WARNER 4-LP Box Set 46804-1: THE FLAMING LIPS - Zaireeka - RSD 2013 USA SEALED
  C$   90
  $   65

 


C$ 90 Sold For
Jul 10, 2020 Sold Date
Jun 18, 2018 Start Date
1 Number Of Bids
  Canada Country Of Seller
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Description

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Background -

Even within the eclectic world of alternative rock, few bands were so brave, so frequently brilliant, and so deliciously weird as the Flaming Lips. From their beginnings as Oklahoma weirdos to their mid-'90s pop culture breakthrough to their status as one of the most respected groups of the 21st century, the Lips rode one of the more surreal and haphazard career trajectories in pop music. An acid-bubblegum band with as much affinity for sweet melodies as blistering noise assaults, their off-kilter sound, uncommon emotional depth, and bizarre history (packed with tales of self-immolating fans and the like) firmly established them as true originals.

The Flaming Lips formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1983, when founder and guitarist Wayne Coyne allegedly stole a collection of musical instruments from an area church hall and enlisted his vocalist brother Mark and bassist Michael Ivins to start a band. Giving themselves the nonsensical name the Flaming Lips (its origin variously attributed to a porn film, an obscure drug reference, or a dream in which a fiery Virgin Mary plants a kiss on Wayne in the back seat of his car), the band made its live debut at a local transvestite club. After progressing through an endless string of drummers, they recruited percussionist Richard English and recorded their self-titled debut, issued on green vinyl on their own Lovely Sorts of Death label in 1985.

When Mark Coyne soon departed to get married, Wayne assumed full control of the group; in addition to remaining its lead guitarist, he also became the primary singer and songwriter. Continuing on as a trio, the Lips released 1986's Hear It Is, followed a year later by Oh My Gawd!!!...The Flaming Lips. While touring in support of the Butthole Surfers, they played Buffalo, New York, where they were befriended by concert promoter Jonathan Donahue; after a jam session with Donahue's nascent band Mercury Rev, he and Coyne became close friends, and Donahue eventually signed on as the group's sound technician.

After recording 1988's difficult Telepathic Surgery, English exited, reducing the Lips to the core duo of Coyne and Ivins; after adding drummer Nathan Roberts, Donahue adopted the name Dingus and became a full-time member in time to cut 1990's stellar In a Priest Driven Ambulance while simultaneously recording the brilliant Mercury Rev debut, Yerself Is Steam. Following a series of hopeful phone calls to Warner Bros., the company signed the Lips in 1991, and in 1992 their oft-delayed major-label debut, Hit to Death in the Future Head, appeared to little commercial notice. Donahue soon exited to focus his full energies on Mercury Rev, followed by the departure of Roberts.

With new guitarist Ronald Jones and drummer Steven Drozd, the Flaming Lips cut 1993's sublime Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, which they supported by playing the second stage at Lollapalooza and touring the nation in a Ryder truck. Initially, the album stiffed; however, nearly a year after its initial release, the single "She Don't Use Jelly" became a grassroots hit, and against all odds, the Flaming Lips found themselves on the Top 40 charts. They took full advantage of their requisite 15 minutes of fame, appearing everywhere from MTV's annual Spring Break broadcast to an arena tour in support of Candlebox to a memorable, surreal, lip-synced performance on the teen soap opera Beverly Hills 90210, where supporting character Steve Sanders (portrayed by actor Ian Ziering) uttered the immortal words, "You know, I've never been a big fan of alternative music, but these guys rocked the house!”

After the 1994 release of a limited-edition sampler of odds and ends titled Providing Needles for Your Balloons, the Lips returned in 1995 with Clouds Taste Metallic, a strikingly mature and diverse collection highlighted by the singles "Bad Days" (also heard in the film Batman Forever), "This Here Giraffe," and "Brainville." Despite the inclusion of the remarkably melodic "Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles," "Christmas at the Zoo" (rumored to be under consideration for inclusion on an upcoming John Tesh holiday record), and the epic "Guy Who Got a Headache and Accidentally Saves the World," the album nonetheless failed to live up to the commercial success of Transmissions, and the band was once again relegated to cult status.

