| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 07/31/2004 : 3:52:39 PM
So who here owns, or has heard this MASTERPIECE? I really never heard of the Lips before Yoshimi came out, but when it did, I was vey impressed, and after having seen them live twice, I just had to go out and get some of their older stuff, and I found an import boxset: 3 for the price of 1, which also included "Clouds Taste Metallic, and "Hit to Death". While I wasn't AS impressed with the other two, The Soft Bulletin is simply a masterpiece that should be heard by all. Race for the Prize is just an amazing song.
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| 39 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Robin |
Posted - 05/27/2007 : 1:38:36 PM
Kewl! I'll definatly check that out. I really like the Shins too. Peace,Robin |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 05/26/2007 : 01:41:26 AM
Hey Everyone, the Flaming Lips are on Austin City Limits Episode #3009
In the DC area the are on Maryland Public Televison(MPT) So I am sure it's prolly airing on Public Television in your area. There are 7 airings this weekend in DC so I bet it's the same everywhere else. Just check your local public television listings for Austin City Limits The Flaming Lips/The Shins Episode #3009 and ENJOY!!! |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 07/23/2006 : 2:30:21 PM
I said PERHAPS!!! Full review is a comin'
Edited by Fluffy: Kev's review can be read at the following link(including pics):
http://www.timreynolds.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7006
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| Fluffy |
Posted - 07/22/2006 : 6:00:16 PM
Kewlest nite of your life? Better than front row at a TR concert, better than meeting me? LOL j/k I hear ya bro! congrats, glad you had a great TIMe! |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 07/22/2006 : 5:58:04 PM
(Merged threads)Posted by KevinLesko: quote:
I met Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips!!!
Last night was perhaps the coolest night of my life. Not only did I meet Wayne, but I was also front row center... literally 3 feet away from Wayne for a 90 min Flaming Lips concert. I'll leave it at that for now as I have to work today, but as soon as I have time, maybe tomorrow I'll post a full review with pictures!
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| KevinLesko |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 3:43:32 PM
If all goes well I'll be seeing the Flaming Lips on Friday the 21st at the Del Mar racetrack. It seems they just added this date, my co-worker informed me last week. I was bummed that I seemingly wouldn't be seeing them this tour since the Hollywood Bowl show carried a hefty price tag, but this show at the horse track is unique in that all you have to buy is a $5 ticket into the Del Mar track, the races go from 4-7 or so, and then the Flaming Lips play. Well, we have no interest in watching horses run around in a circle, so the plan is to run up to the stage when the gates open, and if all goes well, be front row for the Flaming Lips for $5. |
| Arthen |
Posted - 07/02/2006 : 9:26:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by PJK
Hey Ben, not to go off topic, but did you see the latest rumor on PG's website? Do I smell a 2007 tour coming up in the USA? I sure hope so! Check it out, in the forum section. Don't know who the person knows, but seems to be reliable. What do you think?
Whoa! How'd I miss this Pam!? I actually hadn't heard anything, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Whoo. |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 07/02/2006 : 08:14:14 AM
From JamBase.com :
Words by Nathan Rodriguez & Brian Heisler
Photo by Pamela Martinez
Walkin' the line at Wakarusa 2006
Neither audio recordings nor words will ever do The Flaming Lips justice. You just have to see the band live to really appreciate them. The festivities began with Wayne Coyne crowd-surfing in what can only be described as a large hamster ball. His return to the stage was triumphant, punctuated with about a dozen four-foot orange balloons, explosions of confetti, and streamers which clung to the top of the stage lights for the rest of the night. He was greeted by two groups of dancers that flanked the stage for the entire performance: on the left - aliens, on the right - Santa Clauses. The band kicked things off with "Race for the Prize," and it was immediately evident that Coyne had nearly lost his voice. It seemed as though the red carpet had been rolled out for the Lips' arrival, only to see them trip over it.
