Like a number of bands signed in the post-grunge goldrush, they had a minor novelty hit – 1994’s She Don’t Use Jelly – and that appeared to be that.Īnd then the damnedest thing happened: the Flaming Lips released the extraordinary 1999 album The Soft Bulletin, developed an equally extraordinary live show and became something like a mainstream success.
When they were signed to a major label in 1991, it looked like one of the grandest acts of folly yet in the crazed search to find the next Nirvana: their debut release under their new deal was an EP called Yeah I Know It’s a Drag, But Wastin’ Pigs Is Still Radical. They began life as a minor psychedelic alt-rock band with seemingly zero mainstream commercial potential beyond hand-to-mouth survival, on the same US post-punk gig circuit that supported umpteen bands with zero mainstream commercial potential in the mid-80s. It's not obvious in the way that John Bonham's drum sound or Neil Young's singing voice is, but once you hear it it's clearly discernible.B efore we turn to the Flaming Lips’ 15th studio album, it’s worth considering the extremely peculiar path that has brought the Oklahoma trio to this point. Bill Evans for example has had a big influence on Drozd's harmonies.
Later on electronica and stuff like Aphex Twin and even Madonna became a big influence, and Miles Davis has one of the most persistent influences on them in recent decades.īut there's really so many more people we could be naming if went through all the different aspects of their music and visual presentation. The influence of bands like Dinosaur Jr and the Pixies/Breeders is also pretty apparent in Jones era. In 90s Drozd and Jones brought with them more progressive rock and new wave influences, particularly Yes. Spacemen 3, Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen, Bee Gees, John Lydon, Velvet Underground, Dream Syndicate, Galaxy 500, and many others are among the Lips influences in 80s. You could probably include DEVO on the shortlist as well and maybe some others like Black Sabbath, etc.īlack Flag made a big impact on Wayne early on and bands like Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers are some of the obvious influences to follow. The big influences that appear throughout multiple eras of the Lips are the classic rock icons they listened to as kids like The Who, Beatles/ Lennon, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Led Zep (esp Bonham). If we were to go track by track through their three decade discography we could come up with a really long list. Wayne often describes the Lips sound as a cross between Pink Floyd and Radiohead.
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