FYI: The Flaming Lips
by acostill on August 30th, 2007
The Flaming Lips just released a live DVD and will be hitting the road this fall, so it seems like a good time for some FYI on the Okie natives. 
The Flaming Lips formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, OK.
Frontman Wayne Coyne’s brother, Mark, was the original singer.
The original Lips line-up was: Wayne and Mark Coyne, Michael Ivins on bass and Richard English on drums.
Their debut album was a 5 song self-titled effort with Mark Coyne on lead vocals.
Wayne took over lead vocals after his brother’s departure.
In 1986 the band released their first full length album, Hear It Is on Restless Records.
The Lips second release was 1987’s Oh My Gawd!!!, which feature songs with quotes from The Beatles songs “Revolution 9″ and “Tomorrow Never Knows”.
1989’s Telepathic Surgery was originally intended to be a 30 minute sound collage.
The song “Chrome Plated Suicide” was based on the G’N'R classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.
The Lips rerecorded “Drug Machine In Heaven” and released it as single through Sub Pop Records.
Their fourth album, In a Priest Driven Ambulance, is a concept album about religion. It was the first Lips album to feature new drummer Nathan Roberts and guitarist Jonathan Donahue.
The band signed with Warner Brothers in 1990, after label reps witnessed a Lips live show.
Hit to Death in the Future Head was the band’s major label debut, which features a hidden track that is almost half an hour long.
After the recording of Hit to Death in the Future Head, Roberts and Donahue left. They were replaced by Ronald Jones and Steven Drozd.
The Lips released Transmissions from the Satellite Heart in 1993, which features the hit “She Don’t Use Jelly”.
Around this time the Flaming Lips opened up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Candlebox.
1995’s Clouds Taste Metallic received it’s title after a conversation with Tool drummer Danny Carey.
The Beastie Boys would sample the song “They Punctured My Yolk” on their To The 5 Boroughs album.
Ronald Jones left the group in 1996.
Zaireeka was the Lips 8th studio album released in 1997.
Zaireeka contains 4 discs which are to be played in 4 different cd players at the same time.
Warner Bros. was hesitant about the release, but the Lips and the label reached an agreement where Zaireeka would not count towards the 7 albums that the band was contracted to.
1999’s The Soft Bulletin received lots of critical success and was a shift in music for the band.
The cover for the album is a modified photograph by Lawrence Schiller for an article about LSD in a 1966 issue of Life.
Drummer Steven Drozd has his arm almost amputated, in what he claimed was due to a spider bite, but was caused by his heroin addiction. The “Spiderbite Song” was written about this incident.
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was released in 2002 and has gone on to Gold status.
Cat Stevens receives royalties from the song “Fight Test” because of a strong similarity to his classic tune “Father and Son”.
The Lips received a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Plantia)”.
The Fight Test EP includes covers of “Knives Out” by Radiohead, “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” by Kylie Minogue and “The Golden Age” by Beck.
In 2002, the band opened up for Beck; they were also his backing band.
Also in 2002, the Lips first 3 albums were re-released as a compilation entitled Finally the Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid.
In 2005 Fearless Freaks, a documentary about The Flaming Lips, was released. Besides the band, it also features appearances by Beck, The White Stripes, Liz Phair, Cat Power, Juliette Lewis, Gilby Haynes (from the Butthole Surfers), Christina Ricci and more.
The band released a more politically charged album in 2006 with the release of At War With the Mystics.
The video for the “Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” was influenced by a Japanese talk show where Japanese girl pop groups have pork chops strapped to their heads, and then place their heads into the floor, where there is a hole for a komodo dragon to eat the meat.
The Lips received a second Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “The Wizard Turns On… The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins”.
The band intends to bring Yoshimi Battle the Pink Robots to Broadway.
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1 opinion for FYI: The Flaming Lips
eric hebert
Sep 3, 2007 at 3:31 am
The BEST fyi yet! You’re nutzo!
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