Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics 5.1 - 10/24/2006
 

Just a heads up to anyone interested in this. My copy shipped today from DeepDiscountCD, so it looks like the release is going out as planned.

It's been a long wait (I held off of buying the CD release, back in MAY, I believe), but I'm sure it will be worth it. The Soft Bulleting and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots are the jewels in my DVD Audio collection.

oh your right - woohoo!

Yup, I circled this one on the calendar... I too passed on the CD release. Looking forward to snagging a copy of this!

cd version, dvda version, & two different vinyl releases. does that count as quad dipping?

Mine shipped form Amazon yesterday. Should be here tomorrow. I hope this one sounds more like Yoshimi (mix-wise) and less like Bulletin. There were some questionable choices on Bulletin, which I believe is the far superior album. Mystics has a chance to be the best of the three by far based on the music involved, but I'm not holding my breath if Coyne is doing this one alone.

They both sounded great to me. The only questionable choice in my mind is to have the drum kit circle the sound field in "Fight Test". A little too gimmicky, with no real purpose, in my opinion.

I assume you mean that Mystics is best suited for the 5.1 treatment, not that it is the best album, right? Not sure I'd agree with the former, and I would definitely disagree if you are implying the latter...

What do you mean "alone"? Although I'm sure Coyne was involved, I think Ivins is more involved in these 5.1 mixes.


If the 5.1 mix of "Mr. Ambulance Driver" on the VOID DVD is any indication, this should be another awesome Flips 5.1 experience.

But I'm not sure anything can surpass the excellence that is "Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell" in high resolution surround sound...

Glad to see Wayne Coyne continuing to be a leading proponent of 5.1 surround music though I fear the genre is dying fast. Still holding out for Wish you Were HEre and Quadrophenia making it to DVD-A or SACD.

As well as Close To The Edge by Yes and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis. Both were rumored to be in production but so far nothing. And, I hate to say it, but it's looking like it may stay that way. :(

Just re-listen to Race for the Prize, the choice of putting the vocals in the left channel was beyond mind-boggling. While there are some great mixes on there, it leaves a lot to be desired. I personally thought Mystics was a better album musically than Yoshimi, and am waiting with baited breath to hear Pompeii, which might be the closes thing to hearing any of Pink Floyd's Meddle in true surround sound.

Just got AWWTM 5.1. I have to say it's the middle ground between the yin & yang that is "Bulletin" & "Yoshimi."

"Bulletin" is very out there and takes a lot risks. But, sometimes it is too abstract and dissonant for my tastes. "Yoshimi" plays it safe and has great pop hooks but it also sometimes bogs down in its predictability. AWWTM somehow blends the concert hall reverb and spontaneity of "Bulletin" with the etheral landscapes and drum patterns of "Yoshimi" to find some middle ground. Sometimes trying to please everyone doesn't work. In this case, it works for me. And I'm a bigger proponent of "Yoshimi."

The surround is really nice. Doesn't go as far as "Yoshimi" though but thankfully doesn't do a "Race For The Prize" headscratcher.

I guess now we pine for "Zaireeka 5.1" :)

Now I'm confused. The 5.1 mix of "Race For The Prize" has the vocals in the right channel, alternating front and rear, like this:

(Right front) Two scientists were racing for the good of all mankind
(Right rear) Both of them side by side, so determined
(Right front) Locked in heated battle, for the cure that is the prize
(Right rear) But it's so dangerous, but they're determined

Perhaps you're referring to the "demastered" CD that came with the 5.1 DVD, which does a similar thing, except alternating left and right instead of front right and rear right.

While the first track on the original release of "The Soft Bulletin" has the vocals front and center, it was always listed as a "remix", AFAIK. I believe the demastered CD is the band's preferred version of "The Soft Bulletin", in terms of the mixes, song selection, and order of tracks. If is definitely confusing, since there are now 3 different CD versions of "TSB": original US release, import version, and now the demastered CD. Plus, the 5.1 mix, which (in the case of the "Race For The Prize" vocals) differs also.

That said, I think my own preferred version of "Race For The Prize" doesn't even exist: The music would be the more dynamic "demastered" version, but the vocals would lean towards the front and center approach of the remix.

As for Mystics being better than Yoshimi, well, time may change my mind, but for now I hold Yoshimi much higher than Mystics. The only weak spot I see is Yoshimi pt.2 (personally, I could do without it, and I rarely listen to it). The brilliance of "Fight Test/One More Robot/Yoshimi", "Ego Tripping", and of course "Do You Realize" is what turned me into an uber-fan in the first place.

Anyway, I think we can all agree that the Lips have made some of the best (and most original) music of the past decade.

And I too am looking forward to the official 5.1 release of "Zaireeka" (but the fan-made "Zaireeka project" DVD will tide me over for now...)

I'm also one of those who held off from the initial release some 6 months ago in anticipation of this DVD-Audio release. Can anyone comment on the mix of the Bohemian Rhapsody recording? I'll probably get around to picking this up/ordering it over the weekend, very excited.

I love the Flaming Lips, but I've noticed an instance of some fairly basic (and uncredited) "ripping off of" on their part:

The song "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion" from <i>At War...</i> features a note combo with identical rhythm that is ripped directly from Sondre Lerche, who actually uses it in two songs: "Things You Call Fate" from <i>Faces Down</i> and "Love You" from <i>Two-Way Monologue</i>.

Anybody else have these to compare?
-ringding-

I don't know about those two, but I do know that they got into some trouble with Cat Stevens regarding "Fight Test" from the Yoshimi album. It sounded a little too similar to his "Fathers and Sons."

Still love the Lips, though.

And speaking of the Lips, they've got a new DVD coming out this summer, of their amazing concert in Oklahoma City last year. I'll start a new thread.