The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (2002/2022) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (2002/2022) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz] Download

If, in 1999, The Soft Bulletin found the Flaming Lips decisively moving away from their previous identity as acid-damaged rockers and segueing into a more genteel sort of psychedelia, 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was where the band fully set their controls for the heart of the sun. The Lips completely shed the dissonance and goofiness of their early major label releases and turned the sweeping soundscapes of Soft Bulletin into the foundation of Yoshimi, a new sound that was cosmically and philosophically indulgent. While these indulgences would go to extremes on many of the band’s future releases, here they’re a dazzling balance of bold sonic experimentation and deeply melodic (but sublimely weird) song structures that resulted in what is probably the strongest and most cohesive album in their catalog.Though technically not a concept album (only the first third relates the “Yoshimi” storyline), it is nonetheless tightly bound to its sonic signatures (burbling synths, overdriven percussion, highly processed guitars) and the even-toned, reverb-drenched approach to vocals that Wayne Coyne had recently settled on. (The way that Coyne sings on the Lips’ aughts-era albums manages to be the most unsettling combination of “it’s all gonna be fine” soothing and “the universe is ending, let’s get weird” chicanery.) Coyne, guitarist/drummer/studio rat Steven Drozd, and bassist Michael Ivins—along with producer Dave Fridmann—spent nearly two years putting the album together, and in that time, it seems they set out to explore the outer capabilities of every piece of equipment encountered. Yet the result never sounds like a collagist pastiche or an over-gilded lily; instead, it has a warm, lived-in feel, but one where home is a slightly rusty spaceship stuck on the outer edges of the galaxy.

For its 20th anniversary, Yoshimi is getting an encyclopedic expansion, with an additional five discs worth of material appended to the original album. The majority of the bonus studio tracks were already previously released on various singles, EPs, and one-offs (most of which were compiled on the DVD-Audio release of Yoshimi). But there is also much more in terms of previously unreleased studio tracks, many of which are surprisingly revelatory demos.

While some of the demos are the unpolished run-throughs one may expect, others are seemingly half-baked fragments that are not only delightful on their own, but also give a peek inside the band’s creative process: The rough, three-minute sketch of “Do You Realize??” shows the listener where Drozd added the soaring chorus that not only became the song’s signature, but also gave it its epic emotional heft. There’s also a 15-song concert from an early 2003 date in London that

Tracklist:

