In a Rolling Stone review of The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, the author states: "The long-reigning kings of big-sky psychedelia emerge from their Oklahoma City bunker to ask this musical question: If the Powerpuff Girls took on Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man,' who would win? The answer, in this case, is the listener"—which is pretty much the best description of the band possible.
Even with most of the band in their mid- to late-40s, they show no signs of slowing down. As proof, earlier this summer the group broke the world record for most shows within 24 hours, previously held by Jay-Z, performing eight live shows in as many cities.
Their shows frequently feature front man Wayne Coyne in a giant blow-up hamster-ball which he then runs over the crowd in, fans dressed in animal costumes dancing on stage, lasers, the band entering the stage from between a two-story projection of a woman's legs, more lasers, and lots and lots (and lots) of confetti.
With their extensive touring schedule, most die-hard Lips fans have already seen the band's circus-like show at least once—but any time the lead singer hops into a blow-up ball and goes crowd surfing, you have to know that there's going to be a good amount of variation between each show.
Key Tracks:
From their early punk-rock stuff to their recent album of collaborations, Heady Fwends, the Lips' discography is huge and varied. Here are some cliff-notes for those trying to study up before the show:
"She Don't Use Jelly" (1993) The first, and only, radio hit the Lips have ever put out. The song charted on the Billboard Top 100 in 1995 after being featured on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head.
"Spoonful Weighs a Ton" (1999)
"Race for the Prize" (1999)
"Fight Test" (2002) The Lips were forced to turn over half of the royalties from this track—the opener for their 2002 record Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots—to Cat Stevens after the latter pointed out how much the tune sounded like his 1970 song "Father and Son."
"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Part I" (2002)
"Do You Realize???" (2002)
"Seven Nation Army (Harry Potter and George Bush's Severed Head Army Remix) The song—a cover of the White Stripes song with new lyrics which combine Butthole Surfers' "Moving to Florida" and a hefty dose of Wayne Coyne improvisation—has become a fan favorite at live shows.
"The W.A.N.D" (2006) The title stands for "The Will Always Negates Defeat"; the song was used in a 2007 Dell Inspiron computer commercial.
"Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" (2006)
"2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)" with Ke$ha (2012) The first track on the Lips' 2012 release Heady Fwends featuring collaborations between the band and many other musicians. For $2,500 you can also purchase the vinyl edition of the record with samples of most of the participating musicians' blood.
"Helping the Retarded to Find God" with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (2012).
