Superficies De Placer

About

Superficies de Placer is the seventh album by the Argentine rock band Virus, recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and mixed in New York, United States, between April and August 1987. Surfaces of Pleasure was ranked 18th in Rolling Stone Argentina's 2007 ranking of the 100 best albums in the history of Argentine rock. History After intense activity, prompted by the success of its predecessor, Locura (more than 350,000 copies sold in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay), the band decided to record a new album with a more relaxed concept, without the pressures that come with success and the wear and tear of seven years of uninterrupted career. To achieve this, musicians, family, friends, and supporters traveled to Rio de Janeiro, one of vocalist Federico Moura's favorite cities. The intention was to compose, rehearse, and record all the material in a relaxed setting, with Rio's beaches of Ipanema, Leblon, and Copacabana just a few miles away. But in the midst of the songwriting process, Federico developed a severe case of pneumonia that left him bedridden for several days. Since the illness was taking longer than usual to heal, he was recommended a medical checkup, and a clinical study revealed he was a carrier of the HIV virus (AIDS). Years later, his brother Marcelo would recall the event this way: "It shocked us; it was like a kick in the gut. It created a wave of general unease. What had been an anti-stress plan (recording in Brazil) ended up being the most stressful thing in the world. We finished the album in a hurry; all the values were changed overnight." The 11-song album—selected from a total of 18 possible songs—had several alternative titles, such as Yoga, Rumbos secretos, and La comezón del siete año. However, the romanticism that characterizes the song "Superficies de placer" perfectly summed up the overall spirit of the album, which is why it was chosen as the final title. Strictly speaking, the album reinforces the synth-pop concept the group had outlined in Locura, their 1985 album. In its first week on the market, Superficies de placer sold more than 30,000 copies, achieving "Gold Record" status in Argentina. Since then, and through successive digital reissues, it is reasonable to assume it has surpassed 50,000 records. For the live presentation of this album, Virus performed two concerts at the Obras Sanitarias stadium, on the nights of Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, 1987, before more than 8,000 spectators. The filming of the first of both nights can be viewed on YouTube. Despite the album's excellent aesthetic and sound quality, Federico Moura's health prevented it from being widely distributed to the public, particularly in Latin America. In return, the band banked on the television airplay of the music videos for "Superficies de Placer" and "Encuentro en el Río." According to the director of both videos, Jorge Caterbona, "Encuentro en el Río" was recorded thanks to a Coca-Cola award from the program Badía & Cía., where the audience was the one who decided the winner. Thanks to this funding, Virus was able to film a music video of unprecedented quality for Argentine rock at the time. Nine months after the album's release, Federico Moura gave his final performance at the Teatro Fénix in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Flores. He died on December 21, 1988, in Buenos Aires.

via Last.fm

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