Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Flaming Lips - Drug Machine

(Glitterhouse, 1988)

No! No! NO this is not the same version of “Drug Machine” that appears on the unfairly-trashed Telepathic Surgery, so you best get that STRAIGHT. It’s slower, sludgier, druggier, heavier, though with the same frantic helium-gtr solo that makes the doggone thing so spiffy on the LP. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion (OR IS IT AN EARTH-SHAKING ACCUSATION?!?!) that the 7” is in fact just Wayne singing over a slowed-down instrumental of the album take – anyone out there agree? Either way, AGREE that it’s mighty clever to use the B-side in order to cram-jam the self-consciously evil Sonics (
“Strychnine”) and the self-consciously AWARE Nick Lowe/Elvis Costello (“Peace, Love, and Understanding”) into a seamless, nonsensical medley that musta been all kindsa cool/uncool back in ’88. Whatever. This is a definite pair of dandies, and both are included on Finally the Punk Rockers are Taking Acid, a compilation that’s a shocking, fried-amp wonderland for those youngsters who know the Flaming Lips only as over-earnest orchestro-beards who are so reliant on pre-recorded tapes in concert and ultra-spiff production in the studio that they couldn’t possibly handle “sloppy.” No? Well. Buy the early stuff and hear ’em when they wuz FUN and LOUD!!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wasn't this also released as part of the Sub Pop singles club? Any idea how that came about?
-eppy

ithinkihatemy45s said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ithinkihatemy45s said...

You are correct, sir. Sub Pop released it domestically as part of the 7" club (with a slightly different color scheme on the cover), while the German dudes at Glitterhouse handled the thing in Europe. Both versions were limited editions.

Donald Brown said...

I think it's interesting you post a comment on The Flaming Lips, who were "born the day they shot John Lennon's brain," the day after the 28th anniversary of the day, etc.

Like, y'know, umm, yeah.

igxe said...

You are correct, sir. Sub Pop released it domestically as part of the 7" club (with a slightly different color scheme on the cover), while the German dudes at Glitterhouse handled the thing in Europe. Both versions were limited editions.