Better known as Fantasic Planet in the US, 1973’s French/Czech Cannes award-winning La Planète Sauvage was a masterpiece of psychedelic animation that still resonates today. Unfortunately, the brilliant soundtrack by Alain Goraguer has only appeared in print sporadically over the past forty years. This long overdue vinyl reissue makes the album available once again, with updated artwork and excellent sound quality.
Anyone who’s seen La Planète Sauvage knows that Goraguer’s score, in many ways, makes the film. Centered around the theme of a plodding, Can-like groove, the compositions, ranging from light and airy passages to darkly sinister heaviness, effectively blend heady, psychedelic rock with lounge nuances and tasteful string arrangements. It’s music that can be enjoyed on its own merits, like the best work of Goblin and John Carpenter, without any knowledge of the film, although having the cartoon’s stark imagery in mind only enhances the experience.
All too often, original soundtracks fall behind the radar when, in fact, they contain some of the most memorable, engaging sounds to be found on record shelves. Pick up this reissue of La Planète Sauvage before it falls of the face of the earth yet again and delve into an alien world of dreams, imagination and rebellion.
