THE FLAMING LIPS - Worst to Best
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2024
- A ranking of every Flaming Lips album up to King's Mouth, the most recent Lips album at the time of making this.
(Note: Some of the live footage used in this video has a bit of flashing lights - just keep that in mind if that sort of thing affects you)
My biggest Worst to Best list yet, but not my longest Worst to Best video - I tried to not ramble on quite as much this time, given that there were 15 albums to get through - 16, if you count the 'honourable mention' segment.
Outro song by Wesley Willis, naturally.
And yeah, Nick Ingalls' face is obscured in the thumbnail. Sorry dude
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Dunno, Zaireeka is criminally underrated in my opinion
35,000ft of Despair is one of my favorite Lips songs. They opened a show in the late 90's with it and it was amazing. The bass, including the beating heart, could be felt in the chest. It was very intense, both physically and emotionally.
Eh. It’s a very pretentious concept. Did Coyne not think it was a little overbearing to tell people to buy 4 CD players for that shit??
@@curly_wyn it was intended for 4 seperate people to all press play at the count of 3. Because of differing reaction times and different cd player models they would play slightly out of order creating a new sound each time you do it. Which was the whole point
@@curly_wynit was intended to bring people together. Get with your friends and listen to music, like they did in the golden era. “ hey I have this cd where I need 4 people to listen to a sick band, bring your cd player/boombox” and it seemed like it worked. I’ve read alot about people having listening parties. I’m trying to plan one myself with a few of my buddies, who don’t even know the lips, just think it’s an insanely cool concept and want to hear it.
Great video! Thanks for putting this together. Lips / Wilco at MSG on New Year's Eve is still one of my life's highlights! Still get pumped every time to hear the drum opening of Race! Early listening to AH and I'm thinking close to Mouth. Nice back-to-back effort. Excited for the future and enjoying the present. Thanks again!
Great video, love seeing someone put this much effort and passion into this wonderful band.
I would've placed Yoshimi slightly higher but other than that I agree. The Soft Bulletin is a top 10 album of all time for me.
Hey William I'm a big fan of your channel and I made a list of my top 50 albums ever and placed the Soft Bulletin at #25. I ranked it as the 3rd best album of the 90s behind Ok Computer and The Downward Spiral and just ahead of Ben Folds Five's underrated The Biography of Reinhold Messner
Just finished American Head and I loved it!
Thank you for the recommendations, I will try Yoshimi and Soft Bulletin next.
Great video! Thanks for putting this together. Huge Lips fan!
I love Ronald Jones and I still miss him.
Thanks for all the hard work you put into this excellent look at the lips. Can't argue with any of your picks because I could never rank them. Well done!
I really love oczy mlody a lot. It was news to me that people didn’t love it the same way I did lol, great list by the way!
I agree! Idk why he rates it the lowest.🤔🤷♂️
Cozy Melody is a fucking great album..
Top three for me. But I really have listened to you could be a frog on loop for an hour. I think it's a beautiful song
I agree with quite a bit of your rankings, and your choices for “best song on the album”. Good job!
"Pilot Can at the Queer of God" really is painfully underrated. That riff is incredible.
Also, while I'm not a huge Soft Bulletin fan, and I'd personally rank Embryonic a fair bit higher (I actually like "I Can Be a Frog" for its subtext about the dumb stuff we remember about failed relationships), this is a very solid list overall, and I appreciated your shoutout to 7 Skies H3 and the pleasant surprise of seeing *someone* give King's Mouth some love. (Also, an aside about "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2": The screams are actually courtesy of the actual Yoshimi P-We, drummer and singer for the experimental rock group Boredoms, so it's kind of a big in-joke. I personally found it entertaining, but I'm a big Boredoms fan with a high tolerance for goofy bullshit and found the bassline on that one rather catchy, and not everyone is going to feel me on that.)
agree with pilot can although it cribs pink floyds take up thy stethoscope and walks drumbeat
Pink Robts Pt. 2 is fukin crazy it fits perfectly, I used to dislike it but it grew on me, now everything I hear it I gotta blast it feels like decending to madness, but yeah I can be a frog never liked it lol
i looooove Boredoms/Hanatarash! and Yoshimi Pt. 2 is my fav track off that record
Great video sir! I’ve kind of fallen out of love with flaming lips over the years but they will always have a special place in my heart
Oczy Mlody is suuuuuch a great album but I love your review of it. Embryonic ended up being my favorite album. I never thought anything could top The Soft Bulletin as a favorite. Cannot argue with your points. Love the reasoned, completely differing perspective. Instant subscribe. GREAT video!!!!!