Not to worry, however, as the crowd was won over with the band's second selection, "Bohemian Rhapsody." Coyne invited the audience to sing along as the lyrics were projected on a screen behind the band. To hear thousands of people simultaneously singing along to Queen’s anthemic rocker – and have everyone gleefully jump on board for the moment – was something that everyone in attendance will remember about the weekend. "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" saw many in attendance share vocals with the band, while simultaneously scratching another song off of many people's "I hope they play..." lists. The seminal "She Don't Use Jelly" was prefaced with vintage video footage of a young Jon Stewart introducing the band and the song to an MTV audience. The set-closing "Do You Realize" was three and a half minutes long but could not have provided a more fitting end to the experience. In leaving the concert grounds, fans were treated to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," which suited the band's message perfectly - be happy, be enthusiastic, be yourself. The performance felt like a movie and concert rolled into one. Add in strobe lights, balloons, confetti, streamers, and dancing aliens and Santa Clauses and you have an unforgettable adventure of a show. This was not the best music of the weekend, but in terms of an overall experience, no other band came close to delivering what The Flaming Lips bequeathed a few thousand lucky fans at Wakarusa. |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 06/20/2006 : 02:27:38 AM
Fluffy, thanks for the awesome review and for finding and posting those pictures. Free Radicals is a NUTS song. I saw somewhere that they will be performing that live on the Jimmy Kimmel show soon, July I think. Sounds like you had a blast, but then again, it is pretty impossible to not have a blast during a Flaming Lips concert!!! |
| PJK |
Posted - 06/18/2006 : 06:45:31 AM
Hey Ben, not to go off topic, but did you see the latest rumor on PG's website? Do I smell a 2007 tour coming up in the USA? I sure hope so! Check it out, in the forum section. Don't know who the person knows, but seems to be reliable. What do you think? |
| Arthen |
Posted - 06/18/2006 : 12:22:00 AM
Okay, the last two pictures: Can we say "Secret World Live" and "Growing Up Live"! Microphone cam = Helmet cam. Bubble boy = Zorb Ball.
Awesome pics. I think they have a show coming up at the Greek at Berkely, I'll have to try to go. |
| PJK |
Posted - 06/17/2006 : 07:10:22 AM
Very cool pictures too!
Kevin, I never did buy their latest CD, I wanted to get a couple of CD's from Amazon, think I will have to add Flaming Lips to my list. The CD aholic, strikes again! LOL The other CD's I want to get are oldies but goodies, Best of Lead Belly, and Bill Frisell's Gone Just Like A Train. (I was on a Lead Belly kick last weekend.) |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 06/17/2006 : 02:59:17 AM
Some found pics......
1)The lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody on the screen. The streamers can also be seen hanging from everywhere and blowing in the breeze.
2)We definitely need to get Tim (c)Rew one of these(if he doesn't already have one)
3)Stage right, Aliens and Stephen totally wailing all nite. YUMMY
4)The Bubble Boy who descended from the storm clouds.
5)The totally bizarre and someTIMes disturbing microphone cam.
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| PJK |
Posted - 06/16/2006 : 11:43:31 PM
Wow, thanks Fluffy. I really needed to read something like this tonight. Great review! Gotta love Flaming Lips! Also felt like a blast from the past. I remember when I enjoyed reading your stories years ago, kind of felt like the "old board" for a moment. Oh...and I see, still no paragraphs....Teri, I guess some things never change,LOL!  |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 06/16/2006 : 8:04:11 PM
So Kev, sorry it took me so long to post this but I have been helluva busy, hence my absence around these parts. Anyway, as alot of you know TR and I stuck around Wakarusa for an extra day to check out the Flaming Lips. Boy was it worth it. The day started off kinda weird as TR woke up with a serious toothache which we had to attend to before anything. Not easy to do in Lawrence KS on a Saturday, I assure you. Anyway, we got it sorted out and he started to feel human again. We decided to head over there a little early to pick up the recordings of TR's performances from the past couple of daze. We got them and checked out The Mule for a bit as we waited for the Flaming Lips to start. We made our way thru the crowd, out to the middle of the crowded(did I say crowded, packed!)field. Found ourselves a great spot sorta close to the soundboard position where TR could see over the throngs. We also opted to head out there as we wanted to take it all in as opposed to try watching from the side-of-stage. Boy I am glad we did.
