Yeah, normally, you get to make this record after the hit. That this personal, wrenching album was their breakthrough is kind of miraculous.
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Yeah, because in some ways, this album was their last chance they were this major label band that hadn’t had a hit except for “She Don’t Use Jelly,” and the album before this was Zaireeka, an album basically impossible to listen to in full unless you had 4 CDs. It has so many layers, and every time you listen there’s a new part that’s your favorite, or you learn more about. They worked on this a bunch to make it sound as good as it does. I love all their albums for different reasons, but everything on this album works with each other to deliver this whole experience. If somebody doesn’t have any Flaming Lips records, why should someone listen to this one? Yeah, at least a year ago, but I know that I had it in the back of my mind since I started working here. The album was released to widespread acclaim, and was hailed by critics as a departure from their previous guitar-heavy alternative rock. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The Soft Bulletin is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. You worked on this album for a long time to make it happen this month, how long ago did we start this one? A year ago? The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin Vinyl 2LP. I remember finding it the first time when my mom was really sick when I was like 19-20, and the songs are like a big blanket of reassurance, in a way. This wasn’t a, “Oh, this album has an anniversary coming up” type of deal we did this because you, and all of us, really, have really personal stories with this album. No, no, not like a crazy person: I think that really speaks to how personally we feel the projects we’re working on. I get really emotional when I listen to this album. I listened to “Suddenly Everything Has Changed” over and over because that’s how my life felt. This is the record I used to listen to when I went through big life changes: When I moved from New York to Denver to work at VMP, this is all I listened to. Why?Īlex Berenson, A&R for VMP: That run from “Suddenly Everything Has Changed” to “The Gash” and “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate” is just devastating. This record is obviously 20 years old, but is still capable of making you tear up. Andrew Winistorfer: You said before I called you in our New York office that you were listening to this album and tearing up before this call.