The most nerve-wracking part of taking creative risks is the chance that certain manifestations function better in theory than they do in practice. the Flaming Lips’ With A Little Help From My Fwends is, unfortunately, one of those things. What could have been a lovely partner to one of the greatest albums of all time, created “with a little help from [their] friends,” the album makes the tragic mistake of being different for the sake of being different, without really adding anything to the Beatles’ sensational 1967 album. Where there could have been further development on the original—adding new technology to the Kaliope-styled “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!” for example—it’s distant. That seems to be a trend with many of these tracks. Wayne Coyne, the lead singer, and friends just did not capture the spirit, sound or essence of the originals track, and those that are lyrically profound or cheekily jovial, such as “She’s Leaving Home” or “Getting Better,” respectively, fall quite flat and don’t necessarily “get there” in the same way the original did. Most importantly, and most shockingly, though is the fact that the Beatles’ original album ends with one of the most prolific and important album closers of all time—“A Day In The Life.” What was originally crafted to be a literal orchestral orgasm was completely scrapped. The Flaming Lips’ Pepper ends with, well, nothing. There’s nothing there, except a bit of rambling by miss Miley Cyrus herself. This is completely inexcusable.
There are certain moments of genius, though, that redeem this record from complete failure. The explosive chorus of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” goes beyond depths of the original and is quite powerful. The vocals on “Within You Without You” are simply breathtaking. The jam session during the reprise is exactly what I wanted to hear from this album, and what I’ve come to expect with the Flaming Lips—it is their own work. This is simply the highlight, and of course, it has nothing to do with the original album.
I really struggled with critiquing this album, as these are two of my favorite bands and one of my favorite albums at the center of all the nonsense. I love most of what the Lips do…But I love it when they’re doing themselves. The fact of the matter is that it is very, very difficult to cover the Beatles successfully, for a multitude of reasons. People are used to and have connected with the original albums for 40-50 years. There is a temporal element to their sound that does not necessarily translate well to newer vibes, and there is the simple fact that they were the most influential band in history. Taking their lyrics and putting them on top of a smorgasbord of trippy, techno weirdness for the sake of being weird does not create a new, edgy, result. Plain and simple, as expected, the original is always better.
Grade: C-
