Belly of the Heart, Belly Full of Bats: The Top Ten Flaming Lip Songs Ever
Detailed introduction:
The Flaming Lips are my favorite band ever and these are their top ten songs ever. Is that okay with you, pumpkin?
The Top Ten (in sort-of order):
1. "You Have To Be Joking (Autopsy of the Devil's Brain)" Ever since I first heard it on the audio section of the band's website some time in 2003, I've been awed by this achingly-beautiful acoustic track, an uncharacteristically quiet song off of 1992's "Hit To Death in the Future Head". Instrumentally, it's mostly just an acoustic guitar, string samples and some bongos, and yet I wouldn't hesitate to call it Wayne Coyne's greatest accomplishment as a songwriter. It has a haunting quality of a Stones or Neil Young ballad, with an eerie echo effect on the vocals and a bizarre strings sample at about the two-thirds mark. Lyrically, it seems to capture a reaction to something so horrific and unbelievable, Wayne's in denial. "You have to be joking...they wouldn't do such unspeakable things." The epiphany comes during the bridge, when he declares, "Seems to me that God and the devil are both the same." Please seek out this song.
I was reminded of my love for this song while in the front row, when the band unexpectedly performed it as the second encore at a show in New York, last September. Wayne prefaced it by saying that they hadn't performed it for at least ten years, and then proceeded to play an amazing version of the song, with only a keyboard backing him. I only regret not mentioning my gratitude when I met him afterwards. Here's a video of the event:
2. "The Gash" I've often proclaimed The Lips' "The Soft Bulletin" to be my favorite album ever and it most certainly would not be the same without this freakishly epic ode to perserverance. Essentially, it's a combination of what sounds like a church choir on crack, a climatic orchestra and some booming, echo-drenched drums that makes this song beyond description. Wayne takes a accusatory lyrical approach, demanding to know why this gash on your leg has caused you to "lose all the will to battle on."
Will the fight for our sanity be the fight of our lives?
Now that we've lost all the reasons that we thought that we had
Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
(Even the last second of this song is beyond brilliant, as these Oklahoma weirdos end it with a amazingly effective piano ting.)
A performance of the song from Webster Hall, 3/31/06:
3. "Slow Nerve Action" Oh, and speaking of booming drums, I think these are my favorite drums in any song, ever. It begins with an indescribably "bwwwwoing!", but I could write a four-page thesis paper just attempting to describe the significance that that first second has for me. I truly believe that drummer/multi-instrumental genius/God Steven Drozd should be declared Pope, win a Nobel Prize and an Academy Award solely for his performance in this song. The drums burst out of the speakers with enough intensity, distortion and, well...sound to kill a moose. Jesus Christ, those drums....But the actual song itself! Incredible Lips' albums like "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart" (from which this song is pulled) seem to be all about contrast to me; the way the sweet innocent xylophone line contrasts with the insane noise-guitar riff, or the way the catchy vocal melodies fits against those aforementioned drums. Oh, and listen to that feedback-guitar solo (that word doesn't begin to describe it) at 2:57. Ronald Jones, I salute you! Where the fuck have you gone? The lyrics are typically confusing:
She had a cool invisible dog that she called Paul
We'd always sit around the house watching her feed the dog.
The song ends the same way it started: a full-on static assault of satanic drumming. A lo-fi mini-masterpiece.
Performance from 10/23/1999:
4. "Satellite of You" There are songs, and then there are songs. "Satellite of You" (no, not the Lou Reed tune) is a real song, the type of song that you feel and love and want to have sexual intercourse with. Due to the divine nature of the sessions for "The Soft Bulletin", even the surplus material (found on "The Soft Bulletin Companions") is godspoken and better than your favorite band's best work. This incredible outtake from said album has been described by the band as a "cross between Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin", though it sounds like the type of music I'd imagine God himself would listen to. Drenched in gorgeous strings, booming drums (sensing a pattern here), gorgeous harmonies and just the right amount of harmonica, this is the type of song that makes me think I can jump into oncoming traffic and land in an ice cream sundae.
`cause your the earth
And I'm just the moon
In orbit so faithfully...
A satellite true
The Sinatra/Zeppelin (hey, more of that contrast theme!) is heard most clearly during the last minute or so, as the booming drums reach some sort of epic, cosmic agreement with the floating harmonies, letting the song fade out gracefully.