Fantastic video! I agree with almost every placement and loved that you mentioned you favorite track from each album. Where would you place their newest release, American Head? I thought it was very decent but would love to hear your thoughts!
Finally someone who appreciates the flaming lips way too underrated
I've made an updated list on AOTY ranking the Lips' albums, including American Head (which wasn't out when I made this video): www.albumoftheyear.org/user/shonkmusique/list/90738/flaming-lips-albums-ranked/
I also revised my album scores, so if you thought some of the ratings in this video were a bit high, then evidently I agree with you now 😂
And here's a playlist of my favourite Flaming Lips songs, if you're still relatively new to the band:
open.spotify.com/playlist/7AU4KqYB4Urqxssh6Ea2Ow?si=sKc4BFCnSZevcNwufy7XmQ
best. j. mascis. impression. ever.
great video man
Great review! I almost completely agree with your analysis on best to worst, with of course Soft Bulletin being number one. There are so many moods and textures to that album that sets it apart.
I was fortunate to meet Wayne and Steven around 2004 when I was living in Nashville while they were touring for Yoshimi. They both were very friendly and kind.
No.1 of No.1 - Feeling Yourself Disintegrate. I was very relieved and overjoyed to see those 3 words pop onto the screen as your pick for the best track off TSB. Thank you for this video, very well done. I’m also curious as to where you would put American Head?
Not sure, I listened to it one time and I wasn't really feeling it at all tbh.
Hopefully I'll enjoy it better after a few more listens
A wonderful list, with some fabulous insights.
I may not agree with some of your opinions or rankings but I certainly appreciate the obvious reverence you have for this wonderful group who have by the large taken more risks than most major label acts that came out of the 80s/90s. They've earned a place as one of the finest psychedelic bands of the past (almost 30) years now imo.
I saw them earlier this year at Bearded Theory festival in Darbey England. They've still got it and the show itself was incredible, with a huge towering inflatable pick robot and various other creatures, massive LED screens, these orbs that glowered and strobed to the music. To name a few things.. At one point someone at the back of the crowd cracked their head open and Wayne stopped the entire show midway through Yoshimi, that huge robot suspended above him restlessly fluttering it's form around, he pulled out a radio to see what was going on, he kept the crowd calm, ensured the paramedics could get through to help the fallen individual, then he ushered everyone back into the magic. They had to cleave 10 minutes off of their set but Fairplay to them for their consideration and love for everyone there. They are without a doubt still one of the finest live acts around. I hadn't seen them since 2005 or so and they were even more awesome.
It's pretty funny you left out the release where one song 'I found a star on the ground' was 6 hours long and released inside a USB stick encased in the head of a jelly human embryo, Yeah weird you skipped that one 😂
Tiz cool you included 7 skies edit tho. I had fabulous fwends on vinyl with the blood of every celebrity who played on it pressed into it. I found that too weird to keep 🤷🏻♂️ maybe I should've Idk. Wasn't that good an album tho imo. Kinda annoying.
The final comment about King's Mouth (which I still haven't heard!) makes me wonder what your opinion on American Head is. I find it amazing for such a late-ish career album but also amazing overall. Not long ago I did a "let's hear all the Lips I have on my iPod" and it does rank kinda top 3 for me.
Great job. I mostly agree with much of it other than In a Priest Driven ambulance would crack my top 5 and possibly top 3.
Definitely agree.
You underrated zaireeka imo, I also have a real soft spot for Oh My Gawd too, but im only half way through this video rn.
at war with the mystics is worse than zaireeka and embronic, sorry man youre just wrong with putting that above those two.
aw i like yoshimi pt 2
Great video. I really like your insights into each album and how you ranked them.
Also, I know it's been out for a while, but I think you should review American Head.
