The Flaming Lips have assembled a bevy of archival material for a 20th anniversary reissue of At War With the Mystics. The 2006 follow-up to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots will be available as a 6xLP or 6xCD set on November 13, appended with two live albums and dozens of rarities, more than 30 of which are previously unreleased. Listen to one of those, “The Sound of Failure [2 Demos],” below.
At the time rumored to be a return to the guitar-led sound of their psych-pop origins, At War With the Mystics arrived four years after the Lips’ commercial breakthrough with Yoshimi. The reissue compiles demos, B-sides, shelved songs, alternate versions, and soundtrack contributions from the period. Completing the set are a pair of 2006 live albums: U.F.O.s at the Zoo and Live at the Hollywood Bowl.
The band has remained active this year following the exit of Steve Drozd, a multi-instrumentalist, co-songwriter, and core member since 1991. Drozd has attributed his somewhat messy departure to a decision to stop touring.
At War With the Mystics (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition):
01 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
02 Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading With a Suicide Bomber)
03 The Sound of Failure/It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark?
04 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life as Blazing Shield of Defiance and Optimism as Celestial Spear of Action)
05 Vein of Stars
06 The Wizard Turns On… The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins
07 It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand a Chance?
08 Mr. Ambulance Driver
09 Haven’t Got a Clue
10 The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)
11 Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
12 Goin’ On
13 Why Does It End?
14 You Gotta Hold On
15 Your Face Can Tell the Future
16 The Gold in the Mountain of Our Madness
17 Time Travel… Yes!!
01 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) [2 Demos]
02 Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading With a Suicide Bomber) [2 Early Demos]
03 Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading With a Suicide Bomber) [4-Track Demo]
04 The Sound of Failure [2 Demos]
05 It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [Demo]
06 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life as Blazing Shield of Defiance and Optimism as Celestial Spear of Action) [Ta! Da! Demo]
07 Vein of Stars [Cruel World – 2 Demos]
08 Vein of Stars [4-Track Demo]
09 It Overtakes Me [Demo]
10 The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand a Chance? [Demo]
11 Mr. Ambulance Driver [4 Demos]
12 Haven’t Got a Clue [Vocal Demo]
13 The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [2 Instrumental Demos]
14 The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [Early Demo]
15 Why Does It End? [Demo]
16 You Gotta Hold On [2 Demos]
17 Your Face Can Tell the Future [Demo]
18 The Gold in the Mountain of Our Madness [Demo]
19 Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear… [Demo]
20 A Confession
21 The Unknown
22 It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark?
23 The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand a Chance?
24 Time Travel… Yes!! (Steve Burns Version)
25 Mr. Ambulance Driver (Alternate Mix)
26 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Instrumental)
27 The W.A.N.D. (Instrumental)
