La Unión

The Union was born in Madrid in late 1982 as a trio of Advertising students who came together to explore a sound between pop rock and new wave. Luis Bolín on bass, Mario Martínez on guitar and Íñigo Zabala on keyboards built instrumental bases for nearly a year until they added Rafa Sánchez as lead vocalist in 1983. Their breakthrough came when Nacho Cano and Rafa Abitbol signed them to WEA and produced three tracks based on stories by Boris Vian: Wolf Man in Paris, The Fog and Voracity. The first became their instant anthem: in March 1984, the single sold over 200,000 copies, topped the charts for eleven weeks and earned them a gold record. What’s curious is that when they premiered their first six songs at El Sol venue, the audience started leaving. Yet Thousand Silhouettes, their debut album from October 1984, ended up being a resounding success, with gems like Sildavia, Cabaret and Total Eclipse blending imagination and mystery in every lyric.

Their next album, The Cursed Wind (1985), shifted toward a darker, more conceptual tone. Tracks like Among Rare Flowers, Tall and Leafy or The Time Machine revealed another facet of the band—less luminous but equally powerful. But it was in 1987 with 4x4 when they expanded their sound: they incorporated more danceable rhythms in songs like The Ring King or San Francisco, and explored electroacoustic textures in Mariluz, Move Now or Where Were You (In Bad Times). That album, their last produced by Cano and Abitbol, took them on their first tour of America. A year later, Living East of Eden (1988) marked a turning point: not only did they become a trio after Zabala’s departure, but they also took production into their own hands and began sounding strong across the continent. Songs like Maracaibo, More and More—which later became the theme of the 1989 Vuelta Ciclista a España—and My Old Neighborhood reflected this new phase, where remixes for clubs and the craze for maxi-singles gave them a boost in the dance scene.