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.
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.
