THE FLAMING LIPS REVISIT RESTLESS ERA
Rhino Celebrates Oklahoma's Fearless Freaks With Two Newly Remastered
Collections Of Their Early Work
A Single-Disc Compilation Will Be Available April 20
Followed By A Six-CD Boxed Set On June 29
LOS ANGELES - The Flaming Lips have pushed the envelope and bent boundaries for more than two decades with the band's Grammy®-winning music and ground-breaking concerts. This year, Rhino and Warner Bros. Records will celebrate Oklahoma's most famous freaks with an ambitious reissue program, kicking off with two releases that spotlight the joyous weirdness the band recorded for Restless Records before signing with Warner Bros. in 1991.
It begins with SCRATCHING THE DOOR: THE FIRST RECORDINGS OF THE FLAMING LIPS, a single-disc compilation that features music recorded by the band's original lineup. The 19-track collection will be available on April 20 for $14.98. It will be followed by SEEING THE UNSEEABLE: THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS OF THE FLAMING LIPS 1986-1990, a six-CD boxed set that includes their four Restless Records studio albums and two discs of rarities, available on June 29 for $34.98. Both releases will also be available on digital download and streaming services, with over 40 tracks making their digital debut. 2018 also sees a slew of vinyl reissues from The Flaming Lips, including remasters of the Restless albums. These will feature some tracks appearing on vinyl for the very first time.
All of the music on SCRATCHING THE DOOR and SEEING THE UNSEEABLE has been remastered from original sources by the band's longtime musical foil and producer, David Fridmann with help from the Lips' Wayne Coyne and Michael Ivins.
SCRATCHING THE DOOR highlights tracks recorded by The Flaming Lips' original line-up, which featured Wayne Coyne's brother Mark on vocals. The album includes the band's first and second cassette demos, in addition to The Flaming Lips first self-released EP, which has been remastered from the original 1/4" analog tape master. This marks the first time all of these recordings have been collected together on a single release. Among the other featured tracks are covers of The Who's "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" and the theme song from the 1960's Batman television series, which previously appeared on Rykodisc's 2002 compilation, Finally The Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid.
SEEING THE UNSEEABLE brings back into print (physically - they are available digitally) all four studio albums that the band released on Restless Records between 1984 and 1990: Hear It Is (1986), Oh My Gawd!!!...The Flaming Lips (1987), Telepathic Surgery (1989) and In A Priest Driven Ambulance (With Silver Sunshine Stares) (1990). All of these have been remastered from the original 1/4" analog tape masters and include sonic treasures such as "Godzilla Flick," "Unconsciously Screaming," "One Million Billionth Of A Millisecond On A Sunday Morning" and their cover of the classic "(What A) Wonderful World."
The set is also packed with rare recordings originally released as b-sides, flexi discs, and on various compilations like, the Sub Pop single "Strychnine/Peace, Love And Understanding" and a cover of "After The Gold Rush" from a 1989 Neil Young tribute album Also included is The Mushroom Tapes, the series of demos for the band's final Restless album, In A Priest Driven Ambulance, only previously issued on the Rykodisc compilation CD, The Day They Shot A Hole In the Jesus Egg.
SCRATCHING THE DOOR: THE FIRST RECORDINGS OF THE FLAMING LIPS
Track Listing:
1. "Bag Full Of Thoughts"
2. "Out For A Walk"
3. "Garden Of Eyes"
4. "Forever Is A Long Time"
5. "Scratchin' The Door"
6. "My Own Planet"
7. "Killer On The Radio"
8. "Batman Theme"
9. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere"
10. "Handsome Johnny"
11. "Flaming Lips Theme Song 1983"
12. "The Future Is Gone"
13. "Underground Pharmacist"
14. "Real Fast Words"
15. "Groove Room"
16. "Jesus Shootin' Heroin"
17. "Trains, Brains & Rain"
18. "Communication Breakdown"
19. "Summertime Blues"
SEEING THE UNSEEABLE: THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS OF THE FLAMING LIPS 1986-1990
Track Listing:
Disc One: Hear It Is
1. "With You"
2. "Unplugged"
3. "Trains, Brains and Rain"
4. "Jesus Shootin' Heroin"
5. "Just Like Before"
6. "She Is Death"
7. "Charlie Manson Blues"
8. "Man From Pakistan"
9. "Godzilla Flick"
10. "Staring At Sound/With You (Reprise)"
Disc Two: Oh My Gawd!!!...The Flaming Lips
1. "Everything's Explodin'"
2. "One Million Billionth Of A Millisecond On A Sunday Morning"
3. "Maximum Dream For Evil Knievel"
4. "Can't Exist"
5. "Ode to C.C. (Part I)"
6. "The Ceiling Is Bendin'"
7. "Prescription: Love"
8. "Thanks To You"
9. "Can't Stop The Spring"
10. "Ode To C.C. (Part II)"
11. "Love Yer Brain"
Disc Three: Telepathic Surgery
1. "Drug Machine In Heaven"
2. "Right Now"
3. "Michael, Time To Wake Up"
4. "Chrome Plated Suicide"
5. "Hari-Krishna Stomp Wagon (Fuck Led Zeppelin)"
6. "Miracle On 42nd Street"
7. "Fryin' Up"
8. "Hell's Angel's Cracker Factory"
9. "U.F.O. Story"
10. "Redneck School Of Technology"
11. "Shaved Gorilla"
12. "The Spontaneous Combustion Of John"
13. "The Last Drop Of Morning Dew"
14. "Begs and Achin'"
Disc Four: In A Priest Driven Ambulance (With Silver Sunshine Stares)
1. "Shine On Sweet Jesus - Jesus Song No. 5"
2. "Unconsciously Screamin'"
3. "Rainin' Babies"
4. "Take Meta Mars"
5. "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain"
6. "Stand In Line"
7. "God Walks Among Us Now - Jesus Song No. 6"
8. "There You Are - Jesus Song No. 7"
9. "Mountain Side"
10. "What A Wonderful World"
Disc Five: Restless Rarities
1. "Death Valley '69"
2. "Thank You"
3. "Can't Stop The Spring" - Remix
4. "After The Gold Rush"
5. "Death Trippin' At Sunrise"
6. "Drug Machine In Heaven" - Sub Pop 7" version
7. "Strychnine/Peace, Love And Understanding"
8. "Lucifer Rising"
9. "Ma, I Didn't Notice"
10. "Let Me Be It"
11. "She's Gone Mad Again"
12. "Golden Hearse"
13. "Stand In Line"
14. "I Want To Kill My Brother; The Cymbal Head"
15. "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain"
Disc Six: The Mushroom Tapes
1. "Take Meta Mars"
2. "Mountain Side"
3. "There You Are"
4. "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain"
5. "Rainin' Babies"
6. "Unconsciously Screamin'"
7. "Stand In Line"
8. "God's A Wheeler Dealer"
9. "Agonizing"
10. "One Shot"
11. "Cold Day"
12. "Jam"
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