{"product_id":"the-flaming-lips-the-soft-bulletin-indie-exclusive-zoetropic-pic-disc-vinyl-2lp","title":"The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin (Indie Exclusive Zoetropic Pic Disc) Vinyl 2LP { vinyl }","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=The+Flaming+Lips\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Flaming Lips\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e signed to Warner Brothers in 1992\u003c\/i\u003e; part of a frenzied mass-signing of American indie bands by major-labels looking for the next \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Nirvana\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNirvana\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. By 1998, they had failed to deliver a worthy successor to their lone crossover hit “She Don’t Use Jelly” and were in danger of being dropped by Warners. Their previous effort, the bloated \u0026amp; grandiose 4-part multitrack full-length \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Zaireeka\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eZaireeka\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e was nearly the last straw. Guitar virtuoso \u003cstrong\u003eRonald Jones\u003c\/strong\u003e had recently quit the band, and rather than try to replace him, the remaining band members (along with producer \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Dave+Fridmann\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDave Fridmann\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Mercury+Rev\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMercury Rev\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e) instead decided to go a different direction, ditching the slacker rock formula and filling the void of guitars with dense layers of piano, synth, samples and drum machines. It’s the band’s most earnest and eye-watering effort to date, and the somber tone (the original working title was \u003cem\u003eThe Soft Bullet In\u003c\/em\u003e) permeating tracks like “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate,” “The Spiderbite Song” and “Sleeping On The Roof” is said to stem from \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Wayne+Coyne\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWayne Coyne\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e’s grief from the imminent death of his terminally ill father. But the album is front-loaded with lasers-and-confetti bliss; opener “Race For The Prize” is a pre-emptive victory lap, followed by pyrotechnics-laden “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” and jazz-funk-prog masterclass “The Spark That Bled” (check out the \u003cstrong\u003e808 Mafia\u003c\/strong\u003e hi-hats predating “Hard In Da Paint” by more than a decade). This is the watershed moment that drew a distinction between what was previously just a quirky Oklahoma slacker guitar band, and one of the world’s foremost stadium rock acts, who would further advance the lush aesthetic established on \u003cem\u003eThe Soft Bulletin\u003c\/em\u003e with \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Yoshimi+Battles+The+Pink+Robots\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eYoshimi Battles The Pink Robots\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAt War With The Mystics\u003c\/em\u003e and go on to collaborate with the likes of \u003cstrong\u003eKe$ha\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eMiley Cyrus\u003c\/strong\u003e. It’s been called the \u003cstrong\u003eFlaming Lips\u003c\/strong\u003e’ \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?\u0026amp;q=Pet%20Sounds\u0026amp;filter=Brand\/Manufacturer\/Artist_fq:%22Beach%20Boys%22\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePet Sounds\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and if you appreciate \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=beach+boys\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrian Wilson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e’s forward-thinking baroque-pop arrangements, and \u003cstrong\u003eWayne Coyne\u003c\/strong\u003e’s voice doesn’t totally annoy you, you probably love this record already. Recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e25th anniversary edition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ezoetropic picture disc double vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eindie exclusive\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003elimited edition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eoriginal release year: 1999\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Warner Records 2024\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ereviewed by hannibal chew 01\/2018\u003c\/h6\u003e","brand":"The Flaming Lips","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl 2LP","offer_id":57431540957515,"sku":"lp-15285","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0970\/6169\/9915\/files\/theflaminglips-softbulletin-25th-zoetropic-mock1.jpg?v=1779697046","url":"https:\/\/vinylvintage.shop\/products\/the-flaming-lips-the-soft-bulletin-indie-exclusive-zoetropic-pic-disc-vinyl-2lp","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}