(Warner Bros., 2007)A rather pointless vinyl tie-in released alongside the band’s UFOs at the Zoo live DVD. The A-side is, of all things, a perfunctory run-through of “She Don’t Use Jelly” that sounds almost identical to the album version (with the exception of a chaotic climax followed by the stripped-down singalong the Lips have been doing for almost ten years), and the B is a ripping “W.A.N.D.” that, again, is too close to the LP recording to be of much interest. If nothing else, this 7” at least shows how much more exciting the group has become in concert since adding Kliph Scurlock as live drummer; jettisoning the pre-recorded drum tapes has given them considerable punch, even if they do fail to stretch/reimagine their songs as extensively as one might hope.
2 comments:
Gee, it sounds like they're becoming comfortable middle-aged arena rock geezers, sans the arena. Is this the inevitable destiny of every band that makes it to a fourth decade? Could be...
I'll at least say this for them: As a band that's been releasing records for 25 years, if they were the Rolling Stones they'd be doing "Steel Wheels" right now. If they were Paul McCartney, it'd be "Flowers in the Dirt" time. If they were Dylan, they'd be working on "Down in the Groove." If they were Lennon, uh.... never mind.
But still. While noting that they haven't had to operate under the punishing release schedule of those old-timers, the well hasn't run QUITE as dry for the Flaming Lips.
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