The Flaming Lips are one of my very favorite bands but first let me get some negatives out of the way. Their last album (At War with the Mystics) was a slight dissapointment for me and they've allowed their live shtick to grow somewhat stale.

But that being said. This hub is about The Flaming Lips highlights and those highlights are pretty darn high. When the Lips have been at their peak they've been one of the most creative exciting most psychedelic bands of all time.

The Top Five Flaming Lips Albums

#1 The Soft Bulletin (1999)

I love a lot of their albums but yet this was still an easy choice. The Soft Bulletin is just one of those perfect albums that doesn't come along very often. It feels like the culmination of a decade of experimentation to me. Some of the Lips fans may prefer them at their more rock n roll and others may prefer Yoshimi, but I really think that The Soft Bulletin is their most perfect album.

#2 Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)

This was a much more difficult decision. In fact I feel that after The Soft Bulletin there are actually a number of Flaming Lips albums that are of about equal merit. But this is probably the one that's most special to me of them, so I choose it #2.

#3 Clouds Taste Metallic

What a great album. Filled with insanity. I must admit when I first heard this it didn't do that much for me, and so I hope that if you have a similar experience you let it simmer a bit. The Lips music is best after you let it simmer for awhile.

#4 A Priest Driven Ambulence

What a gloriously noisy album. It's noisy but it's still somehow poppy too. Not in a Britney Spears way of course. Thank God.

#5 Hit To Death In The Future Head

Other than Zaireeka (I'll get to that in just one moment) this may actually be The Flaming Lips weirdest album. And that's really saying a lot considering I am talking about Oklahoma City's own fearless freaks. I like weird. I like this album. To me it's a bit underrated.

Honorable Mention: Zaireeka. I don't listen to this nearly as often as the top 5 which is why I am listing it as an honorable mention rather than in the top 5. But as a musical experience it's the Lips greatest feat to date. To get the full experience you listen to 4 CDs playing simultaneously. Yes, you read that right. This album contains 4 CDs that are meant to be played all at the same time. It's incredible.