The Flaming Lips
Heady Nuggs: 20 Years After Clouds Taste Metallic
WARNER
8/10
Today, they may be known to youngsters as Miley Cyrus’s backing band, but during the mid-’90s, The Flaming Lips were one of the freshest voices emerging from the previously dormant genre of psych-rock. Blending the alternative sensibilities of the era with timeless whimsy and experimentation, Clouds Taste Metallic became—and remains—one of the best albums of the band’s career. It’s hard to believe that it’s two decades old, but its longevity must be celebrated.
What separates Heady Nuggs: 20 Years After Clouds Taste Metallic from other box-set collections is that it has just the right amount of extras and rarities—which usually bog down these types of things—to avoid being cumbersome. On top of the original LP, the Heady Nuggs extras—which include a complete 1996 Seattle gig and the highly coveted promo-only compilation Due To High Expectations… The Flaming Lips Are Providing Needles for Your Balloons—give fans a rare glimpse into the Lips’ recording process. These tracks’ passion and innovation introduce The Flaming Lips as a band boldly finding themselves in the recording studio and onstage, where they would become legendary. Wayne Coyne and Co. aren’t out of ideas yet, but Heady Nuggs is a snapshot in time and a reminder of how vibrant The Lips could be in those early years.
