![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I only know of the band at all thanks to my dad, who saw one of their singles on MTV, (back in the days when MTV was both relevant and good), and went out of his way to buy a couple of their albums.
(I say "their", I think because in my head all bands are a plurality of people by default, but I think Planet P is in fact mostly one guy, A dude called Tony Cary)
Pink World is my favorite album by the band, hands down. Albums that use their songs to tell a single, overarching story are something I've always really liked by default - I'd fit it in with Styx's Kilroy was Here and Rush's 2112, As all three are sci-fi dystopias that address a current topic or subject of interest to the band at the time. Kilroy was Here took heavy inspiration from the record burning and Moral Majority antics of hardcore conservatives and Christians at the time, (complete with secret evil backwards messages!), and Dr. Righteous is a total bop.
What the devils going on?
I am right and you are wrong!
Shoot those chemicals in your veins,
anything to ease the pain!
Dr. Righteous!
I thought 2112 had a similar through line, but apparently its based on the writings of Ayn Rand? I hadn't known that until I did a quick google to double check myself. Anyhow, the album is set in the distant future, 2112, in fact, where a powerful, multi-world spanning priesthood controls all. The protagonist begins his journey by finding a guitar, a symbol of free thought and expression. The militant tones of The Temple of Syrinx are a standout for the album, and the song I remember best.
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you read
The songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure
To your eye
One for all and all for one
Work together
Common sons
Never need to wonder
How or why
Rush actually has quite a few story-albums, and thinking of 2112 honestly makes me want to give another listen to Clockwork Angels, which is steampunk themed.
Planet P Project's Pink World, Meanwhile is all about the cold war, centering around two key characters - Artemis, a mute child with mysterious powers from an unknown source, and the Stranger, an immortal who moves in parallel to Artemis as the world collapses into nuclear war and devastation. Tony Cary has a distinct style to him, enough so that even a woman with a tin ear like me can hear it. Honestly, I really do think Planet P deserves to be listed in among the greats.
I see a planet that's glowing red
I see the millions burning in their beds
I see the beauty that might have been
Torn from the future by hungry men
I have the same dream every night
I wake up shaking in the morning light
I don't know what could be expected of me
I only know that I believe what I see
And you, do you see what I see?
Yeah you, do you see what I see?
My favorite song by Planet P is actually off a different album, called Where Does it go? And you know what? I'll just go ahead and post it.
The guitar riff in this one really makes it.