Taiyo
Studio album by
Locomía
Released1989
Genre
LabelHispavox
Locomía chronology
Taiyo
(1989)		 Loco Vox
(1990)

Taiyo is the debut studio album by Spanish Europop group Locomía. The formation consisted of four members: Xavier Font, Juan Antonio Fuentes, Carlos Armas and Manuel Arjona.[1] The word that gives the title its name means "sun" in Japanese.[2][3] Its music incorporates the pop music that was successful at the time in Europe with Latin rhythms.

To promote it, three singles were released: "Locomía", "Taiyo" and "Rumba Mambo", Which were performed in several TV shows, and to each one was recorded a music video in which their androgynous clothing stood out: shoes 1700s style, exaggerated shoulder pads and giant hand fans.

It was commercially successful, and went gold and platinum in ten countries, most of them in Latin America, and sales reached 1 million copies worldwide, making it the best seller of their career.

Background and production

The Locomía group began their career in 1984 as a group of fashion designers, their first members were Xavier Font and his brother Luis, Gard Passchier and Manuel Arjona.[4] Appearing in Ibiza, at the most extreme moment of the 1980s, they drew attention, above all, for their look: they wore shoes style 1700, exaggerated shoulder pads (they reached about 70 centimeters) and giant hand fans, and for their androgynous and chic clothing, which defied the conventions of the time.[4] They became famous on the island, livening up the nights at the Ku Club,[5] which was considered the most famous open-air nightclub in the world and was in its heyday.[4]

The popularity grew over time, to the point that singer Freddie Mercury used some of their clothes and shoes in one of his music video.[6] Although the goal was never to become singers, they signed a contract with José Luis Gil, who was also president of the Hispavox label, with the aim of releasing their first phonographic work.[6]

The recordings took place in Madrid, Spain. The label intended that the songs should have a sound that mixes the pop music that was in vogue in Europe with Latin rhythms.[7] The manager and the record company made several demands on the boys, in order to sell their image to as many people as possible, especially young teenagers, since the so-called boy bands generated a lot of financial return.[4] Among the demands was the fact that they had to hide their sexuality, since all four were gay.[4] Another issue is regarding the voices, the group had no vocal talents and the vocals in the first single are by the manager, Gil.[4] This fact remained unknown for years, until a documentary, in three episodes, from the Movistar Plus+ channel, premiered in June 2022.[8]

Eight songs were part of the track list, however, in the version released in Brazil, two of them were versioned into Brazilian Portuguese: "Gorbachov" and "Rumba, Samba, Mambo".[9] The track "Loco Mia" pays tribute to Ibiza in its lyrics; the track "Gorbachev" is a tribute to the then president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.[10]

Release and promotion

Publicity for the album included appearances on a considerable number of TV shows, in addition to shows, initially only in Spain.[11] The choreographies of the songs were enhanced versions of those performed by the four members at the Ku Club.[4]

Three songs were chosen as singles: "Locomía" (peaking #2 in Spain),[12] "Taiyo" (peaking #10 in Spain),[12] "Rumba Mambo" (peaking #6 in Spain , #27 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs (US); #10 in Mexico).[12][13][14] Four music videos were made for each of them, whose highlight was the quartet's iconic costumes.

Commercial performance

Commercially, it was successful. In Spain, more than 60,000 copies were sold in three months.[4] Promusicae audited the sales and certified it as gold in the same year.[12] According to the official website, total sales were close to one platinum record (100,000).[11]

On November 8, 1990, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported that by that date the group had already received a platinum record in Argentina, for more than 60,000 copies sold.[9] Eventually, sales reached 120,000 copies, the equivalent of two platinum records.[11] According to the Brazilian newspaper Correio Braziliense, dated November 26, 1990, in Brazil, it had sold around 100,000 copies.[7] Eventually, a gold record was delivered while the group was on a marathon to promote the album, which made them the most successful Spanish group in the history of the Brazilian music industry.[11]

It obtained a gold disc in six more countries: Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, and a double gold disc in Mexico.[11] It became the biggest hit of their career, with over 1 million copies sold worldwide.[15][16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Ti Amo America"3:34
2."Loco Mia"5:44
3."Noche de Embrujo"5:11
4."Terror Vision"5:35
5."Rumba, Samba, Mambo"3:25
6."Gorbachov"5:12
7."Taiyo (Sol)"5:39
8."Finale"7:18

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1989-1990) Peak
position
Spain (Promusicae)[12] 35
Uruguay (CUD)[17] 1

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[11] 2× Platinum 120,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[18][11] Gold 100,000*
Chile[11] Platinum 25,000[19]
Colombia[11] Gold  
Ecuador[11] Gold  
Mexico (AMPROFON)[20] 2× Gold 250,000[20]
Peru[11] Gold  
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[12] Gold 100,000[11]
Uruguay (CUD)[18] Gold  
Venezuela[11] Gold  
Summaries
Worldwide — 1,000,000[11][15][16]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Vicente, Judith (24 June 2022). "La historia que no sabías de Locomía, la banda de los abanicos y las hombreras". El Comercio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  2. ↑ Aram, André (16 June 2020). "Foi um surto coletivo ou Locomia lacrava na TV nos anos 80?". GAY BLOG BR @gayblogbr. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Quelart, Raquel (14 June 2018). "¿Qué fue de los primeros componentes de Locomía?". La Vanguardia. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cane, Miguel (19 January 2022). "Locomía: ¿qué fue de los integrantes originales de la excéntrica banda?". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Mendonça, Renata (16 March 2008). "Descubra por onde anda o grupo espanhol Loco Mia". Ego. Globo.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 Medina, Marta (23 June 2022). "Auge y caída de Locomía: la historia más sórdida y delirante de la música española". El Confidencial. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 Salimon, Mario (26 November 1990). "Locomia, a androginia toma conta das pistas". Correio Braziliense. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "Locomía estrena su documental cuando se cumplen cuatro años de la muerte de dos de sus miembros". ¡Hola!. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 Millen, Mànya (8 November 1990). "Loco Mía está no Brasil para lançar 'Taiyo', seu primeiro LP". O Globo: 2 (Caderno B).
  10. ↑ "Locomía: Cinco canciones que permanecerán en el recuerdo" (in Spanish). RPP Notícias. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Las Ventas". www.locomia.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 October 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 927. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  13. ↑ "Billboard Hot Latin Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 104 (31 ed.). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1 August 1992. p. 33. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Los discos más populares" (in Spanish). Notitas Musicales. 15 May 1991. p. 7. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Mijaíl Gorbachov: la vez que el grupo Locomía le dedicó una canción al fallecido líder soviético". El Comercio (in Spanish). 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.
  16. 1 2 "El grupo Locomía dedicó una canción a Mijaíl Gorbachov, y este es el motivo". RTVE (in Spanish). 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Faixa quente". Jornal do Brasil: 4. 14 November 1990. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  18. 1 2 "O que é o Loco Mía? Relembre o grupo dance que perdeu dois integrantes em menos de um mês". O Sul. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  19. ↑ ""Pandora" obtiene un disco de oro en Chile". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 28 December 1991. p. 60. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Cuidar el cuerpo y no destruirlo: grupo Locomía". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 29 May 1991. p. 46. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022.
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