Interesting little collection of live tracks and rarities from the Lips. Actually, only three of these tracks are not recorded live so it definitely feels like a random, 20 year collection of live experiments than anything else. The 12 minute version of "When You Smile" is the best thing on here as it reminds you of what makes the Lips great: they're the only band that can mix Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Pixies, Butthole Surfers & Can and make it seem like it's (somewhat) normal. Those of you who see the title, "Space Age Love Song" in the track listing and are wondering to yourselves, "Is that the Flock Of Seagulls song?" will love this little homage to 80's synth pop filtered through fuzz-rock guitars and psychedelic explosions. Also included is "Sleeping On The Roof", which is a 14 minute version from the parking lot experiment they held in Oklahoma when Zaireeka came out. If you're looking for a truly original live sound, you certainly can't beat this track! The conglomeration of live stuff here is excellent, and makes one yearn for an overblown, double CD of live sets from the Lips (hint, hint).
Now, to the irritating stuff. Why is Wayne Coyne so in love with his own voice? The album starts out with a two minute instrumental with Wayne babbling over the top, otherwise ruining what would have been a great track. He talks about where the album came from and explaining himself ad infinitum. Hey Wayne, we're all intelligent humans here, how about you let us decide what the music means to us? Another annoyance is the inclusion of "Free Radicals", which will be available on their upcoming album, "At War With The Mystics". I know promotion is something that even the least aggressive artists need to partake in but do we need this track?? Is there a Flaming Lips fan out there who WON'T buy the new album? It's like, "hmmm, I kinda wanted to buy 'At War With The Mystics' but maybe this one track on 'Fearless Freaks' will make me more enthusiastic toward buying it". I don't know, to me the time could have been better spent putting another rare b-side on there instead of further promoting yourselves.
At any rate, I'm beside myself with anticipation for the new Lips album and in the end, this album doesn't really change that attitude.