In 1996, the Lips' world went haywire; first, Jones disappeared to undertake a spiritual odyssey from which he did not return, then Drozd's hand was almost needlessly amputated after he was bitten by a spider. At about the same time, Ivins was the victim of a bizarre hit-and-run accident after a wheel came off of another vehicle and slammed into his car, trapping him inside. Ironically, Coyne was having car problems of his own when rumors of his latest sonic foray -- conducting an orchestra of 40 automobiles, all with their tape decks playing specially composed music at the same time -- prompted fan discussion of his possible psychological collapse. "I would try to tell people what I was doing and found that I couldn't explain it very well," Coyne later remarked about the project, dubbed the Parking Lot Experiment. "Plus, I had a sore on the side of my tongue for a week and it made me talk kind of weird. I'm sure they thought I was retarded.”

By the following year, the Flaming Lips (who continued as a trio, opting not to attempt to replace Jones) were back in the studio, recording an album that, according to Coyne, would be "so different and exciting it will either make us millionaires or break us" -- in short, 1997's Zaireeka, a breathtaking and wildly experimental set of four discs designed to be played simultaneously. A previously unreleased track, "Hot Day," also appeared earlier that year on the soundtrack to Richard Linklater's film SubUrbia. A Collection of Songs Representing an Enthusiasm for Recording...by Amateurs, a retrospective of their Restless label material, followed in 1998, and a year later, the Lips returned with a breathtaking new studio effort, The Soft Bulletin, co-produced by Mercury Rev founding member and bassist Dave Fridmann.

After a three-year absence from the shelves, 2002 brought several new releases, including the new record Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and a two-volume retrospective of the Restless years. Yoshimi won the group even more popular and critical acclaim than The Soft Bulletin, which the group maximized by spending half of 2002 appearing with Beck on his Sea Change tour as both his opening act and backing band. The Lips kept busy over the next two years by touring in support of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and working on their movie Christmas on Mars. They returned to the studio in 2004 and spent much of 2005 recording; that year, the Flaming Lips documentary The Fearless Freaks and their VOID video collection were both released, whetting fans' appetites for the band's 2006 album, At War with the Mystics.

In 2007, the Flaming Lips were nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Album for Mystics and won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album. One year later, the band's long-awaited, seven-years-in-the-making film Christmas on Mars made its debut at the Sasquatch Festival in George, Washington; that fall, the movie and its soundtrack were released as a CD/DVD set. During 2007 and 2008, the Lips began working on the follow-up to At War with the Mystics, taking a looser, more experimental approach than they had in years. The results were released as Embryonic in fall 2009, followed by the band's quirky remake of the Pink Floyd classic Dark Side of the Moon. The Flaming Lips worked with several different artists on the latter album, which was billed as The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing the Dark Side of the Moon.

The band continued to shy away from full-length releases for the next couple years, opting instead to work with a number of collaborators on various limited-edition EPs. Working with artists like Neon Indian, Prefuse 73, and Lightning Bolt, the Lips released tracks over the next couple of years in various non-traditional formats including USB keys embedded in gummy skulls, limited-edition vinyl, and candy fetuses. Their series of team-ups came to a head in 2012 when the band released The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, which collected songs from their previous collaborations as well as new material recorded with artists like Ke$ha, Bon Iver, and Erykah Badu. For 2013's bleak The Terror, the Lips reteamed with Dave Fridmann, recording in a matter of days and using their collection of vintage synths as the album's musical focus. The following year, the band issued a 45-minute edit of their 24-hour song "7 Skies H3" as a Record Store Day release, as well as With a Little Help from My Fwends, an album that found the band teaming up with collaborators like Miley Cyrus and Maynard James Keenan to re-create the Beatles' iconic eighth album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Lips collaborated with Cyrus on a full-length album, Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, which was released for free online in August of 2015. Following the album's digital release, the artists toured together, and a limited vinyl pressing of the album was sold exclusively on these tour dates. In November of 2015, the Lips released Heady Nuggs 20 Years After Clouds Taste Metallic: 1994-1997, a three-CD/five-LP compilation including the Clouds Taste Metallic album, the 1994 odds-and-ends EP Providing Needles for Your Balloons, a further rarities collection titled The King Bug Laughs, and a previously unreleased concert recorded in Seattle in 1996. For 2017's Oczy Mlody (which means "eyes of the young" in Polish), the Flaming Lips reunited with Fridmann on a more melodic set of songs that included a cameo from Cyrus. That year, they also issued Onboard the International Space Station Concert for Peace, an EP that reimagined several Oczy tracks as performed at an imaginary Flaming Lips show. - Jason Ankeny

Zaireeka is the eighth studio album by the alternative rock band The Flaming Lips. Released on October 28, 1997, the experimental rock album consists of four Compact Discs. Each of its eight songs consists of four stereo tracks, one from each CD. The album was designed so that when played simultaneously on four separate audio systems, the four CDs would produce a harmonic or juxtaposed sound. The discs can also be played in different combinations, omitting one, two or three discs. The album's title is a portmanteau of two words: Zaire, chosen as a symbol of anarchy after Wayne Coyne heard a radio news story about the political instability of the African nation, and eureka (literally: "I have found it"), an expression of joyous discovery.

Zaireeka was the first album made by the band since the departure of guitarist Ronald Jones. It acted as a preview of the music and style that would surface on the next album, The Soft Bulletin (1999) and is the predecessor to the band's more conventional surround sound releases.

Critical reaction to Zaireeka was polarized. Josh Kun of Rolling Stone wrote that the album's "wall-of-surround-sound approach melds droning-rock dissonance with warped, off-kilter pop melodies, producing a totally immersing post-Pet Sounds audio séance." Jason Alkeny of AllMusic stated that the album would only really be accessible to hardcore Flaming Lips fans, but that "they're in for the musical experience of a lifetime".

Critics who disliked the album cited what they viewed as a ridiculous concept. Salon remarked in its review that "Musically [...] their 1995 album Clouds Taste Metallic offers the same psychotic results without all the technological hassle. And conceptually? The same thing, just all at once: stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." Jason Josephes from Pitchfork awarded the album a score of 0.0 out of 10; in a scathing review, Josephes criticized the album for being inaccessible, asking "Do I want to buy three more CD players with which to enjoy Zaireeka or, say, eat?" and derided the band's fans. Further, in October 2009, editor-in-chief of Pitchfork, Mark Richardson, wrote a book titled Zaireeka for the 33 1/3 book series, published by Continuum International Publishing, now owned by Bloomsbury Publishing. In it, Richardson chronicles the creation of the album, praises it from multiple angles, and discusses the impact the album has had on music since its release. The album was included in Pitchfork's 2010 list of "ten unusual CD-era gimmicks".

A combination of the words "Zaire" and "Eureka," Zaireeka is a term coined by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne symbolizing the fusion of anarchy and genius. It's a perfect title; Zaireeka is the culmination of the Lips' helter-skelter brilliance. Pushing the concept of interactive listening into new realms of possibility, the work extends Coyne's infamous "parking lot experiments" into not merely one album, but four separate discs that can be played separately or in groups of two, three, and four with multiple stereos. (Properly synchronized multi-disc playback requires more than one person -- it's literally a party album.) Between combining the discs and toying with volume, balance, fidelity, etc., the options are truly limitless. No two multi-disc performances can be repeated, thanks to the space-time continuum and discrepancies from one CD player to another. Musically as well as conceptually, the Lips are defiantly experimental throughout Zaireeka; individually, each disc sounds more like free jazz than pop, although Coyne's diamond-sharp melodic sensibilities prevail even during the most chaotic moments. With each additional disc, the music's force and ingenuity reveals itself: "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" is an epic orchestral noise suite, "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair" is a multi-narrative plane-crash drama remarkably evocative in its depiction of fear and chaos, and "How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos)" features such extreme high and low frequencies that it can lead to disorientation, confusion, or nausea (the track is not recommended to be played while operating a motor vehicle or in the presence of infants). Logistical nightmares aside, Zaireeka is a dense, difficult work, recommended only for the hardiest Flaming Lips fetishists; however, they're in for the musical experience of a lifetime. - Jason Ankeny

I have a love/hate relationship with Record Store Day releases. On one hand, I love going out and getting some weird, ultra-limited edition album or single that I know most people will never see in person. I love the excitement. I love the hunt. I love the “specialness” of it all.

But on the other hand, I hate all of that too. I hate that an artist would purposely limit the number of fans who will be able to listen to their music. I hate the idea of “exclusive” tracks buried in limited edition, hard-to-find records, and I hate that most Record Store Day exclusives are typically either re-releases of old material or “timed” exclusives that will eventually see a wider release in an easier-to-find edition.

So this Record Store Day I decided to go light. I wasn’t going to run around the city and try to find the hardest-to-find, most sought after items. I was going to go to one record store, see what they had, and be done with it. By the time I got there it was nearly noon, so they didn’t have much. I picked up the Pulp remix 12? single and didn’t see much else. I thought I was going to get off light this year and actually not spend a lot. Then I saw this.

