The Andretti – The Silent Goodbye – Hang on, what the bleep is this? Some kind of big screen (concept?) album? Here’s a list; David Bowie, Danny Elfman, James Bond, David Bowie again, Tom Jones, John Barry, Black Midi, Frank Sinatra, Frank’s big orchestra, some more Black Midi and then throw in The Residents, rather a lot of Lovely Little Girls, a healthy amount of those Mothers of Invention (without Zappa’s cynical bits), that cantina band from Star Wars, a bit of Camp Blackfoot just for obscurity’s sake, chuck in a couple of helpings of Lalo Schifrin soundtracks from the early 70’s – you know, that bit where McQueen’s Mustang is about to chase the Charger, that and a tiny sprinkling of Devo, a hint (or two or maybe more) of Faith No More, a few more (very) big dollops of Bowie at his most bombastic (or maybe now and again Bowie’s take on his hero Antony Newley), add the theatrics of The Tubes and those white punks on dope, the curveballs of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band along with several kitchen sinks – never mind the sinks, throw in the whole damn kitchen, then add another kitchen with at least three more sinks, throw it in the spin dryer with the whole cryogenic interstellar comic opera that it is, add several galaxies and that’s all before we even start to consider what the hell he and his band are singing about? Some great big science Fiction star ride into several different dimensions all at once. that and something about syphilitic pricks and the petty executioners and that bit there just now was very very Bowie indeed until it went all new wave prog rock and then Sinatra’s big band pushed themselves to the front again with California’s depressing flowers, and ashes with abide and now its feels very Mott The Hoople and the glamorous decay of it all and it really is a very long way down rock ‘n roll (from the Liverpool docks to the Hollywood bowl) and here comes Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Francisco Scaramanga, Odd Job and Pussy Galore, along with Frank-n-furter, Brad, Janet, Eddie Meat Loaf and the whole of the Rocky Horror Picture Show all at the same time and whooo, the album just ended! What a ride that was, hit play again Sam, a shotgun to every miracle and pull down the crystal palace, dance on the cash machines and I did write a whole lot more and those damn kids with their gadgets and the sky full of drones and clones and the whole damn computer crashed with the latest draft lost but you get the picture and it has been a long day, a day that included eleven art galleries and one hissy pisssy gallerina and hey, as I do keep saying, who needs a review when you can just hit play for yourselves, music reviews are so last century darling. Don’t be missing out on this one now, brilliant, love it. 

The Andretti is mostly Joe Ferrara on Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards with a whole gand of people on trumpets and drums and woodwind and Flugelhorns and all kinds of things, here’ the Bandcamp  

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