After about 35 years since being birthed, psychedelic love-bombers, The Flaming Lips, are still out there blowing minds for a living. I’ve adored this band for many years and have had the pleasure of seeing them perform live over 20 times in 8 states. In addition, I’ve been able to photograph them 15 times which has been… Insane. Surreal. Amazing. That’s the best I can describe my experiences with the musical pioneers that are The Flaming Lips. 

Why are Flaming Lips so amazing? Well, to begin with, Steven Drozd is without a doubt, one of my all-time personal favorite musicians. His drumming blew me away when I first listened to “Transmissions” from the Satellite Heart album (around ‘93-‘94). I honestly didn’t even think much of the them at that time; however, I held their drumming in high regard and thought the trippy guitar noise was interesting enough. 

Then, around 97-98, I was working at a record store in Northwest Indiana when I was reintroduced to The Flaming Lips. While working, I often scoured the used CD bins and listened to bands and/or albums that I was unfamiliar with. Then, one day I came across a used copy of Clouds Taste Metallic and my musical landscape was forever changed. 

After that, The Flaming Lips quickly became my favorite band in the late 1990’s. That album was a much-needed breath of fresh air for me. Clouds Taste Metallic is a perfectly crafted piece of noisy psychedelic garage rock with killer drumming, guitar playing, and bass playing. All of this was combined with Wayne Coyne’s singing and songwriting seemed to have come from another planet. This album didn’t sound or feel anything like how I had remembered The Flaming Lips. 

I’m totally “fan-boying” over Clouds Taste Metallic; however, The Flaming Lips have several other phenomenal American rock albums to their credit. These modern-day musical Bodhisattva’s have released a wealth of what I call “future music.” I’m looking forward to seeing them perform with The Lennon Claypool Delirium later this Summer. 

Here are my top 5 favorite Flaming Lips’ albums: 

1. Clouds Taste Metallic (‘95)
2. The Soft Bulletin (‘99)
3. Zaireeka (‘97)
4. Transmissions from the Satellite Heart (‘93)
5. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (‘02)

Enjoy some photos of The Flaming Lips performing live between 2013-2018. All Images copyright and courtesy of Andy Jillson.