The Flaming Lips-The Soft Bulletin (1999)

 

Artist: The Flaming Lips

Title: The Soft Bulletin

Label:  Warner Bros.

Format: CD

Cat: 9 46876-2

Year of Release: 1999

Country and Year of Edition: US 1999 HDCD

Listed Condition: VG+/VG+ 

Sell Date: 7/4/22

Sell Price: $3.99

Discogs Last Sold: 7/23/22 VG+/NM $2.75

Low: $0.69

Median: $3.00

Average: $3.43

High: $11.00

Current low price:$0.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 44

Have/Want: 1970/265

Where Sold:  ST. Charles, MI

Time it took to sell: 11 years

Where and When Bought: new kims or tower nyc

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B+

Sad To See It Go: No

Perhaps the peak of the Warner Brothers years for the Lips, this particular album was lauded with hosannas in a way that they never were in 15 or so years of releases.  

I have to say I preferred 4 or 5 prior releases to this and none after.  In A Priest Driven Ambulance remains their high watermark.  I will say that each and every cut on this is memorable, so I guess I spent some time with this in 1999.  By far the best on here is "The Gash" a mutant distorto-ELO track buried in the middle of the album.

That the only "great" song on here for me.  "Race Against The Prize" and "Waiting For A Superman" don't need 2 versions on an album.  I witnessed this tour at Tramps on W 15 in NYC.  That was a good large room before bands could play the Marquee and Irving Plaza and Roseland.  Nowadays corporations control the whole tier up in NYC.  I remember being disappointed by the band touring with no live drummer, just one on a video screen "The Spark That Bled."  Gone were the days of flashing strobe lights and "Drug Machine."

They had their taste of Beverly Hills 90210, and, clearly, liked it.