Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Psychedelic, or nascent genius?, April 24, 1999
Timing is everything, and the Flaming Lips debut album is a perfect validation of that statement. The Lips self-released eponymous EP paved the way for their signing to indie label Restless in the mid-'80's, a time when bands like the Replacements and Sonic Youth were just making their dent in what was to become "alternative" rock. Back then, it was just "college rock," and the Lips couldn't have stumbled into a better category. Their indefinable sound was a melange of psychedelia and self-effacing acid rock, often gaining them the unfair categorization as such. This is one heck of a sloppy record, but sincerity oozes from every track. Their cartoonish weirdness, evident on tracks such as "Trains, Brains & Rain" and "Staring At Sound" is offset by the underlying lyrical seriousness of "She Is Death" and "Godzilla Flick," hinting at a darker underside to this over-the-top band. Beneath their wall of noise and screwball guitar antics, the Lips had something to say; they don't quite get it out on this record (they really don't until much later on "In A Priest Driven Ambulance"), but these are the first steps in the right direction. Well worth a listen.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Please remember that this band used to play "the rock music", October 6, 2002
I just wanted to take this moment to review "Here it is" post release of Yoshimi, hoping of course that some of the new fans this album, which I consequently think it great, will take some time to listen to a bit of the history. The music on "Here it is" is, although probably not the best, a great start to the Flaming Lip's career. No matter how many times I hear this album, it still can give me chills. From the dark humor in the first track, "With You," to the get out of your seat rock of "Planes, Trains, and Brains" and "Charlie Manson Blues," not forgetting the utterly bizzare religious statement of "Jesus Shootin' Heroin," there is absolutely no way that this album will not keep interested until the very end. This is a great way to remember how music was while Michael Irvins still had "the hair."
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Nascent but not bad, especially "With You", June 1, 2008
At this point the Flaming Lips were just your basic loud amateur rock band, but with occasional signs of real songwriting ability. The thing opens with "With You," a pretty little ditty that shows that right from the get-go Wayne had a decent ear for melody and knew how to get loud and quiet and then loud again. I think "Trains, Brains and Rain" is a mockery of folkie seriousness and nostalgia, but even if that's not what it's about it is a catchy little tune. And of course there's "Jesus Shootin' Heroin," probably the most well-known song on this debut LP. By pairing a good and extremely simple riff with eerie wails and then alternating that with Wayne speak-singing some vaguely anti-religious lyrics that don't make much sense over some chanting backing vocals, the Flaming Lips came up with something here that doesn't sound like any other song I've ever heard. That doesn't make it great, but it does make it memorable, and it's worth hearing if you've got any kind of interest in these guys. I'd be very surprised to see them do any of this stuff live, but this album's worth hearing if you like any of their other pre-Transmissions stuff.
Song by song:
1 With You ***
2 Unplugged **
3 Trains, Brains & 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) ***
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~ The Flaming Lips
~ The Flaming Lips
~ The Flaming Lips
~ The Flaming Lips
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by The Flaming Lips 