A 4LP edition of The Flaming Lips’ 1997 experimental opus Zaireeka. A four-record set that requires you to play all four records at the same time. I bought it. Because when I go stupid, I go stupid hard.

Dumb as it may be, I do think that  Zaireeka is the perfect Record Store Day release. No one is getting screwed by buying Zaireeka on vinyl (they know what they’re getting into) and no one is getting screwed by not buying it (they’re not missing any music, it’s all in print on CD.) The only thing special or limited about the release is the format it’s on. And while that might be a valid complaint about some releases, some people want their favorite albums on vinyl after all , that’s really not the case here; because in the grand pantheon of album releases, there are few things more stupid and pointless than a vinyl release of Zaireeka.

Zaireeka is a very unique album. In case you’ve never heard of it before, it’s four discs (or LPs) worth of material, but the discs are designed to be played simultaneously. Ideally one would play all four at once, but as the album’s original linear notes stated, you could listen to any of the discs on their own or in any combination of two or three. They were made to be mixed and matched at will. Of course, that’s not the kind of thing that most people can do on their own, and that’s one of the reasons Zaireeka is so great. Want the full effect of four discs all playing at the same time? Then invite some friends over (with their stereos/CD players/turntables) and get to work. You have to earn it. Zaireeka is one of the few albums that can actually transform the way people listen to music, one of the few records in which a communal experience is almost necessary to its full enjoyment.

And that’s probably the main pitfall of this vinyl release. Zaireeka on CD is a difficult challenge, but not impossible. It only takes a bit of work to find a few friends with their own CD players, gather them together, and have some fun experimenting with this one-of-a-kind release. But vinyl is a completely different beast. Even in the vinyl resurgence we’re currently in, most people don’t own record players, and even if they do, transporting them, along with their sound systems, isn’t exactly as easy as picking up a CD boombox and taking it to a friend’s house. That shared experience of Zarieeka is crucial to enjoying it, and since it’s nearly impossible to do that with this release, this is an inferior version of the album. So if you don’t own the album at all, the best version for you to grab is still the CD edition. But if you do own the CD and you just fancy yourself a die-hard Flaming Lips fan, or a collector of ridiculously dumb shit (like me) then this could be a worthwhile addition to your collection. It certainly does look great. The band did an excellent job on the packaging. The box is thick and sturdy, and holds all the records snugly (but not too snug).

It also comes with a great 12?x12? booklet with linear notes taken from the 33 1/3 book about the album. Instructions on how the play the album are also included in the notes, but they’re taken from the original CD release so they’re not that entirely relevant. A small addendum is included for the vinyl release, and it accurately recommends that direct-drive turntables are the way to go if you actually want to try to get the thing synced up.

As for the records themselves, they certainly look amazing. Each are differently colored, all bright and bold. If you had four turntables spinning them all side-by-side they would look bloody brilliant. They also sound pretty good, however when I was sampling the second record I picked up a fair bit of surface noise. Could just need a cleaning though.
If you want to experience Zaireeka the way it was meant to be experienced, do yourself a favor and buy the CD edition. With the advent of portable speakers, laptops and MP3 players, it’s easier than ever to realize the amazing experience that album can create. Only seek out this ridiculous edition if you got money to burn and don’t mind a useless (but incredibly pretty) box set sitting on your shelf.

That is unless you actually have four turntables and sound systems set up in your house. Then, by all means, buy this sucker immediately. And invite me over for when you need help setting it up. I bet it would sound awesome. - James Eldred
    • WARNER BROS. RECORDS 4-LP Boxed Set - FACTORY SEALED

    • Records Made in the USA

    • Pressing is in STEREO

    • Limited Edition - RSD 2013 Exclusive Release

    • Record Speed: 45 rpm

    • Records / Made issued in: 2013

    • Record Catalog Number / UPC: 46804-1 (093624945888)

Featured on this item:

