La Grasa de las Capitales

La Grasa de las Capitales is the second album by the Argentine progressive rock supergroup Serú Girán, released in 1979. After its deeply criticized debut album Serú Girán, the band distanced themselves from symphonic rock and moved closer to traditional rock and pop while keeping a considerable jazz fusion element in the music, which also was present in the debut album.

The word "grasa" means "grease" in Spanish, but in Argentina it is also slang for "tacky". As such, the title of the album was a criticism of the superficiality of Argentine society at the time (which was living under a military dictatorship following the 1976 coup) among other aspects what it was considered then "commercial" music (as opposed to the more elaborate lyrics and musicianship supposedly present in genres such as prog rock) with disco music being parodied in the self-titled first track. The cover of the album is a spoof of popular gossip magazine Gente, with members of the band presented as improbable celebrities (Aznar an obscure office worker, Moro a butcher, Lebon a rugby player and Garcia a petrol station worker – a criticism to petrol companies who "stuff themselves with money and run the world" according to Garcia ) one of the headlines announcing a romance between Aznar and "Olivia Neutron-Bomb" (cf Olivia-Newton John, the star of that year's blockbuster musical "Grease").

The album spurred three hit singles. Pedro Aznar's "Paranoia y Soledad" (Paranoia and Loneliness) which was a cryptically metaphoric song talking about a man's descent into insanity; "La Grasa de Las Capitales" (The Grease/Tackiness of the Capitals) which presented a sharp criticism on the paparazzi and the frivolous magazines (as showed on the album cover) and briefly parodied disco music, and the final track, "Viernes, 3 A.M." (Friday, 3 A.M.) which had lyrics graphically depicting a man's suicide, which was banned from radio play by the dictatorship due to it "encouraging suicide". Luis Alberto Spinetta later referred to the track as "something even Lennon and McCartney would've wanted to write".

In 2007, the Argentine edition of Rolling Stone ranked it 17 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Albums of National Rock". In 2019, the album was remastered and reissued for its 40th anniversary.

Personnel
Serú Girán
 * Charly García – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha CP-70, Minimoog, mellotron, lead vocal, Moog bass in "Los Sobrevivientes"
 * David Lebón - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocal
 * Pedro Aznar - bass guitar, fretless bass, Minimoog, acoustic guitar, lead vocal, tubular bells on "Paranoia y Soledad"
 * Oscar Moro - drums, percussion

Production staff
 * Produced by Charly García.
 * Executive produced by Oscar López.
 * Recorded by Amílcar Gilabert
 * All arrangements by Serú Girán.
 * Artwork by Rodolfo Bozzolo.
 * Front cover photographed by Rubén Andón.