1-01. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (04:14)
1-02. The Flaming Lips – One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21 (04:59)
1-03. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 (04:45)
1-04. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2 (02:57)
1-05. The Flaming Lips – In the Morning of the Magicians (06:18)
1-06. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (04:34)
1-07. The Flaming Lips – Are You a Hypnotist?? (04:44)
1-08. The Flaming Lips – It’s Summertime (04:20)
1-09. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (03:32)
1-10. The Flaming Lips – All We Have Is Now (03:53)
1-11. The Flaming Lips – Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia) (03:10)
1-12. The Flaming Lips – All My Life – Morning of the Magician (Demo) (01:23)
1-13. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping Part 2 or 3 (Demo) (05:22)
1-14. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Demo) (02:58)
1-15. The Flaming Lips – Hypnotist: Early Version (Demo) (05:10)
1-16. The Flaming Lips – Epic Systems Delirium (Demo) (02:31)
1-17. The Flaming Lips – In the Morning of the Magicians (Demo) (04:01)
1-18. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (1st Chords Wayne) (Demo) (03:58)
1-19. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Steven New Part) (Demo) (03:07)
1-20. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (from the “Fight Test” EP) (04:14)
1-21. The Flaming Lips – Can’t Get You out of My Head (Live at KEXP) (04:07)
1-22. The Flaming Lips – The Golden Age (Live on CD101) (03:12)
1-23. The Flaming Lips – Knives Out (Live on KCRW) (04:21)
1-24. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Scott Hardkiss Floating in Space Vocal Mix) (09:06)
1-25. The Flaming Lips – The Strange Design of Conscience (04:24)
1-26. The Flaming Lips – Thank You Jack White (For the Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me) (03:24)
1-27. The Flaming Lips – Assasination of the Sun (04:25)
1-28. The Flaming Lips – I’m a Fly in a Sunbeam (Following the Funeral Procession of a Stranger) (03:13)
1-29. The Flaming Lips – Sunship Balloons (04:04)
1-30. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (T.P.S. Remix) (04:02)
1-31. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Ego in Acceleration) (Jason Bentley Remix) (05:34)
1-32. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Self-Admiration with Blow-Up Mix) (06:34)
1-33. The Flaming Lips – A Change at Christmas (Say It Isn’t So) (05:18)
1-34. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Utah Saints Remix) (06:31)
1-35. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Japanese Version) (04:57)
1-36. The Flaming Lips – SpongeBob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy (03:37)
1-37. The Flaming Lips – Seven Nation Army (from LateNightTales: The Flaming Lips) (02:51)
1-38. Sparklehorse – Go (Alternate Version from The Flaming Lips Archives) (04:41)
1-39. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Live on CD101) (03:38)
1-40. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (AOL Session) (03:31)
1-41. The Flaming Lips – Waitin’ for a Superman (Live on WXPN) (04:18)
1-42. The Flaming Lips – In the Morning of the Magicians (Live on KCRW) (03:58)
1-43. The Flaming Lips – White Christmas (Live on WXPN) (03:28)
1-44. The Chemical Brothers – The Golden Path (feat. The Flaming Lips) (04:47)
1-45. The Flaming Lips – If I Go Mad / Funeral in My Head (06:32)
1-46. The Flaming Lips – Syrtis Major (03:17)
1-47. The Flaming Lips – Up Above the Daily Hum (04:10)
1-48. The Flaming Lips – Xanthe Terra (03:55)
1-49. The Flaming Lips – The Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response (02:49)
1-50. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (Live on WXRT 5/2/03) (02:43)
1-51. The Flaming Lips – Duck Dodgers Theme (Wayne Scratch Vocal) (03:34)
1-52. The Flaming Lips – I Know I’ve Got to Make That Dream the Real Thing (Demo) (01:08)
1-53. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Instrumental) (03:27)
1-54. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (Primitive Demo with Helium Voice) (03:41)
1-55. The Flaming Lips – Suspicious Minds (Live on Cover-ed) (06:33)
1-56. The Flaming Lips – Assasination of the Sun (Live on BBC Radio 1 July 2002) (05:05)
1-57. The Flaming Lips – Can’t Get You Out of My Head (Live on BBC Radio 1 July 2002) (04:00)
1-58. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Live on BBC Radio 1 July 2002) (03:23)
1-59. The Flaming Lips – One More Robot (Live on BBC Radio 1 July 2002) (03:53)
1-60. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Live on KEXP 8/5/02) (03:38)
1-61. The Flaming Lips – One More Robot (Live on KEXP 8/5/02) (03:19)
1-62. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Live on KEXP 8/5/02) (03:19)
1-63. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Live on XFM 7/11/02) (03:39)
1-64. The Flaming Lips – One More Robot (Live on XFM 7/11/02) (04:27)
1-65. The Flaming Lips – Can’t Get You Out of My Head (Live on XFM 7/11/02) (04:15)
1-66. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (Live on XFM 6/26/03) (04:02)
1-67. The Flaming Lips – Thank You Jack White (Live on XFM 6/26/03) (04:17)
1-68. The Flaming Lips – Breathe (Live on XFM 6/26/03) (03:11)
1-69. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gates Of Hell (Live on XFM 11/11/03) (03:26)
1-70. The Flaming Lips – Sunship Balloons (Live on XFM 11/11/03) (03:08)
1-71. The Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Live on BBC Radio 1 10/31/03) (03:50)
1-72. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Live on BBC Radio 1 10/31/03) (03:22)
1-73. The Flaming Lips – Sunship Balloons (Live on BBC Radio 1 10/31/03) (03:16)
1-74. The Flaming Lips – Introduction (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (05:06)
1-75. The Flaming Lips – The Golden Age (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (03:00)
1-76. The Flaming Lips – Wayne Intro 1 (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (00:54)
1-77. The Flaming Lips – Lucifer Sam (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (03:28)
1-78. The Flaming Lips – Wayne Intro 2 (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (02:29)
1-79. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (04:07)
1-80. The Flaming Lips – Wayne Intro 3 (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (01:54)
1-81. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (08:25)
1-82. The Flaming Lips – Wayne Intro 4 (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (01:34)
1-83. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test Intro (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (04:46)
1-84. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston 10/27/02) (04:24)
1-85. The Flaming Lips – Psychedelic Hypnotist Daydream (Demo) (24:38)
1-86. The Flaming Lips – Introduction (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (01:21)
1-87. The Flaming Lips – Race for the Prize (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (05:59)
1-88. The Flaming Lips – Fight Test (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (04:41)
1-89. The Flaming Lips – Lucifer Sam (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (03:49)
1-90. The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (09:00)
1-91. The Flaming Lips – Lightning Strikes the Postman (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (04:44)
1-92. The Flaming Lips – In the Morning of the Magicians (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (06:47)
1-93. The Flaming Lips – Happy Birthday (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (05:32)
1-94. The Flaming Lips – She Don’t Use Jelly (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (05:59)
1-95. The Flaming Lips – All We Have Is Now (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (06:15)
1-96. The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?? (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (04:01)
1-97. The Flaming Lips – Waitin’ for a Superman (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (07:14)
1-98. The Flaming Lips – A Spoonful Weighs a Ton (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (04:37)
1-99. The Flaming Lips – What Is the Light? (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (04:49)
1-100. The Flaming Lips – The Observer (Fade Out) (Live at the Forum, London, UK 1/22/03) (04:04)