It was a beautiful nite with a full moon and clouds silhouetted by the bright moonlite. Couldn't have asked for a better nite. It had rained a bit during the day, but not too much. I think Govt Mule brought it with them, dammit! I told them not to bring the rain when I talked to them a few days earlier. They had been battling rain for a few days and when they asked me for a weather forecast I told them it was beautiful, sunny and hot at Waka. Well the afternoon rain left the evening air cool with a wonderful breeze. Wayne Coyne commented about how beautiful the weather was a couple of TIMes during the set, but I am getting ahead of myself. So, we secure our position in the field and after some delays and band folks running back and forth across the stage line checking things, there was brief introduction by a guy with a Beatles haircut whose name escapes me now and then slowly this giant bubble emerged from the storm clouds above Wakarusa lit only by bright flashlights from aliens and santas that were flanking the stage of the seriously psychedelic scene. The glowing orb lowered onto the awaiting crowd and Wayne tumbled about over the audiences upstretched arms. It was amazing. He tumbled his way back to the stage and the show began. Wayne shot off confetti canons and paper streamers that immediately blew back across the stage and covered everthing, rigging and gear, in this beautiful tapestry of color that just blew in the breeze. They were having a great TIMe up there you could tell, and so were we. The second song was a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody and they encouraged us to all sing along and helped by flashing the lyrics on a giant screen behind them and it became the largest karoke party I think you could every witness. It was amazing. TR and I were both singing along. Few bands have the power to make me feel like a kid again. Like it was when I was in high school going to see shows. For that hour and 1/2 they turned me into a "fan". No "jaded fuck" that nite. As I mentioned earlier, on the left side of the stage were every conceivable variation of alien you could imagine dancing and singing along thru the whole show. On the right side of the stage were the santas, and boy were there alot of santas. Wayne said something about it being a representation of Christianity VS Scientology but then he decided not to get into the whole "religious war" thing but there was still going to be battle between aliens and santas. He referred to his 10-year-in-the-making film as a reference to the clash. They played all the songs I would have wanted to hear from the most recent albums but unfortunately didn't delve to much into there past and the music that made them one of my fave bands of all TIMe. TR and I had a great TIMe and alot of laughs. We couldn't stop laughing as the roadies would run across the stage to help with something dressed as superheros. Yes, thats right, I said superheros. TR's and my fave and the one that got the biggest laughs and claps from us was Capt America. We decided when we have roadies we want them dressed like superheros as well. It was awesome. They left the stage for what seemed like quite a while and we were all wondering if we were gonna do an encore or not. Then Wayne took the stage and explained that there had been a wedding proposal planned to start the encore but unfortunately there had been a fight backstage and the wedding proposal was off. He offered the moment to anyone who wanted to propose and 2 of the santas took the opportunity to propose to one another. They weren't serious, as it turned out to be 2 guys goofing. We couldn't tell until they spoke because of the outfits. Wayne seemed saddened by the whole affair and at the last second a real couple from the audience made their way to the stage and he proposed to her and she accepted. Small side note, what a coinkeedink, but when they got onstage the people literally right next to us went nuts because it turned out to be their friends that they had lost track of earlier in the evening. They went nuts and we were there to share it with them. AWESOME! They played their last song and then the festival cut them off, something about noise curfews. Whatever!! It was an awesome show and thanx to the Flaming Lips for making me feel like a kid again and mostly for reminding me what it's like to be a "FAN"!!!
The setlist and more reviews can be found at:
http://flaminglips.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/477606548/m/4191033242
You can even get the real lowdown on what happened with the marriage proposal that went south on the message board. Lots of good reading on this thread.