5. "March of the Rotten Vegetables" Some say that the band's ambitious (an understatement, no?) 1997 album "Zaireeka" is one of the most brilliantly unique recordings ever; others describe it as pointlessly pretentious and impractical (*cough*PITCHFORK REVIEW*cough*). I've always been firmly in the former camp, as listening to this record on four CD players the way it's meant to be heard is truly one of the most unique and engaging musical experiences I've ever had. If "Slow Nerve Action" is my favorite drum intro, then I suppose this is my favorite drum solo. (I might as well just marry Steven Drozd at this point.) Allow me to give you Wayne's description of the song, found in the liner notes:
"I envisioned this as music for a cartoon about a group of determined vegetables who feel like the place where they're growing is.. no good. So they uproot and head for better soil.. encountering hardship and heroism along the way.. as they parade through Meatville they are BOOed, then they are attacked by bats, but eventually, before they rot, they must find better ground.. CD No.1 plays the main theme. CD No.3 takes over during the "here come the bats" part and all the CD's join in as the bats "attack." You may hear this as a freakish drum solo."
Yeah, no shit, pa! After the creepily foreboding piano + synth melody subsides, the obnoxious drums fully hijack the track, with only a cute little piano melody for accompaniment. I'd imagine Mssr. Drozd was fuckin` gasping for air after a solo of such epic proportions. Oh, and it descends into pure white noise, at one point. You know, because those are the bats. Wayne said so. That makes sense, right? God, I love this band.
6. "Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Internal, Existential Fear" It's a crime that so many casual Lips fans have been robbed of the oppurtunity to hear this beautiful ode to life's innocence. It's a crime that this song was left off of the band's most recent album, "At War with the Mystics", though the band's claim that it just don't fit is reasonable enough. It's a crime that Phil Spector killed that prostitute that one time in 2003. But enough about that.
Because, even if the documentary The Fearless Freaks (add it to your Netflix pronto if you haven't viewed it) consisting of nothing but Michael Ivins making burping noises for 90 minutes straight, it'd still be worth it to hear this song during the credits. (And yes, every time I hear the song, I think of those credits. Those wonderful credits, since, for about a year, they were my only soource of hearing this song.) The song has a raw, laid-back, acoustic acid-country feel to it, reminiscent of the soundtrack to "Okie Noodling". Somehow, this musical backdrop manages to invoke pure, unadulterated nostalgia and reflection. Slow, now honey, keep it slow. The tune manages to make beautiful usage of a banjo solo, as well, and eventually fades out to the tune of an oncoming train. But not a menacing train; a calm, reflective train, if ya catch my drift. I don't care if you have to tackle a helpless, old woman on the way, please find a way to acquire this song.
Last night I had a horrible dream
But the dogs barking in the morning came and chased it all away
7. "When You Smile/Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles" Fun fact: This is the only time I can recall seeing "fetus" and "smile" appear together in the same song title. Anyway, this 12-minute live medley appears on "The Fearless Freaks" soundtrack. Like, there was this, like, guy named Ronald Jones and he made incredible noises with a guitar that no one else could and then he went insane and left the band. The end.
This live recording isn't of great sound quality, yet the intensity oughta be illegal. It begins with a noisy rendition of "Clouds Taste Metallic"'s gorgeous ditty "When You Smile". Just listen to the sounds coming out of that amplifier at the 3:14 mark! This segways into a lengthy introduction to "Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus" (yeah, that's actually the title). The bass grooves on and on as the guitar moans and groans all over the top. It builds up and finally explodes into orgasmic bliss at about 7 and a half minutes with enough noise-driven madness to wake Terri Schiavo.
The chromosomes seem not to want the feeeeeeeeeeeeeettusssssss!!!!!!!!!
8. "Jesus Shootin` Heroin" The amateurish chaos of the Lips` first three records certainly needed some representation over hurr, and I feel that this song, more than any other, demonstrates Wayne's early potential and unique vision as a songwriter. It begins with three moody, reverb-drenched minor chords, as Wayne muses on the mystery of religion.
I've never really understood religions
Expect it seems a good reason to kill
Everybody's got their own conceptions
And you know, they always will.
