Flaming Lips to reissue At War With the Mystics with dozens of rarities
The Flaming Lips are giving At War With the Mystics a large 20th anniversary reissue.
The new edition arrives on 13 November as a 6xLP set, six vinyl records, or a 6xCD set, six compact discs, Pitchfork reported. The date covers those physical box sets. Digital editions will also be available alongside them, according to The Quietus. The release will come via Rhino/Warner Records, SPIN reported.
The original album was released in 2006. It followed Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Twenty years separate that first release and the new box.
The anniversary edition keeps the original tracklist in full. That tracklist includes ‘The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’ and ‘Free Radicals’, NME reported. Listeners who know the album will find those songs in place. New listeners get the record as it first appeared, before the extras begin.
The extras cover the wider period around the album. They bring together demos, early recordings that capture songs in progress, alongside B-sides, tracks first released with singles. Shelved songs that were left off the album are included. Alternate versions, different recordings of familiar songs, and soundtrack contributions from the time are included as well.
In total, the set contains more than 30 previously unreleased tracks. That includes 19 previously unreleased demo tracks and 14 previously unreleased studio recordings, according to The Quietus. The package holds 42 non-album cuts overall, meaning tracks that did not appear on the original album. Radio sessions, live recordings and covers from the era complete that side of the collection.
Two complete live albums from 2006 are also part of the box. They are U.F.O.s at the Zoo and Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Both were recorded while the band was touring behind the original album. Their inclusion gives the box a full live section as well as studio material.
One unreleased item has been named so far. It is “The Sound of Failure [2 Demos]”. The title presents two demo takes of the album song side by side. It offers an early look at how one track developed.
For fans, this means a clear path through a busy period. The studio outtakes show songs before final production decisions. The live sets show how the same material changed on stage night after night.
