Musical Wednesdays: The Flaming Lips do Pink Floyd!

I will admit that Pink Floyd is kind of a guilty pleasure band for me--I don't know why, but there are some songs I just really enjoy when no one is watching (this is different from AC/DC, which I can't call a guilty pleasure because I feel NO GUILT about loving "Back in Black."). I had an English teacher in 10th grade who showed us the "Dark Side of the Moon"/"Wizard of Oz" combination on our last day before summer vacation (which now strikes me as really, profoundly strange, but then was just a free morning). And I was raised listening to a lot of classic rock of this era. So when I heard the Flaming Lips' cover of "Any Colour You Like" (featuring Henry Rollins), I had to listen all the way through. And I can confirm at this time: it's weird.

Not bad weird, not by a long shot. In fact, it seems that the Flaming Lips, who made something of a rock opera/concept album with "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots," are uniquely suited to cover this album. They take the strange dreaminess of the original record and amplify it. I don't know how they decided to feature both Henry Rollins and Peaches on this album, but these choices only add to how weird the album is. It's definitely worth checking out if you're a Flaming Lips fan, or a Pink Floyd fan. Even if it's nothing more than a novelty, it's a surprising experiment and tribute to an influential act.

Now, the only remaining question is whether it matches up to "The Wizard of Oz." That sounds like a weekend plan to me.