The chorus pulls us headfirst into a slow-burning, noisy battle cry of "Aaaahhhhhh-Aaaaaaaaaaaah", like a bunch of heroin-addicts invading a church. The quietly creepy "aahhhhhh" refrain lends a background to the confusing guitar solo and final verse narration about a tragic police accident in New York City. A song like this may not have the polished sheen of "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots", or the one-of-a-kind fractured noise rock genius of "In A Priest Driven Ambulance", but it most certainly shows that the genius of this unique group was there from the beginning, albeit in a different form.
9. "Bad Days (Aurally Excited Version)" "Bad Days" (originally found on the "Batman Forever" soundtrack) is the type of song that you just can't imagine anyone frowning during. Because you have to sleep late when you can. It's true. All your bad days will end.
The band's prevalent optimism shines through here. Oh, and remember that old theme of contrast? Who the fuck else sings of blowing a boss's head off over a musical backdrop of yippy xylophones and upbeat "oooohh--ooooh" harmonies? Of course, it's a Drozd/Jones party, and the fuzzy guitars and insanely-loud drums are invited as well. But not an exercise in wankery; it's an exercise in pure sugar-drenched melody and happiness and upbeat whistling. Even up to that obnoxiously catchy coda and xylophone solo (!), this song is pretty much perfect, and that's that.
Don't miss out on the disgustingly happy video:
10. "Do You Realize??" Ahahahahahahahahahaha! You thought I was gonna neglect this double question-marked gem in favor of my obscure, indie elitism. Disclaimer: I'm not too cool for "Do You Realize??" No one is. It doesn't fucking matter if you first heard it in a car commercial, a radio in Starbucks or from Wayne Coyne himself at a concert. This song, in all of its mellotron-soaked, key-change glory, is better than all of us. Because everyone you know someday will die.
And, no, I'm not even gonna bother trying to describe the song. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again. But, in the meantime, why not watch the video for the thousandth time? After all, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning `round.
Honorable mention: Track 11 on "Hit To Death in the Future Head" Because we're red-blooded Amrrrrrricans and we like 29 minutes and 16 seconds of speaker-jumping sonic chaos after a delicious, 1992 noise-pop album!
Good night.
The Flaming Lips are my favorite band ever and these are their top ten songs ever. Is that okay with you, pumpkin?
The Top Ten (in sort-of order):
1. "You Have To Be Joking (Autopsy of the Devil's Brain)" Ever since I first heard it on the audio section of the band's website some time in 2003, I've been awed by this achingly-beautiful acoustic track, an uncharacteristically quiet song off of 1992's "Hit To Death in the Future Head". Instrumentally, it's mostly just an acoustic guitar, string samples and some bongos, and yet I wouldn't hesitate to call it Wayne Coyne's greatest accomplishment as a songwriter. It has a haunting quality of a Stones or Neil Young ballad, with an eerie echo effect on the vocals and a bizarre strings sample at about the two-thirds mark. Lyrically, it seems to capture a reaction to something so horrific and unbelievable, Wayne's in denial. "You have to be joking...they wouldn't do such unspeakable things." The epiphany comes during the bridge, when he declares, "Seems to me that God and the devil are both the same." Please seek out this song.
I was reminded of my love for this song while in the front row, when the band unexpectedly performed it as the second encore at a show in New York, last September. Wayne prefaced it by saying that they hadn't performed it for at least ten years, and then proceeded to play an amazing version of the song, with only a keyboard backing him. I only regret not mentioning my gratitude when I met him afterwards. Here's a video of the event:
2. "The Gash" I've often proclaimed The Lips' "The Soft Bulletin" to be my favorite album ever and it most certainly would not be the same without this freakishly epic ode to perserverance. Essentially, it's a combination of what sounds like a church choir on crack, a climatic orchestra and some booming, echo-drenched drums that makes this song beyond description. Wayne takes a accusatory lyrical approach, demanding to know why this gash on your leg has caused you to "lose all the will to battle on."
Will the fight for our sanity be the fight of our lives?
Now that we've lost all the reasons that we thought that we had
Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
(Even the last second of this song is beyond brilliant, as these Oklahoma weirdos end it with a amazingly effective piano ting.)
