Wayne Coyne and company paid tribute to the late David Bowie with soaring covers of "Space Oddity," Life on Mars?", "Five Years," "Ziggy Stardust" and more.
All week long, CBS' 'The Late Show with David Letterman' has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' arrival in America with other musicians performing their songs. Last night, it was the Flaming Lips' turn, and they brought along a friend with a personal connection to the band, John Lennon's son, Sean Ono Lennon, on 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.'
Although they have a deserved reputation as one of indie rock's weirdest bands, the Flaming Lips have a classic rock heart. Literally. Just in time for Valentine's Day, they have released a limited edition 15-song mix, 'Songs of Love,' which closes with a cover of the Beatles' 'All You Need Is Love.'
For years, bands have recorded cover songs as a way of paying tribute to their influences (although not always with good results). But the Flaming Lips have taken it one step further. They have recorded a song-for-song remake of King Crimson's debut, 'In the Court of the Crimson King.'
In a move that simultaneously reaffirms the marketing genius of Kiss while illustrating the bottomless depths of Wayne Coyne’s weirdness, the Flaming Lips frontman has revealed that the band plans to include the blood of its collaborators in its upcoming 2-LP Record Store Day exclusive release.