PS: I also forgot one of the funniest stories. Wayne told a story about seeing Frank Zappa live and somebody throwing a glow stick that hit him in the chest in the middle of a solo. Frank stopped playing and sent security to get the guy in the audience. To show how ridiculous this "rock star" behaviour was Wayne goaded the audience into throwing glowsticks at him. There must have been 10,000 of them hurled onto the stage. After the barrage ceased, Wayne calmly said something to the effect of "See, no big deal! We can keep playing!" It was beatiful to see all these glow sticks flying around in the night sky. It was like there was no seperation between the audience and the show on stage. Totally PSYCHEDELIC all the way around. I am sure I will add more as other things occur to me, but unfortunately I am off to drum tech for my roomie Sam. He has a show tonite. He is quite excited, he keeps running around the house shouting, "Awesome, I got Tim Reynolds TouR manager as my roadie! SWEET!" LOL Should be a fun TIMe. This is the first TIMe I will see his band live. Of course I have heard them practice numerous TIMes, but the first TIMe live. I am excited. Lets see if they can make me feel like a "FAN" and not just the roadie. LOL |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 03/12/2006 : 5:08:22 PM
Some new Flaming Lips news:
First off, the single to the "The W.A.N.D." is out this week in the US, it includes two b-sides from the upcoming "At War With the Mystics" that won't be on the album.
2nd, they have released a sort of companion to the Fearless Freaks DVD entitled "20 years of Weird" It might be hard to find, but well worth it, to track one down. Amazon looks to have it. There is a track off the new cd, and some really rare live stuff from the past 20 years.
Finally, let me say that I have an advance copy of At War... and it might just be the most brilliant thing I've ever heard. The Flaming Lips continue to push themselves, and the boundries of pop-music and the only word that describes the new album is Genius.
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| Arthen |
Posted - 02/24/2006 : 1:30:09 PM
Okay, okay, I'll buy it, you've convinced me. |
| teddymcg |
Posted - 02/23/2006 : 11:26:22 PM
THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have made it not only possible to finally hear this, but have also provided me the impetus to hear this as it should be heard. By tomorrow, I'll be the proud owner of 4 new cd's and quite possibly another cd player.
Does anyone know where the Fearless Freaks soundtrack can be found?
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| SurferX |
Posted - 02/22/2006 : 9:25:36 PM
It's been leaked...I'm downloading it now... |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 02/22/2006 : 2:50:52 PM
quote:
If you like that, you should go to one of their concerts if you ever get the chance.
I've seen them live twice now, once opening for RHCP, and once at Coachella. I hope they tour for At War With the Mystics, which is out in about a month!!! I hear it is great. |
| SurferX |
Posted - 02/22/2006 : 01:27:59 AM
If you like that, you should go to one of their concerts if you ever get the chance. One of the best experiences I've ever been to.
Glad you liked it. I spent quite a while getting everything right on that... |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 12:31:00 PM
Zac, thanks for posting! I downloaded it the day you posted, but just got around to burning, and listening last night. I listened with my studio headphones and I was freaking out. You did a good job with the mixing because the sounds were still swirling all over my head. Trippy stuff! |
| SurferX |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 6:02:53 PM
Ok...For a limited time only...
http://www.zakwinnick.com/zaireeka.zip
It's ~42mb. Let me know if any of y'all have a problem downloading it...
Enjoy! |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 4:22:08 PM
I'm more than interested, I have the 4 disc set, but have never played more than two discs at once. |
| SurferX |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 2:21:35 PM
For anyone that is interested...I made a version of Zaireeka where I took all 4 CDs, dumped them into Pro Tools and sync-ed them all up and panned each disc (Disc 1 hard left, Disc 2 middle left, Disc 3 Middle Right, and Disc 4 hard right).
