El Cuarteto de Nos

El Cuarteto de Nos is a Uruguayan rock group formed in 1984 in Montevideo.

El Cuarteto de Nos
The group performing live a song from their Raro album.
Background information
OriginMontevideo, Uruguay
GenresRock, Alternative rock, Comedy rock, Rap rock, Rock en español
Years active1984-present
LabelsWarner Music Group
Orfeo
Sony BMG
Koala records
Manzana verde (record label)
Bizarro records
Websitewww.cuartetodenos.com.uy
MembersÁlvaro Pintos
Santiago Tavella
Roberto Musso
Gustavo Antuña
Santiago Marrero
Past membersRicardo Musso

Summary

El Cuarteto is the oldest active Uruguayan band . It has gained universal praise transcending local culture through universal themes and engaging everyday pathos in a humorous light. In 2017 they released the album Apocalipsis Zombi. In 2019 they released their last album to date, Jueves.

History

Beginnings

In 1984, El Cuarteto de Nos played their first show, an instrumental set in the "El Tinglado" theater.[1] They also played at the "La Máscara", "El Circular", "Teatro de la Alianza Francesa" theaters while developing their own musical style. In 1984, their first album was released, in collaboration with Alberto Wolf, whom had six of the twelve songs; and drummer Álvaro Pintos joined the group.

In 1985, they stepped on a stage, located in a fair from Villa Biarritz, dressed up with aluminum foil on their legs and balloons tied to their heads.[2]

First albums

In 1986, they edited their first LP, Soy una Arveja (I am a Pea), on which they performed some hits,[1] and the following year, at a concert they performed, the members were dressed up as old ladies, promoting the song Soy una Vieja (I am an Old Lady).[2] In the same year, their second album was released, Emilio García (by then, the fictional manager).[2]

In 1990, the album Canciones del Corazón (Songs of the Heart) was released in cassette, it was a commercial success.

Unexpected success

In 1994, after four years of hiatus, they released their album Otra Navidad en las Trincheras (Another Christmas in the Trenches), which achieved quadruple platinum status almost instantly, making them the first Uruguayan band ever to achieve it.[2] This album has a wider musical amplitude, having mixed salsa, music, and electronic music, in the band's usual mocking style, the most successful songs of this album were Sólo un rumor (Just a rumour), El primer oriental desertor (The first Uruguayan deserter), Soy un capón (I'm a eunuch), Bo Cartero (Hey, Mr. Postman; a mocking, Spanish version of Please Mr. Postman), El putón del barrio (The biggest slut in the neighbourhood) and Me agarré el pitito con el cierre (I caught my peepee in the zipper, being said in a childish manner).

Mocking their success, they call their 1995 album Barranca abajo (Downhill), this album is acknowledged as darker than their previous works, and exploiting the success generated by Otra Navidad en las Trincheras, they released in the same year, the album La misma porquería (The same rubbish), a compilation of their first three albums.

Controversy

In late 1996, they released their seventh album El Tren Bala (The Bullet Train). This album was controversial in Uruguay, since one of its songs, named El día que Artigas se emborrachó (The day Artigas got drunk) makes an allusion to José Gervasio Artigas, the founding father of Uruguay, which led to attempts to ban the song,[2][3][4] delaying the release of the album, being the reason of the creation of their own label, Manzana Verde (Green Apple).[4] Because of the diversity of musical styles presented, the reception of this record was very high, becoming a gold record in a week.[4]

Decay

In 1998, the group signed a contract with Sony BMG, and released Revista ¡¡Ésta!! (Magazine this one!!), which was received poorly, as was its next album, Cortamambo (Killjoy), released in 2000.

Revival

In 2004, they released El Cuarteto de Nos, a compilation album of their all-time hits, plus three new songs, called Hay que comer (You have to eat), No quiero ser normal (I don't want to be normal) and Fui yo (It was me), the album is made in a rocker style.

During the year 2005 they were dedicated to presenting a new album, as well as celebrating the band's 21st anniversary with a show, having as special guests the musicians Gabriel Peluffo and Tabaré Rivero, amongst other famous musicians of Uruguay.

On May 20, 2006, the album Raro (Weird) was released. It was a major commercial success, it rose to the top of the Uruguayan charts, reaching gold status only a few weeks later. In 2007, El Cuarteto de Nos was nominated for Latin Grammy with "Yendo a la casa de Damián" on their album Raro. They started a trip around the world including stops at the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico, as well as the Rock al parque in Colombia.

In 2008, they performed for Pepsi Music 2008, a huge festival in Argentina, along with other big bands and solo artists.

Departing of Ricardo Musso and the releasing of Bipolar

On May 27, 2009, in the midst of the development of their album Bipolar, it was said that Ricardo Musso had artistic and administrative differences with the course the band had taken. Majareta Productions, announced that the band would not split, but would undergo structural change. With the departure of Ricardo Musso, two new musicians had joined the band, replacing Musso's guitar, Gustavo Antuña and the keyboardist Santiago Marrero. Finally, after many setbacks (such as the departure of Musso and the leaking of the album in Taringa!), the album was released in September 2009. This album was well received, winning five Graffiti Awards in June 2010.[5]

Members
Current members
Former members
  • Ricardo Musso (Riki) (guitar and vocals): 1984-2009
  • Leonardo Baroncini (Drummer) (invited): 1984

Discography
  • El Cuarteto de Nos - Alberto Wolf - 1984
  • Soy una arveja - 1986
  • Emilio García - 1988
  • Canciones del Corazón - 1990
  • Otra Navidad en las Trincheras - 1994
  • Barranca Abajo - 1995
  • La misma porquería - 1995
  • El Tren Bala - 1996
  • Revista ¡¡Ésta!! - 1998
  • Cortamambo - 2000
  • El Cuarteto de Nos - 2004
  • Raro - 2006
  • Bipolar - 2009
  • Porfiado - 2012
  • Habla tu espejo - 2014
  • Apocalipsis Zombi - 2017
  • Jueves - 2019

References
  1. "Rarezas del Cuarteto de Nos en escena" (in Spanish). LaRed21. June 22, 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  2. Historia del Cuarteto de Nos, un grupo raro (in Spanish) retrieved June 7, 2010.
  3. El día que “El zurdo” se emborrachó (in Spanish) retrieved June 7, 2010.
  4. Cuarteto De Nos - Biography (in Spanish) retrieved June 7, 2010.
  5. Premios Graffiti 2010: Ganadores (in Spanish) retrieved June 7, 2010.
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