The Flaming Lips’ At War With the Mystics Reissue to Feature Dozens of Rarities

The Flaming Lips have assembled a bevy of archival material for a 20th anniversary reissue of At War With the Mystics. The 2006 follow-up to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots will be available as a 6xLP or 6xCD set on November 13, appended with two live albums and dozens of rarities, more than 30 of which are previously unreleased. Listen to one of those, “The Sound of Failure [2 Demos],” below.

At the time rumored to be a return to the guitar-led sound of their psych-pop origins, At War With the Mystics arrived four years after the Lips’ commercial breakthrough with Yoshimi. The reissue compiles demos, B-sides, shelved songs, alternate versions, and soundtrack contributions from the period. Completing the set are a pair of 2006 live albums: U.F.O.s at the Zoo and Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

The band has remained active this year following the exit of Steve Drozd, a multi-instrumentalist, co-songwriter, and core member since 1991. Drozd has attributed his somewhat messy departure to a decision to stop touring.

At War With the Mystics (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition):
01 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
02 Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading With a Suicide Bomber)
03 The Sound of Failure/It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark?
04 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life as Blazing Shield of Defiance and Optimism as Celestial Spear of Action)
05 Vein of Stars
06 The Wizard Turns On… The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins
07 It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big... I Am So Small... Do I Stand a Chance?
08 Mr. Ambulance Driver
09 Haven’t Got a Clue
10 The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)
11 Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
12 Goin’ On
13 Why Does It End?
14 You Gotta Hold On
15 Your Face Can Tell the Future
16 The Gold in the Mountain of Our Madness
17 Time Travel… Yes!!

01 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) [2 Demos]
02 Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading With a Suicide Bomber) [2 Early Demos]
03 Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading With a Suicide Bomber) [4-Track Demo]
04 The Sound of Failure [2 Demos]
05 It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [Demo]
06 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life as Blazing Shield of Defiance and Optimism as Celestial Spear of Action) [Ta! Da! Demo]
07 Vein of Stars [Cruel World - 2 Demos]
08 Vein of Stars [4-Track Demo]
09 It Overtakes Me [Demo]
10 The Stars Are So Big... I Am So Small... Do I Stand a Chance? [Demo]
11 Mr. Ambulance Driver [4 Demos]
12 Haven’t Got a Clue [Vocal Demo]
13 The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [2 Instrumental Demos]
14 The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [Early Demo]
15 Why Does It End? [Demo]
16 You Gotta Hold On [2 Demos]
17 Your Face Can Tell the Future [Demo]
18 The Gold in the Mountain of Our Madness [Demo]
19 Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear… [Demo]
20 A Confession
21 The Unknown
22 It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark?
23 The Stars Are So Big... I Am So Small... Do I Stand a Chance?
24 Time Travel… Yes!! (Steve Burns Version)
25 Mr. Ambulance Driver (Alternate Mix)
26 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Instrumental)
27 The W.A.N.D. (Instrumental)

01 I Was Zapped by the Lucky Super Rainbow
02 Don’t Be Shy
03 Love the World You Find
04 Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
05 The Tale of the Horny Frog
06 Maybe I’m Not the One
07 What Does It Mean?
08 The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How to Be in Love
09 Spider-Man Theme
10 Puri Kura Theme Version 1
11 Puri Kura Theme Version 2
12 If I Only Had a Brain
13 Free Radicals (Simlish Version)
14 Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear…
15 Smokin’ a J With the Fearless Freaks
16 Death in Picher
17 Jesus and a Spider
18 The W.A.N.D. Supernaturalistic (Goldfrapp Remix)
19 It Overtakes Me (Single Version)
20 I’m Afraid of Dying… Aren’t You?
21 Free Radicals (The Bird And The Bee Mix)
22 Time Travel… Yes!! (With Steven Michael Burns)

01 Free Radicals (iTunes Originals)
02 Do You Realize?? (iTunes Originals)
03 Why Does It End? (iTunes Originals)
04 Cow Jam! (iTunes Originals)
05 Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung (iTunes Originals)
06 War Pigs (iTunes Originals)
07 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Radio Session)
08 Goin’ On (Radio Session)
09 Unmade Bed (Radio Session)
10 No Quarter (Radio Session)
11 The Sound of Failure (Radio Session)
12 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Chicken Fried Hoedown Protest Rally)
13 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (In Anatropous Reflex)
14 Vein of Stars (Operatic Spook)
15 Vein of Stars (Radio Session)
16 Bohemian Rhapsody
17 (Just Like) Starting Over
18 Gates of Steel
19 Silent Night/Lord Can You Hear Me

01 U.F.O. Intro (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
02 Ta! Da! (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
03 Race for the Prize (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
04 Free Radicals (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
05 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
06 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2 (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
07 Vein of Stars (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
08 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
09 The Spark That Bled (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
10 The W.A.N.D. (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
11 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
12 She Don’t Use Jelly (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
13 Do You Realize?? (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
14 A Spoonful Weighs a Ton (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
15 Love Yer Brain (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)
16 U.F.O. Outro (U.F.O.S At The Zoo - The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City)

01 Hollywood Bowl Intro (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
02 Ta! Da! (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
03 Race for the Prize (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
04 Free Radicals (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
05 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
06 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2 (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
07 Vein of Stars (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
08 The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
09 The W.A.N.D. (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
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11 My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
12 Do You Realize?? (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
13 War Pigs (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)

The Flaming Lips: At War With the Mystics (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)