The Flaming Lips

Title of this Collectible RSD item -

Zaireeka

Track Listings -

A1. Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand - 2:51
A2. Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now) - 7:03
A3. Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair - 4:59
A4. A Machine In India - 10:23
B1. The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat - 6:14
B2. How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos) - 2:23
B3. March Of The Rotten Vegetables - 6:28
B4. The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now - 5:05
C1. Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand - 2:51
C2. Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now) - 7:03
C3. Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair - 4:59
C4. A Machine In India - 10:23
D1. The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat - 6:14
D2. How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos) - 2:23
D3. March Of The Rotten Vegetables - 6:28
D4. The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now - 5:10
E1. Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand - 2:51
E2. Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now) - 7:03
E3. Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair - 4:59
E4. A Machine In India - 10:23
F1. The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat - 6:14
F2. How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos) - 2:23
F3. March Of The Rotten Vegetables - 6:28
F4. The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now - 5:11
G1. Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand - 2:51
G2. Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now) - 7:03
G3. Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair - 4:59
G4. A Machine In India - 10:23
H1. The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat - 6:14
H2. How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos) - 2:23
H3. March Of The Rotten Vegetables - 6:28
H4. The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now - 5:10

Performed By / Credits on the item include -

The Flaming Lips
• Wayne Coyne – vocals, guitar
• Steven Drozd – drums, guitar, keyboards, orchestration, vocals
• Michael Ivins – bass, backing vocals

• Artwork – George Salisbury
• Liner Notes – Wayne
• Mastered By – Dave Fridmann
• Mixed By – Dave Fridmann, Flaming Lips
• Producer – Dave Fridmann, Scott Booker, Flaming Lips
• Recorded By – Dave Fridmann
• Remastered By – Flaming Lips
• Written-By – Flaming Lips
Other Information -

Limited edition 4-LP pressing for Record Store Day 2013!
The landmark experimental album from The Flaming Lips, Zaireeka gets the heavy duty reissue treatment. All 4 LPs are designed to be played simultaneously to create a simulated live effect. For this release the album has been fully remastered and features brand new packaging too boot! Each LP comes in its own unique color, and they are housed in a box made specifically for this album. One for fans and collectors alike.
• Remastered by the band at Bernie Grundman Mastering for this exclusive edition
• Unique art and packaging specific to this release
• Each disc to be pressed on a different and unique color of vinyl
• Four disc vinyl 12" LP Deluxe Edition Box Set
• Four discs, designed to be played on cue and simultaneously, producing nothing short of a live performance effect Record Store Day exclusive. Comes with 12-page booklet.
Warning: this is a unique recording. These eight compositions are to be played using as many as four players, and have synchronized start times. This recording also contains frequencies not normally heard on commercial recordings and on rare occasion has caused the listener to become disoriented. These extremely high and low frequencies can cause a person to become disoriented, confused or nauseated. DO NOT listen repeatedly at high volume. Make sure infants are out of listening range. Zaireeka should not be listened to while driving.
Experiment with multiple sound sources, listener participation, and new dimensions of sound.
Zaireeka was recorded in Cassadaga, New York, April - August of 1997.
Vinyl run-out groove etchings:
Disc 1, Side 1: The panoramic scene
Disc 1, Side 2: The landscape's grand design
Disc 2, Side 1: The moment overtakes
Disc 2, Side 2: Your life
Disc 3, Side 1: In the silver morning sun
Disc 3, Side 2: The worst is magnified
Disc 4, Side 1: It makes you see the use
Disc 4, Side 2: Of Christ
Release Date: 4/20/2013
Format: Vinyl Box Set
Label: Warner Bros.
Quantity: 7200
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
4LP Box Set with unique art specific to this release, 45 RPM with unique colors for each LP. Comes with 12-page booklet.
Label: Warner Bros. Records ?– 46804-1
Format: Vinyl LP Blue, Vinyl LP Red, Vinyl LP Orange, Vinyl LP Lime Green 
Box Set, Album, Reissue             
Country: USA
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Experimental, Indie Rock
 

CONDITION Details:

Box:
  • The BOX is in MINT condition - no seam splits or corner dings - this item is BRAND NEW and FACTORY SEALED!

  • The BOX has NO splits of any kind - it is completely solid and intact, and shows only some very minimal shelf wear. 

  • It has NO drill holes or saw marks of any kind.

  • There is NO writing on the front or back of the jacket.

  • The cover has clean and sharp colors - see picture with this listing for more detail.

The Vinyl:
  • The Vinyl is assumed to be in MINT condition - BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED!

  • This is the mint copy you want for your collection - any super picky audiophile would be happy with this one!

  • As for any record, even brand new, sealed ones, we always recommend a proper record cleaning before playing!

A Short Note About LP GRADING -

  • Mint = Only used for sealed items.
  • Near Mint = Virtually flawless in every way.
  • Near Mint Minus = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible.
  • Excellent = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise.
  • Very Good Plus = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.


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