A performance of the song from Webster Hall, 3/31/06:
3. "Slow Nerve Action" Oh, and speaking of booming drums, I think these are my favorite drums in any song, ever. It begins with an indescribably "bwwwwoing!", but I could write a four-page thesis paper just attempting to describe the significance that that first second has for me. I truly believe that drummer/multi-instrumental genius/God Steven Drozd should be declared Pope, win a Nobel Prize and an Academy Award solely for his performance in this song. The drums burst out of the speakers with enough intensity, distortion and, well...sound to kill a moose. Jesus Christ, those drums....But the actual song itself! Incredible Lips' albums like "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart" (from which this song is pulled) seem to be all about contrast to me; the way the sweet innocent xylophone line contrasts with the insane noise-guitar riff, or the way the catchy vocal melodies fits against those aforementioned drums. Oh, and listen to that feedback-guitar solo (that word doesn't begin to describe it) at 2:57. Ronald Jones, I salute you! Where the fuck have you gone? The lyrics are typically confusing:
She had a cool invisible dog that she called Paul
We'd always sit around the house watching her feed the dog.
The song ends the same way it started: a full-on static assault of satanic drumming. A lo-fi mini-masterpiece.
Performance from 10/23/1999:
4. "Satellite of You" There are songs, and then there are songs. "Satellite of You" (no, not the Lou Reed tune) is a real song, the type of song that you feel and love and want to have sexual intercourse with. Due to the divine nature of the sessions for "The Soft Bulletin", even the surplus material (found on "The Soft Bulletin Companions") is godspoken and better than your favorite band's best work. This incredible outtake from said album has been described by the band as a "cross between Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin", though it sounds like the type of music I'd imagine God himself would listen to. Drenched in gorgeous strings, booming drums (sensing a pattern here), gorgeous harmonies and just the right amount of harmonica, this is the type of song that makes me think I can jump into oncoming traffic and land in an ice cream sundae.
`cause your the earth
And I'm just the moon
In orbit so faithfully...
A satellite true
The Sinatra/Zeppelin (hey, more of that contrast theme!) is heard most clearly during the last minute or so, as the booming drums reach some sort of epic, cosmic agreement with the floating harmonies, letting the song fade out gracefully.
5. "March of the Rotten Vegetables" Some say that the band's ambitious (an understatement, no?) 1997 album "Zaireeka" is one of the most brilliantly unique recordings ever; others describe it as pointlessly pretentious and impractical (*cough*PITCHFORK REVIEW*cough*). I've always been firmly in the former camp, as listening to this record on four CD players the way it's meant to be heard is truly one of the most unique and engaging musical experiences I've ever had. If "Slow Nerve Action" is my favorite drum intro, then I suppose this is my favorite drum solo. (I might as well just marry Steven Drozd at this point.) Allow me to give you Wayne's description of the song, found in the liner notes:
"I envisioned this as music for a cartoon about a group of determined vegetables who feel like the place where they're growing is.. no good. So they uproot and head for better soil.. encountering hardship and heroism along the way.. as they parade through Meatville they are BOOed, then they are attacked by bats, but eventually, before they rot, they must find better ground.. CD No.1 plays the main theme. CD No.3 takes over during the "here come the bats" part and all the CD's join in as the bats "attack." You may hear this as a freakish drum solo."
Yeah, no shit, pa! After the creepily foreboding piano + synth melody subsides, the obnoxious drums fully hijack the track, with only a cute little piano melody for accompaniment. I'd imagine Mssr. Drozd was fuckin` gasping for air after a solo of such epic proportions. Oh, and it descends into pure white noise, at one point. You know, because those are the bats. Wayne said so. That makes sense, right? God, I love this band.
6. "Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Internal, Existential Fear" It's a crime that so many casual Lips fans have been robbed of the oppurtunity to hear this beautiful ode to life's innocence. It's a crime that this song was left off of the band's most recent album, "At War with the Mystics", though the band's claim that it just don't fit is reasonable enough. It's a crime that Phil Spector killed that prostitute that one time in 2003. But enough about that.
Because, even if the documentary The Fearless Freaks (add it to your Netflix pronto if you haven't viewed it) consisting of nothing but Michael Ivins making burping noises for 90 minutes straight, it'd still be worth it to hear this song during the credits. (And yes, every time I hear the song, I think of those credits. Those wonderful credits, since, for about a year, they were my only soource of hearing this song.) The song has a raw, laid-back, acoustic acid-country feel to it, reminiscent of the soundtrack to "Okie Noodling". Somehow, this musical backdrop manages to invoke pure, unadulterated nostalgia and reflection. Slow, now honey, keep it slow. The tune manages to make beautiful usage of a banjo solo, as well, and eventually fades out to the tune of an oncoming train. But not a menacing train; a calm, reflective train, if ya catch my drift. I don't care if you have to tackle a helpless, old woman on the way, please find a way to acquire this song.
