would reunite later this year and tour. Details for the tour (including possible stops in the U.S.) will be released in July as shown by a countdown on the band’s site. However, box offices in Mexico were swamped with requests for the only confirmed date in Mexico City this November:

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs have already sold 30,000 seats for their Mexico City concert…in only 48 hours the Argentine group caused a box office boom and confirmed their popularity in Mexico. –[ed. personal translation]

If Soda Stereo was the reunion tour du jour in 2007, then will that be the case this year for Los Fabulosos Cadillacs?

(Video link):

Sources (English)- Billboard, The Latin Americanist, YouTube

Sources (Spanish)- fabulosos-cadillacs.com, La Bata

Ecuador: Soda Stereo not being investigated

Ecuadorian officials denied reports that Argentine rock legends Soda Stereo are being investigated for tax fraud. According to the Associated Press:

“We cannot speak of supposed fraud or anything less (than that) confirmed Carlos Marx Carrasco (director of Ecuador’s tax agency) to the AP…

He explained that all public concerts in the country are being looked at by the agency including promoters bringing in international acts to make sure that the proper amount of taxes are being paid. –[ed. Personal translation]

Earlier this week, reports circulated of Soda being supposedly probed after its contract to play in Ecuador reported a much lower payment price compared to other concerts in the Americas.

So far, Soda Stereo’s reunion tour has been an absolute success according to the mainstream press. The group’s latest appearance was on Monday and Tuesday in Miami; their tour continues in Peru this weekend and ends in Argentina in two weeks.

(Hat tip: daily dos).

Sources (English)- People en Español, Miamiherald.com, UPI

Sources (Spanish)- El Comercio, El Universal, sodastereo.com

Image- Los Angeles Times

Video of the Day: Soda’s back!

Tonight marked the first concert in the reunion tour of legendary Argentine rockeros Soda Stereo. A crowd of over 70,000 fans in Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental marked the triumphant return of the seminal rock group for the first time in a decade. Two more concerts will take place over the weekend at the Argentine capital before the “Me verás volver” (“You will see me return”) tour makes stops in Peru, Colombia, Mexico, ands the U.S. over the next two months.

Argentina’s Telecom Personal created an ad in honor Soda’s return that highlights the impact the group has had on music. It’s a smart, touching, and fantastic commercial that hits all the right notes (pun intended).

Video link:

(By the way, we happened to catch the piss-poor tribute to Soda Stereo at the end of Thursday’s MTV Latinoamerica Awards. Click here if you masochistically want you ears to bleed).

Don’t forget to send in your suggestions for the fifty greatest songs of the 1990s in the Americas! (More details here).

p.s. Please sign this “petition” to suggest that Soda Stereo perform in New York. (If they can have gigs in Los Angeles and Miami then surely they can stop by La Gran Manzana!!!)

Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, YouTube, NYRemezcla.com

Sources (Spanish)- La Tercera, Clarin, La Razon, sodastereo.com

Daily Headlines: September 27, 2007

* A recently released report claimed that a whopping 61% of Hispanics under the age of 65 in the U.S. have gone without health insurance during some part of the last two years.

* Former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada is being sued in the U.S. for “crimes against humanity.”

* An Argentine court approved that a sex change operation can be performed on a minor.

* Here’s an uncomfortable mental image: “Jailed former President Alberto Fujimori will be allowed…twice-monthly conjugal visits as he awaits trial.”

Sources- UPI, SignOnSanDiego.com, Monsters & Critics, BBC News

Image- El Diario/La Prensa

Daily Headlines: September 26, 2007

* Argentine rockeros Soda Stereo added a second U.S. date to their reunion tour: Miami on December 5th. (They’re scheduled to play in Los Angeles on November 21^st).

* Illegal drug use by Latino teens has gone up mainly due to “Hispanics' adoption of American cultural and lifestyle habits”, according to a White House report.

* Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Bolivia and Venezuela later this week.

* The skeletal remains of 22 people “disappeared” during the reign of Augusto Pinochet were found in a lake outside of Santiago, Chile.

