Thought to have been lost in a studio fire for 40-plus years, here's the elusive and coveted soundtrack to Andre Cayette's 1969 film Les Chemins De Katmandou. Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier co-wrote, arranged, and orchestrated the record during the "dynamic duo's most definitive creative period," and The Jane Birkin-starring movie, which trails a man that joins a group of hippies on a drug-and-free-love-fueled trip through Nepal, is blessed with forward-thinking Gallic funk/psychedelic pop that the two gents are so loved for. "Thick plucked bass lines, close-miced drums, biting Clavinet and Eastern-influenced strings and percussion" are laid down by by Paris-based musicians ("French library music royalty), and the record brims with fresh creative energy resulting from what was then a relatively new partnership between Vannier and Gainsbourg. No wonder this LP has achieved holy grail status among the most avid vinyl collectors; a big shout to Finders Keepers for presenting the FIRST-EVER pressing of Les Chemins De Katmandou. Recommended.

• first ever pressing
• Finders Keepers Records 2017

reviewed by nakaveli 12/2017