Flaming Lips: 1980s-1998 vs. 1999-present

[musicisgood]

I need to know.

Do people like the Lips better from their old records or things since the Soft Bulletin? A listing of your favorite lips records in order may be appropriate.

For me:

Clouds Taste Metallic > In A Priest Driven Ambulance > Transmissions from the Satellite Heart > Oh My Gawd!! > Hit to Death in the Future Head > Soft Bulletin > Zaireeka > Hear It Is > Yoshimi > At War with the Mystics

[dei]

It's kind of dumb to put garbage up against itself.

/thread.

[ToolBox]

Clouds Taste Metallic is their best work that I have heard. Therefore I have to say pre-soft.

[pulseczar]

Soft Bulletin is the only excellent album from the new era, it's ridiculous that anyone would choose three albums over the ton of amazing stuff they made before.

[The Jungler]

Pre-Soft Bulletin ftw.

Although Soft Bulletion, Yoshimi and At War were Classic, Superb and decent, respectivly.

[YDload]

It's kind of dumb to put garbage up against itself.

/thread.

Blasphemy. The Flaming Lips are better than that garbage you listen to now.

I don't even know what you listen to, but when you compare it to The Flaming Lips it's probably garbage :)

[ToolBox]

Do you really think The Soft Bulletin is more over-rated than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? I mean thats pretty impressive.

[sgrevs]

I can't decide what I like better. My favourites in order (I only have 5)

Clouds Taste Metallic > Soft Bulletin > Yoshimi > At War/Transmissions...

So I have decided not to vote.

[ToolBox]

How could you put Transmissions so low?

[superpeer]

I'm not even familiar with the Flaming Lips but old stuff nearly always wins.

[musicisgood]

Do you really think The Soft Bulletin is more over-rated than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? I mean thats pretty impressive.

To me... Soft Bulletin waayyyyyyyyyyyy more overrated. At least Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a good album, even if it's not as godly as it's made out to be.

I can't even listen to all of Soft Bulletin.

[dei]

Just ignore dei, he's getting kind of old by now.
I thought we were pals.

[Reaganista]

Yoshimi rocks. the rest I could take or leave.

[I Was A Kaleidoscope]

Like I said in the other thread:

I didn't really like The Soft Bulletin much.
Am I weird?
I mean, it's not bad or anything. But what's so good about it?
All the synthy strings and crap are a bit too cheesy for my liking.

I really need to check out more of their old stuff, I've been meaning to for a long time.

[dei]

Yeah but you're hatin' on a band I like now. That's going too far.
A friend of the Lips is no friend of mine.












Come back to me. Please. :(

[looozer]

There are a few key factors to note.

Before The Soft Bulletin, Wayne smoked cigarettes. Now he is kind of a straight edge poster boy. He also took a lot of drugs, as did the rest of the band. I'm not sure exactly when that stopped. After Clouds Taste Metallic, Wayne's father died (perhaps this was before, but it was the year it was released. Wayne grew a beard and grew more pretentious, more existential, and less fun. Although the new Lips albums still have a kooky side to them, they're not as crazy as they used to be. The most important change, however, was Ronald leaving the band. When he left, Steven Drozd started driving the instrumental side of the band, while Wayne focused on the lyrical side. While both are extremely talented, things have gone downhill.

[br3ad_man]

Their early-mid 90's stuff destroys the recent stuff so hard.

Yes. The Soft Bulletin is ok but boy is it overrated.

[sr800bkBassist]

the album Hit To Death in the Future Head + a couple songs off of Transmitions makes the old stuff close to the win.
however that does not compare to how consistent the new stuff is with being amazing.

plus, anyone who has been to a Lips show in the past few years will know, the new stuff makes for 1000000000000x better live experience. i've seen videos of their old punk shows. it looks fun, but overall isn't as much of a mind-blowing magical experience.

[sr800bkBassist]

There are a few key factors to note.

Before The Soft Bulletin, Wayne smoked cigarettes. Now he is kind of a straight edge poster boy. He also took a lot of drugs, as did the rest of the band. I'm not sure exactly when that stopped. After Clouds Taste Metallic, Wayne's father died (perhaps this was before, but it was the year it was released. Wayne grew a beard and grew more pretentious, more existential, and less fun. Although the new Lips albums still have a kooky side to them, they're not as crazy as they used to be. The most important change, however, was Ronald leaving the band. When he left, Steven Drozd started driving the instrumental side of the band, while Wayne focused on the lyrical side. While both are extremely talented, things have gone downhill.
Wayne got less fun? i'd have to say no on that. he seemed like he was going bonkers when i saw them.

[MindlessPickle]

the album Hit To Death in the Future Head + a couple songs off of Transmitions makes the old stuff close to the win.
however that does not compare to how consistent the new stuff is with being amazing.

plus, anyone who has been to a Lips show in the past few years will know, the new stuff makes for 1000000000000x better live experience. i've seen videos of their old punk shows. it looks fun, but overall isn't as much of a mind-blowing magical experience.

So true.

Still, I don't think I can choose. Both eras is great ****ed up weirdo music and that's good enough for me.

[looozer]

Wayne got less fun? i'd have to say no on that. he seemed like he was going bonkers when i saw them.
I didn't mean it in that way. Songs like Be My Head, Pilot Can at the Queer of God, Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus With Needles, Kim's Watermelon Gun, When You Smile, etc are kind of kooky, abstract and upbeat.

Compare that to songs like Do You Realize?, Feeling Yourself Disintegrate, All We Have is Now, and most of the newer songs that are very serious, very existential, and very different.

The live show is still really fun, but the substance behind the songs is more concrete and more serious.

[sr800bkBassist]

I didn't mean it in that way. Songs like Be My Head, Pilot Can at the Queer of God, Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus With Needles, Kim's Watermelon Gun, When You Smile, etc are kind of kooky, abstract and upbeat.

Compare that to songs like Do You Realize?, Feeling Yourself Disintegrate, All We Have is Now, and most of the newer songs that are very serious, very existential, and very different.

The live show is still really fun, but the substance behind the songs is more concrete and more serious.
ahhhhhh ok. i can deffinitely see that. they still have a few wacky songs, but not so much as back then.

i see that as more of an improvement in his songwriting though. the lyrics themselves are still goofy (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Race for the Prize, etc) but the goofiness has more meaning behind it now.

[I Was A Kaleidoscope]

I'm listening to At War With The Mystics the whole way through tonight and it has grown on me quite a lot, I have to say.