I can make them available to download from my website if anyone is interested... |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 02/14/2006 : 12:26:10 AM
I saw this posted on their myspace site... looks cool. From the look of it, anyone can post a mixtape on this site? |
| bencrum |
Posted - 02/13/2006 : 1:35:09 PM
Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips put up a really cool mixtape called Shanty Classics at www.discollective.com |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 01/10/2006 : 11:34:52 PM
The 5.1 remix of this cd is complete!!! I can't wait:
 |
| PJK |
Posted - 09/12/2004 : 7:30:02 PM
Kevin, sorry this is long over due. I just wanted to tell you I did buy this cd and I love it! Thanks for the recommendation! |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/25/2004 : 11:54:20 AM
I am headed to the store today to see if I can get this. My daughter gave me a gift certificate for BB! Wooohoooo! And my son gave me 2 cd's, Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon, and Radio Head's OK Computer.
If I can't get it at BB I will order it from Amazon. |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 08/20/2004 : 2:41:17 PM
j. Adams said:
quote:
their masterpiece was In A Priest Driven Ambulance.
I've heard that from other people too, I've definitely been meaning to look into that, correct me if I'm wrong but that cd is only available in the 2-disc set now with another cd right? |
| J Adams |
Posted - 08/20/2004 : 11:24:21 AM
As a long term fan (since 1987's Oh My Gawd) I gotta say that though Soft Bulletin and Hit to Death are excellent, their masterpiece was In A Priest Driven Ambulance. |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 08/07/2004 : 03:44:41 AM
Awesome news Pam, be sure to let me know when you get those and have a chance to listen, I really hope you like them!! |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/04/2004 : 08:13:44 AM
Fluffy, I never knew about Zaireeka, how cool is that? Four different disc's at the same time! I really want to hear that! Kevin, I saw it on Amazon for about $22. The hard part as stated by both you and Fluffy is getting 4 different systems to play it on. I have 3, just need one more. As soon as I figure out where to get one more player, I am ordering that! Maybe I will ask one of my son's friends. They would all get a kick out of this too.
In the mean time I am going to go ahead and order The Soft Bulletin. (also a Pink Floyd cd, hey, I save on shipping that way, LOL)I did order 3 cds already which should arrive this week. Kevin, I know you will ask me what they are, so don't laugh, they are diverse: First I ordered Paul Simon's Graceland that you recommended, secondly I ordered Roberta Flacks "Softly with These Songs; The Best of Roberta Flack" and lastly I ordered a classical composit of Robert Schumman's
Symphonies 1-4. The Philadelphia Orchestra plays his symphonies quite often and I absolutely love them.
That is the one thing I think I love most about music, it is so diverse and there are always works to explore. I guess this isn't a good thing to say but I know for a lot of people god and religion are what sustains them, for me, music is like my religion. It is what I rejoice in, find solace in, it entertains and relaxes me. Without music, I would absolutely shrivel up and die. |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 08/04/2004 : 02:09:40 AM
hmmmm, I just read that they have been working on a 5.1 mix of Soft Bulletin. I wonder if it's by the same guy you mentioned Fluffy. |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 08/02/2004 : 7:16:46 PM
Hey Kev, would love to chat more about them when I see you. As for the EP's you mentioned, I am pretty sure I have all CD's and vinyl that have been put out by the Flaming Lips since their inception. I definitely have the 2 specific ones you mentioned and they are fantabulous. EveryTIMe I ever saw anything by them I didn't have I bought it. There aren't alot of bands I do that for anymore but the Flaming Lips are one band that I do. I do have copies of the 4 CD set Zaireeka and the Zaireeka bootleg single disc. |
| KevinLesko |
Posted - 08/02/2004 : 1:19:54 PM
quote:
I have some boots of them and they always do some really interesting covers.
I'd love to hear some live shows of theirs, when I saw them open for the Chili Peppers, they did a kick ass version of Seven Nation Army.
quote:
From the wonderful Zaireeka CD which is a 4 CD set, only the 4 disc are 4 different parts of the musical portrait. They are intended to be played simultaneously on 4 different sound systems. Subsequently, it is almost impossible to every sync them up the same way twice so you are almost always hearing a different record.