* Follow-up: Peruvian doctors denied allegations that recently extradited former president Alberto Fujimori is in “poor health.”

Sources (English)- MiamiHerald.com, sodastereo.com, Voice of America, The Latin Americanist, USA TODAY, Associated Press

Source (Spanish)- El Diario/La Prensa

Image- La Ultima

Video of the Day: The weekend is here!

It seemed like forever but finally the weekend is right around the corner. Admittedly, several important news stories fell between the cracks (e.g. Peru-U.S. free trade negotiations, Bill Richardson’s new faux pas, Lula and Chavez’ trips around the Americas). But to be absolutely frank with you all, I’m relieved the weekend is here and hopeful that we will leave no stone unturned next week.

Thus, we leave for the weekend with a mellow song - legendary rockeros Soda Stereo singing “Tratame Suavemente” live in concert. It seems like forever since they broke up a decade ago, but thankfully fans in Mexico, Argentina, and Los Angeles will be fortunate enough to see them this autumn on their reunion tour.

(Video link):

Sources- MSNBC First Read, Christian Science Monitor, International Herald Tribune, SodaStereo.com, YouTube

Follow-up: Soda Stereo reunites!

According to Argentine news agency Télam, legendary rock en español group Soda Stereo will get back together after being split up for a decade. The article goes on to note that they will perform in comeback tour visiting several Latin American nations including their home country of Argentina.

Neither Soda’s official home page or Wikipedia entry have been updated with this new piece of information, which is supposed to be made official soon.

Rumors of the group’s return to the stage intensified last month after Soda’s bassist Hector Bosio and frontman Gustavo Cerati alluded to a comeback.

(Hat tip to Jennifer at VivirLatino who nearly gave me a coronary when I read her blog post!)

Sources (English)- Wikipedia, VivirLatino

Sources (Spanish)- El Comercio, sodastereo.com

Image- rock.com.ar

De Musica Ligera: Who should get back together?

This week’s music post will look at the disbanded rock en español groups that we included in the poll located on the sidebar. Perhaps you’re not familiar with all the bands that we thought should reunite including (possibly) Soda Stereo. Hence, with the help of YouTube, here are links to music videos by each one of the bands mentioned in the poll. A new debate and poll will be posted in about 48 hours, so don’t forget to check out the videos and vote as soon as possible!

• Arena Hash - El Rey del Ah Ah Ah
• Azul Violeta - Un Dia Mas
• Caifanes – Nubes
• Camisa de Vênus - Bota pra Fudê (Live)
• Ekhymosis - La Decisión
• Grupo Armado – Tsunami (Live)
• La Ley - Dia Cero (Live)
• Legiao Urbana – Sera
• Los Brujos - Todavia Volando (Live)
• Los Prisioneros – Ultraderecha
• Soda Stereo - Ciudad de la Furia

Sources- The Latin Americanist, YouTube

Image- votolatino.com.ar (Image of Caifanes from the 1990s)

Weekly Debate: Reunited and it would feel so good

Yesterday, VivirLatino linked to an article last week from the New York Daily News which claims that classic Argentine rock en español trio Soda Stereo may reunite.

According to the article, ex-band member (and successful solo act) Gustavo Cerati alluded to the possibility of having Soda get together a decade after breaking up and bassist Hector Bosio said that "If they call me, I go."

Soda Stereo has been highly influential not only in the Americas but around the world and a reunion would be much loved by legions of rock en español fans. It would be sheer bliss to hear the again in concert singing tunes like “De Musica Ligera”, “Profugos”, and (my personal favorite) “Persiana Americana.”

So what do you think? Should Soda Stereo reunite or would that harm their legacy? If they do get together, should they record new songs or stick to their classics? Should other defunct rock en español groups reunite or make space for newer bands?

Let us know what you think by commenting to this post and/or voting in our poll located on the sidebar. (Poll closes on May 21st).

(Last week’s poll and debate on the Pope's visit to Brazil).

Links- VivirLatino, New York Daily News, PollDaddy, The Latin Americanist

Image- de-zarralequi.net (Soda Stereo)