Search - The Flaming Lips :: Hear It Is

Psychedelic, or nascent genius?

caparo@email.unc.edu | Chapel Hill, NC | 04/25/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Timing is everything, and the Flaming Lips debut album is a perfect validation of that statement. The Lips self-released eponymous EP paved the way for their signing to indie label Restless in the mid-'80's, a time when bands like the Replacements and Sonic Youth were just making their dent in what was to become "alternative" rock. Back then, it was just "college rock," and the Lips couldn't have stumbled into a better category. Their indefinable sound was a melange of psychedelia and self-effacing acid rock, often gaining them the unfair categorization as such. This is one heck of a sloppy record, but sincerity oozes from every track. Their cartoonish weirdness, evident on tracks such as "Trains, Brains & Rain" and "Staring At Sound" is offset by the underlying lyrical seriousness of "She Is Death" and "Godzilla Flick," hinting at a darker underside to this over-the-top band. Beneath their wall of noise and screwball guitar antics, the Lips had something to say; they don't quite get it out on this record (they really don't until much later on "In A Priest Driven Ambulance"), but these are the first steps in the right direction. Well worth a listen."

Please remember that this band used to play "the rock music"

Erik W Martin | Urbana, IL United States | 10/07/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just wanted to take this moment to review "Here it is" post release of Yoshimi, hoping of course that some of the new fans this album, which I consequently think it great, will take some time to listen to a bit of the history. The music on "Here it is" is, although probably not the best, a great start to the Flaming Lip's career. No matter how many times I hear this album, it still can give me chills. From the dark humor in the first track, "With You," to the get out of your seat rock of "Planes, Trains, and Brains" and "Charlie Manson Blues," not forgetting the utterly bizzare religious statement of "Jesus Shootin' Heroin," there is absolutely no way that this album will not keep interested until the very end. This is a great way to remember how music was while Michael Irvins still had "the hair.""

The Lips say "Yo, we're here."

Scuzzbopper | Pottstown, PA United States | 04/21/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After the Lips released an unimpressive EP in 1985, they made a very wise choice and let Wayne Coyne take over as lead vocalist, and let his drug-addict brother Mark step down. Their 1986 debut album, "Hear It Is", is nowhere near the hard rockin' trippiness of their later work, but still worth a listen. It's much darker than their follow-ups, especially on such songs as "Godzilla Flick" (a really sad song about Mark's near-fatal battle with drugs). There is slight signs of the Lips' trademark goofiness, in "Charlie Manson Blues" and "Trains, Brains And Rain".
Overall, nothing to warp your mind, but still worth getting, for historical reasons, and a must for any diehard Lips fan such as myself. And check out the album cover: gotta love Wayne's Julius Erving afro. He sure looks angry, too..."