This way for a trip to space
Certainly one of the most notable, quirky trendsetters in rock and roll, The Flaming Lips have had a wonderful career worthy of celebration. Their discography has proven their versatility—not only in terms of musical styles but in terms of how serious their music is, how picturesque it can be and what feelings it evokes. They grace their fans with Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Deluxe Edition). This 52-track colossus reminds fans (die-hards and fair-weather) of the sweetness of Wayne Coyne’s voice in songs like “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1,” and “Do You Realize??,” and the catchiness of the guitar licks in humorous cuts like “She Don’t Use Jelly.” Before discussing more of the album, it must be noted that this compilation is mistitled and far too long – the Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (the non-deluxe edition) is a friendly, easily-consumable length and an accurate portrayal of its name; it is simply the greatest hits. The version being reviewed here is more likely a “Hits, B-Sides and Rare Finds” compilation, and the misleading name, unfortunately, interrupts the enjoyment.
Luckily, the organization of this gargantuan is nothing to complain about. The opener, “Talkin’ ‘Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants to Live Forever),” passes in its introductory position, but the lyrics of the preceding song, “Hit Me Like You Did the First Time,” hit so much stronger than the entire first song and keeps ears fixed on what Coyne has to say. Listeners are given something familiar come track six, the smirk-worthy “She Don’t Use Jelly,” which has remained untouched by time’s wicked touch of deterioration – people who heard it today would still find it on mental repeat. Before and after it, we get a healthy combination of psychedelic songs and montage material music. The heart gets set back into place with “Waitin’ for a Superman (Is it Getting Heavy?),” a tune that sees the beautiful pairing of teary-eyed yet accepting vocals and classy garage drums that just groove.
“Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung” is big music—the kind that, when accompanying day-to-day tasks, seems out of place due to its scope. Meanwhile, the trippy-ness of “Silver Trembling Hands” similarly earns a “wow” while pleasing the masses with its excellent guitar moments. “The Captain” is about a nation of people facing their potential doom, but at the hands of an honorable leader. “The Castle” is a beach town tune colored with running synths and pretty background vocals, the ultimate crush song. “Bad Days” benefits from the twinkling bells in its latter half. “When You Smile” displays its magic on the passage of time, seemingly trotting ever so slightly slower when the drums drop down to just the hi-hat. The cover of “If I Only Had a Brain” will have casting managers hunting down Coyne for a role in an “Oz” reboot.
A uniquely wonderful gift that comes with The Flaming Lips is the free tour of the planet on which they reside. The music itself, the album artwork and even the song titles create an aesthetic world of wonder that makes it seem like alien life really isn’t all that far away. “We Can Face the Future” is bathing in “morning on Mars” energy, and “In the Morning of the Magicians” is a family of survivors walking up a small hill overlooking ruins comparable to the garbage mounds in Pixar’s “Wall-E.” All the talk of space, existence and beyond transports listeners just far enough off the ground to appreciate the lift.
The Flaming Lips understands the lack of appeal for short songs and thus reward their fans with plenty of long (but not too long) songs, with most of their tunes hitting four minutes. They don’t stick only to snares laying down two and four, they invite in claps, 808s and guitar strums to try their hand at the mighty role of keeping the back-beat, with successful results. It truly seems that the band was met with an immaculate force upon the completion of the songwriting for numbers like “Do You Realize??” and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1” – sometimes the most popular songs really are worth the many mentions. Their willingness to branch out with instrumentation only further covers their music in magic and extraterrestrial wonder. Long as this compilation may be, it is definitely worth a listen (would recommend while driving), for the timeless hits and the soon-to-be-on-repeat sleepers.
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