2000 Great Songs #1215: Unconsciously Screamin'

While the Flaming Lips had some fine songs scattered among their earlier records, I rarely listen to much before 1992's Hit To Death In The Future Head, when they moved to a major label and added a bit more pop polish to their acid-damaged post-punk psychedelic melange. That said, I do think they first achieved some true greatness on 1990's In A Priest Driven Ambulance, the last LP of their indie era, owing to some more fully-realized songs and giving a little more production muscle to their lo-fi recordings. (Not to mention the temporary addition of Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue to the line-up.)

The record's opening two-fer of "Shine On Sweet Jesus" and "Unconsciously Screamin'" signals the arrival of a much more confident band. Frankly, I can't really pick a favorite between the two--I'd like to just call it a medley, but that would be cheating. So I'm going with "Unconsciously Screamin," but there were versions of this Top 2000 that went the other way. Whichever your pleasure, you'll want to crank it up, this one needs to make the walls rattle.

Live 1992: