Customer Reviews

Oh My Gawd Flaming Lips

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I've been trying to build up a collection of early Flaming Lips stuff, ever since I discovered that they have a pretty good set of eighties garage and pseudo-psychedelic titles. I just aquired OH MY GAWD!!! on a limited edition vinyl bit from 2007. It was a toss up between this and their 1989 release, Telepathic Surgery.

I find it hard to believe that I never ventured beyond that Dont Use Jelly song of theirs when I was a kid. While they have had some interesting releases in recent years, the further back you go in the Lips catalougue you can find some really rad stuff. This album for instance is great... smarmy punk fused garage act like a set of bones that hold together the albums flesh of harmonious dirges; a little bit sad and crippled, with scattered sound, but still rather beautiful. Within are plenty of psychedelic breakdowns and a crash fest or two. They put a lot of unique production behind the soundscape as well, the nine minute second track (read the title on your own its too long and crazy for me to remember) switches between rockin guitars to easy beating acoustic and piano grooves. If you like the Lips of modern day art rock fame, I think you may just find this bit every bit as interesting. Its got more of a raw sound to it. Really these guys could bust some heads back in the day...

Telepathic Surgery here I come...

After the release of "Hear It Is" (preceded by their eponymous debut EP), the Flaming Lips spent a while on the road, honing their chops and composing and tightening up the material that would comprise their follow-up. As such, "Oh My Gawd!" thoroughly delivers on the promises made on the first two records - and then some. The songs are more cohesive, the playing is tighter, and the direction, if you can call it that, is considerably more focused. Right off the bat, "Everything's Explodin'" sets the tone for the record with lyrics like, "Boy, you're so loud that you could wake the dead, and some of the living, they're waking, too." Tongue in cheek, perhaps, but accurate; almost everything here expands on the themes on "Hear," from the Pink Floyd-isms of "One Million Billionth of a Millisecond On A Sunday Morning" to the piano-smashing (literally) and Beatles tape-loop of "Love Yer Brain." That, and everything in between, shows a band interested in growing and building on their previous work. "Oh My Gawd!" isn't the ultimate achievement for the Flaming Lips, but it is the next evolutionary step for a rock group already obviously unique in a sea of sameness. The Lips make music for the Lips first, but are happy when anyone else gets the joke; as they put it in "Explodin,'" "If you don't like it, write your own song."

There's a couple of other obscure references here besides the obvious Beatles samples; like the first 45 seconds, the verses and the ending of "The Ceiling Is Bendin" which are a spot-on cover of the Alice Cooper Bands' song "Levity Ball" (from their first album PRETTIES FOR YOU). Not to mention the classical sample at the end of "Can't Stop The Spring;" any guesses?

Ok, this album rocks. It was a great buy. Someone once told that it wasn't worth it to get their early music, because they had a different vocalist then what people are use to. Well whoopie-de-do! This album is awesome! It's like late 60's rock/ acid punk rock. I loved this band the moment I heard them with Yoshimi, but I am starting to love their earlier work more now because it's heavier, more raw, loud and just darn cool! A very good mix of songs...these are the ones that stick out to me...

"Everythings Explodin" is a pretty good opener which starts off with a piece from the Beatles song Revolution #9, "Take this brother may it serve you well" and then it starts off into the Lips song.

"One Million Billionth of a Millisecond on a Sunday Morning" Is over 9 minutes of pure awesomeness! The first time I heard this I was in awe.

"Can't Exist" I very nice slower song that is on the edge of beautiful. It sounds very nice.

"The Ceiling is Bending" great lyrics and a really good drum beat to it.

"Prescription: Love" is an awesome jam song. Just listen to it, it rocks!

"Thanks to You" Another really nice mellow song I really liked the first time I listened to it like most of the album.

The REST of the songs are awesome as well, but don't stick out to me as much as these. The album is amazing. You really should get into the original Lips, because Oh My Gawd!!! ...It's The Flaming Lips! And they are an amazing band. Their drums stick out so much more in their early years. Their guitar is bleepin' great, grungy, raw and crazy!

Warning: They sound nothing like the later stuff.(BUT YOU SHOULD STILL GET THE EARLY ALBUMS!!!)

Pretty awesome band for being from Oklahoma! Weird! No offense to anyone from Oklahoma.

Flaming Lips are a really awesome hard rockin' acid punk grunge wonder of a band and are turning into a very obscure unique artistic band. I love everything they do! (but I hear that their first album isn't so great) BUT, everything else after it they ROCKED HARD!!

EGAD!! THE FLAMING LIPS!!

After the debut, the band decided to expand their creativity and this album was what slowly began to open the door for this. Dropping the more gritty, bluesy, punk sounds that was found in places on "Hear It Is" they adapted Art/Progressive rock and began seriously using atmospheric effects... reverb,echo, acoustic guitars, backward loops, and other sounds from various effects or electric guitar flow about through this album and create textures very new and almost uncompomisingly different from most late '80's indie music, retreating to a psychedelic idealism and experimental attitude. They also were growing longer hair, dressed, and were more refered to as hippies... but for the album... songs of life,love,joy and visions from Wayne Coyne's perception create a great album.

Ben.
the 15 year old.

After the Lips' not-bad-but-pretty-blah debut album Hear It Is, Wayne and the gang took a huge 180 degree turn from their debut album "Here It Is" and unleashed their sophomore effort "Oh My Gawd!" the next year. And the title says it all, as this probably goes down as the Lips' silliest and craziest album. One look at the album cover (front and back) should let you know you're in for a trip, as you see a collage of skull-monsters, landscapes, a man burning up, a scary sneering old lady, and the list goes on.
The Lips dropped the brooding mellowness of Hear It Is and totally let loose, resulting in such masterpieces as the 10-minute plus mind-trip epic "One Million Billionth On A Sunday Morning", the country-tinged acid rocker "Prescription: Love", the bizaare "Ode To C.C. Part 1" and Ode To C.C. Part 2", and the ending of the tender love ballad "Love Yer Brain", where a piano and what sounds like all the guitars being smashed to a pulp. Priceless stuff.
To further add to the eclectic-ness, either Richard English or Mike Ivins (I'm not sure who) sing lead vocals on "Thanks To You" and "Can't Exist". It's actually a good singing voice, but wouldn't show up on any other album. If you choose to get only one Lips album, and can't handle the seriousness of The Soft Bulletin, get Oh My Gawd!!! and take a trip with the Lips. You'll never want to come back.

This album is worth the price of admission just for the final song, Love Yer Brain, and the shocking ending. Perscription: Love is another keeper. And so is The Ceiling is Bending. And also the ten minute epic One Million Billionth of a Millisecond of a Sunday Morning...

Buy this album! The Lips is great and this is one of their better albums, indeed. Lot's of fun.

This is definately a great Flaming Lips album, and one you should definately check out. It's also their first great album, their debut is kinda boring.