American Head although unreleased at the time of this documentary IMO is the best they have done. Stunning record
While I can hardly disagree with that top 4, I still would place both Oczy and Mystics on higher positions. Especially the latter. I admit that it has his downs but it also has great instrumentals (in that regard it surpasses Yoshimi); plus, it features my favourite Lips tune ever, "Pompeii Am Gotterdamerung".
the album run from Zaireeka, Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi and Mystics is their very best imo
I really liked watching this. I don't entirely agree with the rankings but I completely appreciate the fact that someone put so much thought into this. Also I really like the part where the narrator notes his favorite track on each LP.
I think it's far too easy to be critical of someone trying to do such a difficult thing. So I give you credit sir even if I disagree with certain things I do think I agree with you in the greater context.
I have friends that have turned their backs on The Flaming Lips ever since they became more symphonic unless Rock. And I held that against them especially in lieu of things like Yoshimi which was good and the soft Bulletin which was in my opinion the Sergeant Pepper's of the 90s. I thought you didn't give enough credit to the Flaming Lips who are bunch of young rock and roll virgins and perhaps too much credit to the overproduced symphonics Steven drozd. Having said that I do appreciate the epic tasks you undertook in trying to rank all of those albums sequentially. Cheers to you sir a cheers to you Flaming Lips fans out there.
And if you ain't got no relation to all those other stations turn it on!!
Bless you for putting clouds so high. Also l, you should try alt-country. Soft Bulletin of course is #1. 1st time I saw them was on the small stage at Lolapalooza at the time Jelly was big. I've seen them many times since. But, not since Kliph and Ivins have been out of the band. Hopefully I'll dig The Terror someday.
A very late thank you for the Flaming Lips content. Besides Clouds Taste Metallic being better than Transmissions I agree with the list.
My 1st concert was in Chicago at the legendary Metro venue & Wayne & the Boys had just released Soft Bulletin about 3 weeks or a month ago. What an unforgettable experience. The stage show was in the early, early stages of the birthday party on crack that it would later become. Robert Hitchcock was performing at the event to & he was also wonderful. You just need my day…when you made this about 2-3 years ago.
Sorry friend, but Oczy Mlody is the shit. Especially if you enjoy psychedelic songs. Really has some beautiful and sad and scary, good moments in it.
Underrated video
I was so scared you wernt going to I slide 7 skies h3. Its my first time listening to flaming lips album and almost done with the full song thank you
So glad Yoshimi wasn't at the top. So glad Clouds and Transmissions were. I would put Priest and HIt to Death higher. And I'm not sure Soft Bulletin would be my number one, but yes, it was expected that either Yoshimi or SB would be at the top. I was there from pretty much the beginning, entering with Priest when that one came out, then working through the back catalogue and following forward thorugh the 90s, their best era, IMO. I could put any one of their 90s albums over SB. Priest, Transmissions, Clouds, Hit to Death, any one of those could be my number one. SB is 5 at best, for me. And of course that's personal, because by then I was moving on to other things, and Wayne was using sock puppets live, and that lost me. But the Lips will always be one of my favorite bands. And it's simply amazing to me in 2025 that they are still around. Never would have thought that was possible in 1995.
I've never clicked on a video this fast in my life.
I’ll never forget the night I fell asleep with HIT to Death playing
I got into the band in 1993 with Transmissions. I then devoured their whole back catalog and when Clouds came out it was mind blowing. But for me The Soft Bulletin is an album that went from underrated to overrated very quickly and while i liked Yoshimi when it was released it's definitely not one i feel compelled to listen to much anymore. I think i liked the Soft Bulletin companions that hit the internet more than Yoshimi. At War With the Mystics was a death knell for me with the band. I think i saw them live around this time too and was so bored by the show which felt like it hadn't changed for years. At least they weren't obviously playing with a bunch of pre-recorded tracks anymore i suppose... Then Embryonic came out and I was once again a rabid fan. I even loved all their little vanity releases with Kesha, Yoko Ono, and the like. Embryonic to The Terror was like Priest Driven Ambulance to Clouds Taste Metallic. A second high wave of creativity. Oczy Mlody to American Head i would put on a similar level as Soft Bulletin to Mystics. It's not horrible but it's not horribly interesting to me either. Some great tracks in both though.
