The Flaming Lips are marking two decades since their 2006 album At War With the Mystics with an expansive reissue due November 13, collecting demos, alternate mixes and live recordings — including more than 30 tracks that have never been released. The band has already shared one of those rarities, “The Sound of Failure [2 Demos],” as a first preview of the set.
What the reissue includes
The boxed edition, offered as either a 6-LP or 6-CD package, gathers material recorded around the original album sessions: early demos, B-sides, soundtrack contributions and alternate takes that trace how songs evolved. The release also bundles two complete 2006 live sets, giving a fuller sense of the band’s stage approach that year.
- Format: 6×LP or 6×CD deluxe edition, due November 13.
- Previously unreleased: more than 30 tracks drawn from demos, shelved songs and alternate versions.
- Live albums included: U.F.O.s at the Zoo and Live at the Hollywood Bowl.
- Notable extras: rare demos of “Free Radicals,” the newly shared “The Sound of Failure [2 Demos],” and a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Archival detail and musical context
At War With the Mystics arrived four years after the band’s mainstream breakthrough with Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and at the time was widely discussed as a partial return to more guitar-centered arrangements. This anniversary package aims to document that transitional phase rather than simply reissue the original album.
Among the archival highlights are multiple demo versions that reveal early arrangements and production choices, alternate mixes placed alongside finished tracks, and soundtrack or radio-session cuts that had previously circulated only in fragments.
Band lineup and current relevance
The release arrives as the group continues to reshape itself following the departure of longtime multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Steve Drozd, who left earlier this year and has cited a decision to stop touring as a factor in his exit. The reissue therefore functions both as a document of the band’s mid-2000s phase and as a timely reminder of their catalogue as they move forward without one of their core members.
For fans and music historians, the package offers fresh material that can change how those songs are heard — not just remastered album tracks but the creative process behind them.
Selected track highlights
- “The Sound of Failure [2 Demos]” — first previewed ahead of the release.
- Multiple early and 4-track demos of “Free Radicals.”
- Demo and instrumental versions of “The W.A.N.D.” and “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song.”
- Radio-session performances and rarities such as a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The set will be distributed through standard retail partners and independent outlets, with pre-orders already visible at specialty sellers. Beyond collectors, the release underscores a broader industry trend: anniversary editions that reframe albums by exposing the sketches and alternate paths that otherwise remain unheard.
For listeners curious about how a well-known record was built, this deluxe edition offers a concentrated look at the era that produced one of the band’s most discussed albums, while also arriving at a moment of change for the group itself.
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