One of my coworkers told me about this one. We sell that disc at my store, and I've thought about it before, but i don't even have that many sets of speakers. Maybe I can rig something up in our DJ booth at work. I'd still love to hear it, just once.
quote:
Someone out there must have decided it was too much work to every listen to the 4 CD's very often so he took them into a studio and did one mix which he burned to 1 CD, so there is a bootleg CD of Zaireeka where you can hear all 4 played simultaneously,
I didn't know this, I'll definately look into it. About the parking lot experiment.. HOLY COW!!! I can totally see them doing this. To me the Flaming Lips are ambitous IN THE GOOD WAY. I give them all the credit in the world for being different. That is what makes me like them so much. When I saw them at Coachella, Wayne had a giant Bubble that he climbed inside, and then rolled onto the crowd. He told the crowd to tell everyone that he actually desended from space in the bubble and that people would believe that story because they are the Flaming Lips.
quote:
I also wanted to mention that if you are a huge fan of "Yoshimi..." you should make sure you check out The Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 5.1" which comes with the album and an AMAZING DVD. The mix was assited by the highly respected surround sound mixing engineer, Elliot Sheiner explaining, "I did Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and this is so far much more ambitious... we wanna go where nobody's gone." How's that for an endorsement. ENJOY!!!
Great, don't you know I'm short on funds... I've looked at this too before, but with that endorsement, its officially added to my huge stack of stuff I want to buy that used to be on my desk, but has now spilled into a drawer.
Fluffy, have you heard either of the new EPs: Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, or the Fight Test EP... there are definately some more of what you called "interesting covers" on there, such as Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head".
Thanks for the post, very informative, and we'll have to talk more Flaming Lips when you come down in a few weeks at the shows. 
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| Fluffy |
Posted - 08/01/2004 : 3:44:14 PM
The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Flaming Lips.......... I often find myself listing them as one of my fave bands of all TIMe. Like TR and CW, thier albums have a very interesting way of always sounding different. Sometimes it is hard to believe it is the same band at all. Kevin, if you go back even further than the ones you just bought the Flaming Lips humble beginnings have more in common with say The Butthole Surfers or something of that nature but with a very POP sensibility. Listen to songs like Unconsciously Screaming or Jesus Shooting Herion. I discovered them on their second album basically by being drawn in by the cover art. I had never heard of them and loved the cover so much I figured I should give them a shot. I loved it so much I rushed out and bought their first album which brought me one of my all-TIMe fave songs, the above mentioned Jesus Shootin' Herion. Shortly after that they released their 3rd album with another equally intriguing, yet drastically different type cover art. I was hooked. They are one of those few bands that, for me, have never done wrong. Amazing, amazing amazing! I have some boots of them and they always do some really interesting covers. I also think they have stretched the boundries more than any other band since the sixties or seventies. From the wonderful Zaireeka CD which is a 4 CD set, only the 4 disc are 4 different parts of the musical portrait. They are intended to be played simultaneously on 4 different sound systems. Subsequently, it is almost impossible to every sync them up the same way twice so you are almost always hearing a different record. See the discription at FlamingLips.com in the music section for way more info about this ambitious project. I am still amazed that WB records was willing to release it. I have done the listening on 4 different stereos with the help of friends and it is pretty mind blowing. The work that went into it is quite amazing. We used a my friends computer, a boombox, my friends stereo and an imported stereo from a friends house. We strategically placed the stereos all around the room and did the countdown and we all pressed our buttons and BOOM!! Music in true surround-sound. Eight speakers playing sounds that intricately wove together with the vocals sometimes coming from here or there it was quite a treat. As you all know I already had a fascination with synchronicity and especially with how different forms of art seem to sychronize in the natural world(ie:Pink Floyd & The Wizard of Oz)well Zaireeka was a treat to see how 4 different CD's of music could sync and like I said before the way it is almost impossible to make it sync up the same way twice if you are actually using all 4 CD's. Someone out there must have decided it was too much work to every listen to the 4 CD's very often so he took them into a studio and did one mix which he burned to 1 CD, so there is a bootleg CD of Zaireeka where you can hear all 4 played simultaneously, only problem is everyTIMe you listen to it it is exactly the same. Neat if you just want to hear the songs but not as interesting as originally intended. The Zaireeka CD grew out of what was called the Parking Lot Experiments: quote:
Rumours first surfaced of some strange happenings in Oklahoma City during the late summer/early Autumn of 1996. Following the departure of Ronald Jones, Wayne Coyne had turned his hand to new sonic endeavours. Wayne had always wanted to experiment with multiple sound source recorded music, so he began to organise some little sound experiments. It began with a few tape recorders in the back room, and then evolved into getting 10 of his friends cars together to play yet more adventurous compositions before Wayne decided to go the whole hog and sit in that back room creating 40 tapes that would play together. The final result was eventually dubbed the 'Flaming Lips Parking Lot Experiment'. 40 cars were arranged to form a kind of wholly unusual soundsystem in a covered car parking space, and were then used to play out a strange, fluid 20 minute sound composition. Perhaps the best way to describe the actual sound that came from that kind of surreal orchestra is as being some how extra real. A sound so fluid and full that it was almost a tangible presence in the air...
