12. In A Priest Driven Ambulance
A slip after the raw Oh My Gawd!!!, Priest Driven Ambulance sounds much like a b-side collection of Oh My Gawd!!! At no point does any song really strike as an "incredible, can't miss" moment, nor does it even really have a moment of pure annoyance. It just maintains to be background noise - which isn't a good thing, especially since the Lips are one of the most gripping bands of the past three decades. 'Take Meta Mars' has a groovy bassline, but doesn't move from anywhere - standing there, repeating itself over and over. Towards the end of the LP, things get better with 'Mountain Side' and a cover of '(What A) Wonderful World,' which the band pulls off really well. You can also hear how young Coyne is, an added, yet weird bonus. Extra tracks on re-issues actually make this album much better, including the insane 'Lucifer Rising.'
Tracks to Hear: Mountain Side, (What A) Wonderful World, Lucifer Rising http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1TjeWMZNcY
13. Hear It Is
The debut album for the Lips was something that showed promise, but in retrospect, was nothing quite like what we would envision. 'Unplugged' had to have influenced Ty Segall, but not really much else could come of that track. 'Jesus Shootin' Heroin' is a sure highlight of Hear It Is, with a simple, lone guitar seeming more maudlin than some Jeff Buckley tracks. The refrain is absolutely off-the-wall and weird, with a scream from a banshee being the only vocal bit. The album does feature a nice, ferocious 'Summertime Blues' cover, but literally there's nothing else worthy of listening to. Most of it is a riff and some words, but nearly all of it sounds completely boring. The first album for the Lips was surely not a great one, which is excusable, considering the rest of the amazing music they created.
Tracks to Hear: Summertime Blues, Jesus Shootin' Heroin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHE5OMKfYSU&list=PL6F58042EF4F09C6A
14. Telepathic Surgery
Telepathic Surgery is fatally flawed as the least interesting Lips album, and there's reasons. Other than the vaguely interesting 'Chrome Plated Suicide,' there's nothing you're missing from this somewhat dreadful album. I don't think there are a lot of bands with this kind of failure, but the Lips manage to have it lost in their discography, thankfully never fully reminding us of its existence. It's not the worst album ever made, nor is it unlistenable, but it is, in the context of this band's entire worth, simply not worthy of being released. If this were skipped over and never released, there would be no reason for shooting harsh words at this incredible band. But, go ahead, listen. You'll find a bunch of below-average tunes scattered over a length of an album that will waste your time.
Tracks to Hear: Chrome Plated Suicide, Hari-Krishna Stomp Wagon (Fuck Led Zeppelin) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTrlMiqNL4I
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