TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Planet P" - Planet P (1983)

"Planet P" - Planet P (1983)

Planet P has always been a bit of a guilty-pleasure for me.  And I don't disparagingly mean this.  It's just that synth pop-rock has never been something I've actively sought out.  But then there are always exceptions, right?

Several years ago, I was driving back to Wichita from a comedy spew I did in Kansas City.  It was long after midnight before I got out of the suburb traffic, and finally found some highway space.  I picked up a radio station playing a three-fer from an artist I didn't catch.  The songs were..."Static"…"Top Of The World"…and "Why Me."  Never heard any of them before.  I was having one of those pitch-dark solo drives where songs can sneak up and smack ya in the mouth and buzz right into your head.  And for the next 15 minutes, I was drive-trippin'.

Many months passed before learning it was Planet P I had been listening to on the radio.  And I rushed out and bought the CD.  Most of the songs are atmospheric.  A bit of an Alan Parsons vibe.  Not exactly, but in that general synthy prog-pop vicinity.  It was mostly all pretty good.  But those three songs that helped me drive home that long night...they left a memory burn that, to this day, still gives me highway flashbacks.  It's outta my hands.

"Planet P" - Planet P (back)

Favorites include:
"Static"
"Top Of The World"
"Why Me?"

If you didn't know, Planet P was really Tony Carey.  Tony was the keyboardist on Rainbow's killer album, "Rising."  Later Carey would begin a successful run as a solo artist with "A Fine, Fine Day" and "The First Day Of Summer" making radio speakers sound better everywhere.  Tony Carey AND his other project Planet P were signed to Geffen.  At the same time!  But with the stipulation, he was not to do any promotions that would conflict with any of the Tony Carey albums he was releasing.  What a business!

Having owned the CD forever, last week I picked up a nice vinyl copy at The Record Ship.  The album can easily be found for under ten dollars and is a low-dollar/high-reward purchase for sure, and the vinyl really brings it out.  Check out my interview with Tony Carey. 

"Planet P" - Planet P
(custom sleeve front)

Geffen Records label

Cat #
GHS 4000
SIDE 1  DEADWAX
GHS-1-4000-SH2  (stamped balloon)  B-17730-SH2  (Artisan drumstix) GF  SLM  △ 3684  1-2    
SIDE 2  DEADWAX
GHS-2-4000-SH2  (stamped balloon)  B-17730-SH2  (Artisan drumstix)  SLM  △ 3684-X  ─◁  1-2 
 
BARCODE: 0 7599-24000-1

"Why Me" - Planet P / "Planet P" (1983)  

TRACKS:
A1  "Static" 4:04
A2  "King For A Day" 3:57
A3  "I Won't Wake Up" 3:46
A4  "Top Of The World" 4:34
A5  "Armageddon" 4:20
B1  "Why Me?" 4:06
B2  "Power Tools" 3:59
B3  "Send It In A Letter" 3:52
B4  "Adam And Eve" 3:36
B5  "Only You And Me" 3:22

PERSONNEL:
Tony Carey - vocals, b-vocals, keyboards, bass, acoustic guitars, Roland rhythm composer programs
Johan Daansen - guitars
Robert Musenpichler - guitars
Helmut Bibl - guitars
Reinhard Besser - bass
Hartmut Pfannmueller - drums, percussion
Fritz Matzka - drums, percussion
Peter Hauke - drums, percussion
David Thomas - lead vocals (B5)

Good stuff.

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