Antonello Venditti
Buona domenica

THE REVIEW

."With our famous idiotic faces, here we are.
 With our sad smiles, still talking about ourselves
 and there's nothing to discover, nothing to save
 in our words.
 Memories, books to throw away, phrases to blame
 of two flags straight in front of the sun"

from "Modena"

"Modena" is probably a song that captures and reflects very sincerely the end of an era, the decline of the communist ideology in Italy, the disillusionment "Our life is Coca-Cola, cold in the throat of a father too long loved" that takes over an entire generation. We are in '79, the historical compromise between the Communist Party and the DC that cost Moro's life, marked the end of opposing ideologies, and Venditti manages to capture the sense of alienation among the militants and creates a beautiful song, full of suffering and melancholy with a precious sax by Gato Barbieri.

"Buona Domenica" tries to resume the path traced by "Sotto Il Segno Dei Pesci" but in fact, it is a work that does not hold up in comparison. Venditti is already declining as a political author, the historical substrate changes, and this contributes to a radical change that will lead him to where he is today, a perfect example of how not to throw away a career. The album opens with the urban sounds of the title track, a highly catchy piece that talks about adolescent love, "Buona domenica, spent at home waiting, even the phone doesn’t ring anymore and your boyfriend has taken off", a pleasant song, as is the musical structure of "Stai Con Me", though the lyrics are decidedly less so. "Robin" is autobiographical, "Donne In Bottiglia" reflects the author's personal problems, "If you no longer trust me tell me so if you desire more understanding don’t look at me with those tender eyes", "Kriminal" and "Mezzanotte" are two fillers, the latter mocking "Come fanno i marinai" by Dalla and De Gregori.

"Buona Domenica" is a work full of suffering that finds in "Modena" an excellent song and in the rest perhaps too much artifice, better the following "Sotto La Pioggia" for musical homogeneity, then Venditti will become a taboo for many.