Obviously it was hard to take Zaireeka on the road so with the Parking Lot Experiments in mind The Flaming Lips toured for Zaireeka with what was called the Boombox Experiment: quote:
The Boomboxes were acquired, over time, from various pawn shops and junk shops around Oklahoma City (where the Flaming Lips live). Wayne tested and repaired each of these acquisitions, and then made some modifications: an Experiment Boombox could only operate in tape mode, with either the play, stop or rewind buttons. The only other control which worked was the volume control - all the other myriad knobs/dials/switches/faders one might find on such apparatus were glued in place according to Wayne's requirements for the kind of sound each Boombox should produce. The boomboxes were then carefully selected to go in particular numbered positions within the various rows of the orchestra, as there were large variations in tonal quality of their outputs, as well as some speed variations. This approach also made fault finding and maintenance much easier.
In any one Experiment, the orchestra of operators were drilled on the operation and synchronisation (according to Wayne's starting cue) of the Boomboxes, by the use of two 'test' procedures. During the tests, each Boombox merely had a voice reading out its number, with the tapes timed such that the numbers would be read out in numerical order. Wayne could then easily spot which orchestra members were miscuing, and give them simple advice on how to rectify the problem (e.g. "start sooner" or "start later").
Once these tests had taken place, the experiment would then properly begin. As in the tests, for each separate composition the forty tapes were started simultaneously. Wayne and Steven would then proceed to 'conduct' the orchestra, by directing each of the operators to manipulate the volume controls of their Boombox. This could mean bringing in specific 'instruments' at specific times, or bringing a whole part of the 'orchestra' to a crescendo, and so on. The actual compositions were meticulously planned to place certain sounds in certain positions of the orchestra, and also using machines with the correct tonal qualities for the sounds being played. The careful positioning of the machines was also designed to create the best possible sound and effect from the volume manipulations incorporated in each composition. The result of all this was a truly fascinating show - the sound was breathtakingly exciting and the stage events engagingly entertaining.
So basically 40 folks from each show were selected at random to participate in what became one of the most amazing concerts I have ever seen. Talk about synchronicity at the greatest levels and the thought and preparation that went into these projects in undeniable. Whether they achieved genius I will leave for you to decide but in my mind they did and they are up there with the Beatles and the Beach Boys for this reason. I also wanted to mention that if you are a huge fan of "Yoshimi..." you should make sure you check out The Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 5.1" which comes with the album and an AMAZING DVD. The mix was assited by the highly respected surround sound mixing engineer, Elliot Sheiner explaining, "I did Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and this is so far much more ambitious... we wanna go where nobody's gone." How's that for an endorsement. ENJOY!!! |
| PJK |
Posted - 07/31/2004 : 6:47:21 PM
Kevin, I have been trying to be good and not buy cds for a while, but I guess I will make an exception for this one. BTW I love Yoshimi!
I am in the mood for some new music. I can't wait for Tim's cd's to come out. |
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