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Kristina Fey |
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Gustavo Cerati - -grandes Exitos- -2011- [ Latest RELEASE ]★★★★☆ (Essential for new listeners; heartbreaking for veterans) By Lucas Artuso Special to Rock en las Américas Ultimately, Grandes Éxitos (2011) is a time capsule of a specific, agonizing year. It captures the voice of a man who had just delivered the two strongest rock albums of his late career, only to have that voice silenced forever. To listen to it is to celebrate the music, but it is impossible to ignore the ghost in the machine. Gustavo Cerati - -Grandes Exitos- -2011- Released on August 30, 2011, this album arrived during one of the most painful and surreal periods in the history of Argentine music. Just over a year earlier, on May 15, 2010, Cerati suffered a massive ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage following a concert in Caracas, Venezuela. He would remain in a coma until his death in 2014. Thus, Grandes Éxitos was not a victory lap nor a celebratory retrospective. It was, in many ways, a musical eulogy—a frozen testament to a genius who could no longer speak. Unlike the sprawling, fan-centric Fuerza Natural tour or the conceptual ambition of Bocanada , this compilation is precisely what its title promises: a direct, radio-friendly collection of Cerati’s most accessible solo work. Spanning from his 1999 electronic debut Bocanada to the lush rock of Fuerza Natural (2009), the album strips away the experimental B-sides and focuses on the hits. In the vast discography of Latin American rock, few names carry the weight, nuance, and legacy of Gustavo Cerati. As the visionary frontman of Soda Stereo and later as a celebrated solo artist, Cerati redefined the sonic boundaries of Spanish-language rock. However, nestled within his catalog is a release that often confuses casual fans and collectors alike: the 2011 compilation, Grandes Éxitos . Released on August 30, 2011, this album arrived On a long drive at sunset, with the windows down, singing “Adiós” at the top of your lungs—not as a goodbye, but as a thank you. Gustavo Cerati remains alive in every riff, every synth pad, and every echo of his voice. Grandes Éxitos is just the beginning. Rolling Stone Argentina wrote in September 2011: “ Grandes Éxitos is the saddest party album ever made. You want to dance to ‘Cosas Imposibles,’ but you end up crying during ‘Tu Medicina.’ It is a perfect record for an imperfect tragedy.” As with any “Greatest Hits,” there are notable absences. Hardcore fans immediately pointed out the lack of "Bocanada" (the title track) and "Raíz" from the Fuerza Natural sessions. More glaringly, the compilation ignores the experimental electronic ambient of Siempre Es Hoy almost entirely, except for the single “Deja Vu.” This suggests the compilation was designed for mainstream radio and streaming—targeting the massive audience that filled stadiums during the Ahí Vamos tour, not the avant-garde followers. Legacy: A Snapshot, Not the Whole Picture Today, fifteen years after its release, Grandes Éxitos (2011) occupies a unique place in Cerati’s catalog. It is not the definitive compilation—that honor arguably goes to Siempre Es Hoy (2002, live/unplugged) or the posthumous Fuerza Natural tour DVD. However, it is the most efficient compilation. Thus, Grandes Éxitos was not a victory lap For a new listener in 2026, this album serves as the perfect emergency room: 14 tracks that inject the essence of Cerati’s solo career directly into the bloodstream. You get the psychedelic pop of “Magia,” the rock fury of “Caravana,” the electronic melancholy of “Artefacto,” and the sheer beauty of “Juegos de Seducción.” April 17, 2026 Reviews at the time were conflicted. Musically, critics agreed that Grandes Éxitos was flawless—every track is a five-star song. Lyrically, songs like "Crimen" (" No es un crimen / lo que hiciste con mi vida " – "It’s not a crime / what you did with my life") and "Adiós" (" Adiós, pero no me digas nada " – "Goodbye, but don’t tell me anything") became unbearable to listen to for some fans. |
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