Last night I had a horrible dream
But the dogs barking in the morning came and chased it all away
7. "When You Smile/Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles" Fun fact: This is the only time I can recall seeing "fetus" and "smile" appear together in the same song title. Anyway, this 12-minute live medley appears on "The Fearless Freaks" soundtrack. Like, there was this, like, guy named Ronald Jones and he made incredible noises with a guitar that no one else could and then he went insane and left the band. The end.
This live recording isn't of great sound quality, yet the intensity oughta be illegal. It begins with a noisy rendition of "Clouds Taste Metallic"'s gorgeous ditty "When You Smile". Just listen to the sounds coming out of that amplifier at the 3:14 mark! This segways into a lengthy introduction to "Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus" (yeah, that's actually the title). The bass grooves on and on as the guitar moans and groans all over the top. It builds up and finally explodes into orgasmic bliss at about 7 and a half minutes with enough noise-driven madness to wake Terri Schiavo.
The chromosomes seem not to want the feeeeeeeeeeeeeettusssssss!!!!!!!!!
8. "Jesus Shootin` Heroin" The amateurish chaos of the Lips` first three records certainly needed some representation over hurr, and I feel that this song, more than any other, demonstrates Wayne's early potential and unique vision as a songwriter. It begins with three moody, reverb-drenched minor chords, as Wayne muses on the mystery of religion.
I've never really understood religions
Expect it seems a good reason to kill
Everybody's got their own conceptions
And you know, they always will.
The chorus pulls us headfirst into a slow-burning, noisy battle cry of "Aaaahhhhhh-Aaaaaaaaaaaah", like a bunch of heroin-addicts invading a church. The quietly creepy "aahhhhhh" refrain lends a background to the confusing guitar solo and final verse narration about a tragic police accident in New York City. A song like this may not have the polished sheen of "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots", or the one-of-a-kind fractured noise rock genius of "In A Priest Driven Ambulance", but it most certainly shows that the genius of this unique group was there from the beginning, albeit in a different form.
9. "Bad Days (Aurally Excited Version)" "Bad Days" (originally found on the "Batman Forever" soundtrack) is the type of song that you just can't imagine anyone frowning during. Because you have to sleep late when you can. It's true. All your bad days will end.
The band's prevalent optimism shines through here. Oh, and remember that old theme of contrast? Who the fuck else sings of blowing a boss's head off over a musical backdrop of yippy xylophones and upbeat "oooohh--ooooh" harmonies? Of course, it's a Drozd/Jones party, and the fuzzy guitars and insanely-loud drums are invited as well. But not an exercise in wankery; it's an exercise in pure sugar-drenched melody and happiness and upbeat whistling. Even up to that obnoxiously catchy coda and xylophone solo (!), this song is pretty much perfect, and that's that.
Don't miss out on the disgustingly happy video:
10. "Do You Realize??" Ahahahahahahahahahaha! You thought I was gonna neglect this double question-marked gem in favor of my obscure, indie elitism. Disclaimer: I'm not too cool for "Do You Realize??" No one is. It doesn't fucking matter if you first heard it in a car commercial, a radio in Starbucks or from Wayne Coyne himself at a concert. This song, in all of its mellotron-soaked, key-change glory, is better than all of us. Because everyone you know someday will die.
And, no, I'm not even gonna bother trying to describe the song. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again. But, in the meantime, why not watch the video for the thousandth time? After all, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning `round.
Honorable mention: Track 11 on "Hit To Death in the Future Head" Because we're red-blooded Amrrrrrricans and we like 29 minutes and 16 seconds of speaker-jumping sonic chaos after a delicious, 1992 noise-pop album!
Good night.
Labels: The Flaming Lips
3 Comments:
Inspired Choices Hilbert. If I had my music on this computer I'd make myself a Hilbert Cheesecake Lips mix right now.
Why no music on your computer? That's a frightening thought...
(All fellow Lips fans, feel free to make your own mix.)
I've just moved to a new computer and haven't had the chance to put all of my tunes on it yet. Actually the only album I have on this computer right now is that The For Carnation biz.
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