In my final analysis, the period from Hit To Death... to The Soft Bulletin was their best, most exciting work. I like listening to them in that order (obvs not in one sitting) from time to time. It's great, tracking the journey towards their magnum opus.
After TSB, their output became increasingly self-indulgent (though Yoshimi is a vg album) and the delicate balance they managed prior was thrown out of whack and quality suffered.
I WOULD agree. Except for the fact that In a Priest Driven Ambulance is better than all of it. Include that, dude.
Flaming lips for life.
I really dug King's Mouth despite it making such little cultural impact, but I was really blown away by American Head a couple years ago. Where would that place in your lineup?
I reckon it's pretty much on par with King's Mouth, so maybe I'd put it 6th?
The Soft Bulletin is definitely up there for me, but I think my favorite is Clouds Taste Metallic. I've been a huge Lips fan for a very long time & seen them live multiple times. I even own Christmas on Mars & all their 5.1 surround remasters. But I haven't liked a single track they have released since Embryonic. And even then, it's like half the album. I've listened to everything that has come out since then but I hate it. The Terror was garbage to me. Things got weird when Wayne got divorced & started hanging out with pop stars.
BTW: on my channel, I have a stereo mix of Zaireeka that was from an old torrent I got from KickassTorrents years ago. Not sure what the origin of it was. But it had Zaireeka mixed in 5.1 surround. It was never released but I took the videos that were on it & synced them with my stereo mix, then uploaded it.
Yoshimi part 2 is epic dawg.
Pre-Soft Bulletin for me please
Cheers to that, mate!!!
Soft bulletin is automatically number one for me, just such bangers
The first versions of Race... and Waiting... are how the band wanted them. The ones tacked on the end are single mixes insisted on by the record company. A common practice, such as on In Utero (except Nirvana put the single mixes in the main tracklisting rather than as duplicates on the end).
I'd put Yoshimi higher and you don't like Yoshimi pt 2? Question, did you take Acid or Mushrooms when you listened to the album? ;)
Their early stuff is so much better than a lot of what came after 1996... Fight me!
💯 I love all the old stuff! 👍🏼☕
Feel like I have nearly opposite opinion of every opinion in this video lol
Which one is your favorite?
Mine is Metallic.
BRUH
WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT MY BOY YOSHIMI PT 2
ALL MY HOMIES LOVE PT2
I love the Lips and mostly agree with the list but King's Mouth is awful. It shouldve been listed as the worst. At War with the Mystics is a great album and should've placed higher
What music have you made?
You lost me right away by putting oczy last, the entire list is suspect off the bat
My favorite band , until I heard Guidedby Voices. But, true artists.
I tapped out after their post-Embryonic music quickly went bad
Same here! I just mentioned the same thing! 👍🏼☕
How exactly did Zaireeka not land squarely at the bottom of this list? I reject concepts which require good reflexes and timing.
interesting video!
I like the Ronald albums best
Embryonic is wayyy better than this
Transmission is my favorite
Would be interested to see how you think American Head would rank here
Do Mercury Rev please.
The live with tame Impala was so sick I've seen tame Impala live but not flaming lips and I feel like I need to see them asap because one day they could be gone
TOP 2 will always be Yoshimi Battles Pink Robots or A Soft Bulletin. Kinda like Weezer's Blue album/Pinkerton
Not even remotely true.
Totally agree with yoshimi part 2. Yoshimi was the first album I chose to listen to, and that song totally turned me off. The album is my favorite now though, lol.
I kinda like Yoshimi Pt. 2? I dunno, definitely not a great track though.
I like part 2 fine. most songs on yoshimi have this comfortable dreamy vibe and then part 2 is so loud and energetic. I appreciate it in that sense.
The Soft Bulletin, Clouds Taste Metallic, Zaireeka and Yoshimi are the ones that I go back to.The earlier albums have some great songs on too.
They've been very underwhelming outside of these.I liked The Soft Bulletin in 1999 too.The tour was amazing.Watching Steven play guitar/keyboards for real and drumming on-screen too.
