The Flaming Lips

adam · #1 09-21-2005, 09:42 AM

I'm just getting into the Flaming Lips, and I'm curious what fans think about the relative quality of their albums. That is, I'm coming at them totally randomly...I bought Yoshimi, then saw the Fearless Freaks, and then picked up a three-pack of albums of The Soft Bulletin, Clouds Taste Metallic and Hit to Death in the Future Head.

I've been taking them in slowly, so I haven't even listened to HDFH yet, but, my god, am I ever enjoying Clouds Taste Metallic.

So, that's what I'm curious about. Are the albums with Ronald generally considered superior? (I have no reason to think they are, I'm just throwing that out as an example of the kind of thing I'm looking for). Also, if you know your opinion differs from the general opinion, I'd like to hear both.

purlieu · #2 09-21-2005, 10:19 AM

Transmissions From The Satellite Heart. Best Flips album. I can't believe it's the one you missed out!
Soft Bulletin's close behind.

adam · #3 09-21-2005, 10:22 AM

I haven't missed anything, I'm just getting started. The three albums were packed together, for $36, where they would be $45-60 normally. That's why I got those three.

Renze · #4 09-21-2005, 11:03 AM

I only have Yoshimi but it's one of the few albums I have that I can listen to from the beginning to the end. No doubt a masterpiece

Scott Warner · #5 09-21-2005, 02:04 PM

'The Soft Bulletin' and 'Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots' are classic.

Everything up to that point is hit and miss, although many would argue that early 90's Lips are just as good as late 90's Lips.

adam · #6 09-21-2005, 02:48 PM

I love Yoshimi in surround, by the way.

b.miller · #7 09-21-2005, 03:18 PM

a local theater here in town did a thing where they took over a park and set up 4 outdoor sound systems to play Zaireeka. they also set up 4 screens and 4 guys each did a visual track to match their audio track. Unfortunately i couldn't go but I heard it was very wild

http://www.originalalamo.com/archive...s/IMG_4459.JPG

purlieu · #8 09-21-2005, 03:29 PM

Lot of love for Yoshimi, eh? I don't rate it as highly as Transmissions, Clouds or Soft Bulletin myself. Good, but horribly slick production at times and some uninteresting songwriting on a couple of tracks.

adam · #9 09-26-2005, 03:46 PM

Woohoo! Listened to HTDITFH for the first time, and found it had that, "Boy, you've still got shit for a brain!" song! Wooot.

Scott Warner · #10 09-26-2005, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Lot of love for Yoshimi, eh? I don't rate it as highly as Transmissions, Clouds or Soft Bulletin myself. Good, but horribly slick production at times and some uninteresting songwriting on a couple of tracks.

It's certainly not as nuts as their older stuff or as brilliant as 'The Soft Bulletin' but I don't think it's necessarily a safe or disinteresting record. It just this wonderful, warm, spacey thing that largely concerns itself with death. I've heard it way too many times but I still love it.

Transmission and Bulletin I love immensely but I've never been able to parse Clouds. I like "Lightning Strikes the Postman" quite a bit but everything else is missing something for me. Maybe it'll make sense in a few years.