Alain Goraguer - Deshominisation (I)

Imagine, if you will, that in 1969 Algiers, shadowy figures slipped a hit of acid into Steve McQueen’s tumbler of bourbon, and he embarked on a vision quest following a tufted lynx voiced by Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright, and woke up wearing a snakeskin headband and covered in goat’s blood. Not really related to this song, but pretty cool, eh? Imagination is like a movie, but inside your head!

‘Deshominisation’ comes from the soundtrack to the 1973 French sci-fi classic ‘La Planète Sauvage (Fantastic Planet)’ - a thoroughly surreal and tripped-out film about a race of enormous blue alien creatures who capture humans and use them as pets… or worse. The film itself has gone on to become quite a cult classic since its release, and the soundtrack was a highly sought-after rarity before its re-release in 1996. The songs are laid-back, smooth yet slightly menacing, and Goraguer deserves credit for not needing a whiny synthesizer lead to indicate the fact that this is sci-fi - whereas I suspect many other composers for science fiction cinema were hired in the following fashion:

Film Director: “We want the score to use inorganic sounds to subtly suggest man’s disconnection from humanity and the alienation of technological progress.”

French Guy: “This, the machines, does the sounds like WWWWEEEEEEEIR-WOOOOO-WWEEEEEPRBBBLT”.

Film Director: “You’re hired.”

Alain Goraguer did compose other minor scores, but is best known for his work as an arranger for Serge Gainsbourg, who frankly is getting way too much airtime here and is now under strict embargo until further notice.