The group recorded several albums and EPs on an indie label, Restless, in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the '50 Bands to See Before You Die'. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and frontman Wayne Coyne's signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles-such as 'Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles', 'Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading with a Suicide Bomber)' and 'Yeah, I Know It's a Drag. Beneath it all, however, one will ultimately find an honest portrait of a hardworking, unbelievably talented and imaginative band on the cusp of momentous success, soon to perform in large plastic balls, rolling atop crowds of adoring fans.The Flaming Lips are an American rock band, formed in Norman, Oklahoma in 1983. For fans, it will be a fun listen, as the groupвЂ™s signature air of psychedelic madness and melodic mysticism still permeates the album. If anything, Companion should become a catalyst for mass revisitations of their 37-year discography, which happens to have produced several of the greatest albums released within the past three decades.ДЄs an intriguing piece of music history, the new Soft Bulletin Companion release is worth owning. The genuine purpose of Companion, however, is to remind longtime fans just how great The Flaming Lips are. Frontman Wayne Coyne directs the band on the rough mix of вЂњLittle Hands,вЂќ which may be worth exploring for diehard fans, while the Zaireeka tracks will sound great to admirers of that album. The early mix of вЂњSlow MotionвЂќ is also quite impressive, showcasing the groupвЂ™s knack for stirring string arrangements. Overall, the more noteworthy tracks include the aforementioned вЂњThe Captain,вЂќ which, underneath the fuzz and throbbing percussion, is an astoundingly moving composition. Elsewhere, вЂњBugginвЂ™ (Lips mix) вЂќ and вЂњThe Spiderbite Song (early mix)вЂќ prove intriguing, but fall short of the familiar versions featured on The Soft Bulletin. Of CompanionвЂ™s 13 tracks, few are likely to affect the casual listener, as this is most definitely one for the fans, many of whom will be pleased to see longtime favorite вЂњThe CaptainвЂќ available on vinyl at long last. It goes without saying that Companion cannot be compared with 1999вЂ™s The Soft Bulletin, the groupвЂ™s fabled achievement in intricately layered sonic bliss which earned the previously understated Oklahoma alt rockers widespread acclaim, some critics going as far as to declare it the вЂњ Pet Sounds of the вЂ™90s.вЂќ However, Companion most certainly serves its purpose as a supplementary collection of B-sides, rarities, unreleased recordings, and early mixes from The Soft Bulletin era, as well as stereo versions of several songs from the groupвЂ™s 1997 experimental release Zaireeka (which was designed to be listened to via four separate CDs playing at once on different sound systems). Initially compiled as an intended promo-only CD to complement The Flaming LipsвЂ™ breakthrough ninth album, The Soft Bulletin Companion has persevered across the span of two decades while remaining of interest to fans of the band, finally earning itself a limited double vinyl release for Record Store Day.

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