Wayne's voice has deteriorated when it should have improved.Too much talking not enough song.
Well done on a cool video.
Not to tell you how to run your channel. But it would be great if the channel was solely about the bands you like. I think your channel would gain momentum if it was dedicated to only music. You make great little music docs. Anyway, just s thought.
yoshimi p2 is a jam shush
Love the video but every album is rated so high it never sounds like you’re giving it that score lol
That's fair haha
I've only really talked about albums I like to some extent so far, and I feel like an album is at least a 5/10 if it has a few good songs
Have a special place in my heart for hit to death in the future head love Donahue before he went on to make his magnum opus See you on the other side I don’t care what anyone says deserters songs will never ever top racing the tide and Empire State the harmonies are amazing I would love to see a Mercury rev review! Plus Mahican vs the headache is sick!!!!! I really like yoshimi part 2 I believe the point Wayne wanted was yoshimi’s epic battle with the robots her screaming but not for everyone!
I loved see you on the other side, still do, then deserters sings, I thought was one of the greatest albums ever. They're both different so I don't compare like others do. They're both so great and unique in the most individual ways
1. Clouds Taste
2. Transmissions
3. Yoshimi
4. At War/Mystics
5. Hit to Death
6. Soft Bulletin
7. American Head
8. Priest Driven 🚑
9. Terror
10. Embryonic
11. Oczy Mlody
12. Zaireeka
13. Telepathic
14. Oh My Gawd!!!
15. Kings Mouth
16. Hear It Is
✌🏼🎧
I love Oxy😢
Yoshimi is literally one of the greatest albums ever created.
But let’s all be honest
They have NEVER created a single bad note in their career. They shouldn’t even exist and every human is better for their existence
Listening to The Soft Bulletin is a religious experience.
i dont get your ratings at all. 'im not particularly attached to this one' for zaireeka but you rated it a 9/10??
Where would you put American head?
I currently have it between Hit to Death and The Terror
Do PIXIES please!
Trompe le monde way underrated
Lots of records but I have no doubt on my top 3 being probably "The Soft Bulletin", "Clouds Taste Metallic" and "Hit To Death..." . Then we have a lot of albums I consider great, such as "Embryonic", "Transmissions From the Satellite Heart", "In a Priest Driven Ambulance", "Yoshimi"...The worst ones are "Oczy Mlody" , "Mystics" and the IMO dreadfully boring last pair.
0:14 Mercury Rev jumpscare
this list is disgraceful and i fucking hate it, congrats! i'm now a subscriber.
yeah but yoshimi part 2 is based as fuck
At war with the Mystics should be way higher. Embryonic as well.
Yoshimi is too high as is King's mouth.
Embrionic e' Alieno
The flaming lips are really two different bands. Everything before Zaireeka is from a band that doesn’t really exist anymore.
99-2009 is prob their golden era
yoshimi pt2 is great
I don’t see Yoshimi🤷🏻♂️?!
surely you dont understand early flaming lips
Come on Embryonic and The Terror should have been 1 and 2
terror sucks
Where would American Head fit?
Probably around where King's Mouth is
11:20 - HTDITFH was released in '92-not 2013. I def agree that "The Magician Vs. The Headache" is AWESOME!!!
I really didn't like "Hit in the Death to Future Head"
Hit to death came out in 1992 not 2013.. but decent video
Ah dang, I was copy/pasting text from those transitions but clearly forgot to change the year for that one
U so wrong about Embryonic.
holy crap and by the way oczy mlody is pronounced ochy mlody
embryonic is wayyy too low brother. good vid tho
Embryonic
Completely disagree about Oczy Mlody. Love that album, you are taking it way too seriously. It's a party album, it's not supposed to have a big emotional impact.
Your rating scale is inflated. Drop every score by two points and this list makes a lot more sense.
My good god, brother, you come off like a pretentious prick. But you're right about a bunch of shit here. Most importantly where "Soft Bulletin" the falls in the list of great records. It holds together so well. As i score it, it's on the list with Revolver and Pet Sounds, and Blood on the Tracks, and Time (the revelator). Records that changed how I hear records.
The Embryonic slander is intolerable. I had to stop watching.