What are The Flaming Lips???
The Best Band Ever To Exist
Ok - so here it is :
Time According To Lips...
Let's go back to 1983.....(wooowowowowowowowowooooo.....tinkle..).............
Right, so it's Oklahoma City, and appararently, one Wayne Coyne liberates some instruments from a
church hall, and turns up at one Mike Ivins house - after hearing from Mark
Coyne (who crashed a party that Mike Ivins' Bro' threw at their home..) that
Mike owns a bass.......
At some point (it is alleged), the band is named after Wayne has a dream in
which the Virgin Mary kisses him in the back of a car, while flames shoot from
her mouth.......(this is in fact a complete lie... almost as good as the one
about it being named after a porn flick or the one about it being a
drug-smoking reference or.........)
Drummers come and go, but, after a gig in a local bar, the line up stands as:
Mark Coyne on vocals, Wayne on guitar, Mike on bass, Richard English on drums.
More shows are played , more people come to see this (punky) band...they decide
that they need a record, if anyone is to take them seriously...the EP "The
Flaming Lips" is born, on green vinyl...
The band gets to support bands that come through OKC , cos they own the only PA
in town....
They support the Jesus and Mary Chain.... Mark quits cos he's getting married,
or something...
The Flaming Lips are now a three piece...deal with Restless Records emerges..
"Hear It Is" is recorded in two weeks or something...released in 1986..."Oh My Gawd...." soon
follows in 1987, and the Flaming lips tour the Universe, it would seem....so, anyway
life continues, and they support the Butthole Surfers and things ,
the band play shows at Buffalo University, cos they get paid plenty, and the guy organising
these shows is one Jonathon Donahue..............apparently, there are many
late night "jamming/noodling" sessions and stuff, with Donahue's muso buddies...
"Telepathic Surgery" is recorded with difficulty, comes out in 1989,Richard leaves,(i don't know why, i don't think i'm meant to), and Wayne and
Mike are a two-piece, John Donahue is their soundman or something.... and one day Dingus (JD) joins the band on
stage - two-guitar-Lips is born.......new drummer Natahan Roberts joins ,
Restless records is folding...but "In A Priest Driven Ambulance" is recorded
with the 4-man lineup, in parallel with Mercury Rev's "Yerself Is Steam"
(Dingus is trying to get the mad jazz-noise fusion thing going as he
co-constructs the opus pink album...)
The record emerges (on pink vinyl) in 1990 and the Flaming Lips (4 man) are signed to
Warners, after someone from the label comes to see them play live....This is an
event completely unrelated to the fact that they spent rather a lot of time
making phonecalls to Warner's in an attempt to get signed (hard to believe, but
true)
They can hardly believe their luck, and with a BIG budget they go apeshit and
make the most sprawlingly indulgent (and amazing) record ...."Hit To Death In
The Future Head" emerges (delayed) in 1992........but doesn't quite take off,
in the face of grunge......but who gives a toss anyway......it's too good for
words....Jonathan leaves to concentrate on the (relatively) commercially successful
Mercury Rev, Nathan quits also (whatever happened to Nathan Roberts???).......
and then some guys Wayne knows from around Oklahoma play with him a lot, and
join the band......arch guitar noisesmith Ronald Jones and inhuman drummer
Steven Drozd........the (probably) final (and ultimate) lineup is born.......
1993 heralds the sudden release of "Transmissions From The Satellite Heart" yet
another drift in direction , and beauty shines through......tours with every
grunge band under the sun, every burgeoning Warners act ensue.....BUT THE
BUGGERS NEVER COME TO THE UK (except for festival one-offs)........
1994 sees a couple of singles lifted off the Lp and an (apparently limited)
ep..called "providing Needles For Your Balloons".... it shows how cool the band
truly are in all situations and does nothing to stave off the appetite of the
fans for more material...so it is a great relief when finally the mailshot goes
out decalring to the world in september 1995 that a new album is here....it
neglects to mention that "Clouds Taste Metallic" is the best album in the
universe ever. period.....
so, the story rambles on...it's a cool one, here's to many more years (please)
oh yeah, there's loads more ep's and stuff along the way...but check out the complete discography for that.........
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