The Flaming Lips Announce At War With The Mystics 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

The Flaming Lips are celebrating two decades of At War With The Mystics with a lavish 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, due on 13 November via Rhino / Warner Records.

The expanded reissue of the Grammy-winning 2006 album will arrive as a 6CD box set, a 6LP vinyl set and a digital deluxe edition, and is available to pre-order now.

To mark the announcement, the band have opened the vaults and shared a previously unreleased recording. “The Sound Of Failure (2 Demos)” offers an early glimpse of one of the album’s standout songs as it was first taking shape, and you can listen to it now.

The new edition goes far beyond a straightforward remaster. Spread across six discs, the 6CD set gathers 19 previously unreleased demos, 14 previously unreleased studio recordings and a further 42 non-album tracks, along with two complete concerts recorded in 2006.

Those shows are U.F.O.s At The Zoo, the legendary concert in the band’s hometown of Oklahoma City, and the previously unreleased Live At The Hollywood Bowl. Both appear on CD for the first time.

Originally released in April 2006, At War With The Mystics arrived as the follow-up to Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, the 2002 album that had carried The Flaming Lips to a whole new audience. Rather than repeat that formula, the band pushed outwards again, blending psychedelic experimentation, electronic textures and orchestral colour with huge pop melodies.

Songs such as “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”, “Free Radicals”, “It Overtakes Me” and “The W.A.N.D.” found the group revelling in the possibilities of the studio while also casting a questioning eye over the world around them. The record went on to collect two Grammy Awards in 2007, including Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “The Wizard Turns On…”.

Beneath its playful, kaleidoscopic surface, the album wrestled with weighty themes – love, fear, politics, mortality and the bewildering experience of simply being alive. Twenty years on, it remains one of the most distinctive chapters in the long and ever-changing story of The Flaming Lips.

At the heart of the deluxe edition is its haul of demos, which give fans a rare look at how the songs were written and recorded. Disc two alone features early sketches of almost every track on the album, from 4-track versions of “Free Radicals” and “Vein Of Stars” to a sequence of four demos of “Mr. Ambulance Driver”, plus an alternate mix and instrumental versions of key tracks.

Elsewhere, the set brings together B-sides, single tracks and alternate versions alongside music the band created for film, television and documentaries. Among them are “The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How To Be In Love” from the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack, songs from The Heartbreak Kid and Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, and a previously unreleased “Spider-Man Theme”.

Covers feature heavily too. The collection includes the band’s take on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” recorded for Amnesty International’s Darfur campaign, Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” and a previously unreleased version of Devo’s “Gates Of Steel”.

Radio sessions and the band’s iTunes Originals recordings round out the rarities, alongside a Goldfrapp remix of “The W.A.N.D.” and The Bird And The Bee’s mix of “Free Radicals”. Taken together, the bonus material paints a far broader picture of the creative world around the album, and shows just how prolific and restless The Flaming Lips were during this era.

As with the band’s anniversary box for Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, the CD and vinyl editions have been configured differently to keep both formats as accessible as possible. The full collection of material on the 6CD edition will later be made available across further vinyl releases, following the same approach taken with the Yoshimi set.

For a band whose career has been defined by reinvention rather than repetition, the anniversary is less about nostalgia and more about rediscovering a record that was already looking in several directions at once. Two decades later, it still sounds like the work of a band unwilling to stand still.

At War With The Mystics 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is released on 13 November via Rhino / Warner Records on 6CD, 6LP and digital formats. You can pre-order your copy here.

The 6CD and digital edition opens with the remastered original album and its non-LP tracks, before moving through the demos, rarities, radio sessions and the two live concerts. The full track listing is below.

CD1: Original Album Remastered – At War With The Mystics (originally released 3 April 2006)
1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) [4:51]
2. Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber) [3:42]
3. The Sound Of Failure/It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [7:19]
4. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action) [4:51]
5. Vein Of Stars [4:15]
6. The Wizard Turns On… The Giant Silver Flashlight And Puts On His Werewolf Moccasins [3:41]
7. It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand A Chance? [6:50]
8. Mr. Ambulance Driver [4:22]
9. Haven’t Got A Clue [3:26]
10. The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [3:43]
11. Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung [4:22]
12. Goin’ On [3:40]

CD1: Non-LP Tracks
1. Why Does It End? [4:39] (From The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song CD Single, released 17 April 2006)
2. You Gotta Hold On [4:52] (From The W.A.N.D. CD Single, released 7 March 2006)
3. Your Face Can Tell The Future [5:21] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
4. The Gold In The Mountain Of Our Madness [4:48] (From The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song CD Single, released 17 April 2006)
5. Time Travel… Yes!! [3:22] (From The W.A.N.D. CD Single, released 7 March 2006)

CD2
1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) [2 Demos] [3:10] Previously Unreleased
2. Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber) [2 Early Demos] [1:43] Previously Unreleased
3. Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber) [4-Track Demo] [4:18] Previously Unreleased
4. The Sound Of Failure [2 Demos] [3:42] Previously Unreleased
5. It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [Demo] [0:30] Previously Unreleased
6. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action) [Ta! Da! Demo] [2:02] Previously Unreleased
7. Vein Of Stars [Cruel World – 2 Demos] [1:29] Previously Unreleased
8. Vein Of Stars [4-Track Demo] [2:19] Previously Unreleased
9. It Overtakes Me [Demo] [1:17] Previously Unreleased
10. The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand A Chance? [Demo] [1:21] Previously Unreleased
11. Mr. Ambulance Driver [4 Demos] [2:51] Previously Unreleased
12. Haven’t Got A Clue [Vocal Demo] [1:27] Previously Unreleased
13. The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [2 Instrumental Demos] [2:06] Previously Unreleased
14. The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [Early Demo] [1:29] Previously Unreleased
15. Why Does It End? [Demo] [1:21] Previously Unreleased
16. You Gotta Hold On [2 Demos] [2:57] Previously Unreleased
17. Your Face Can Tell The Future [Demo] [0:33] Previously Unreleased
18. The Gold In The Mountain Of Our Madness [Demo] [3:21] Previously Unreleased
19. Enthusiasm For Life Defeats Existential Fear… [Demo] [3:46] Previously Unreleased
20. A Confession [0:22] Previously Unreleased
21. The Unknown [0:51] Previously Unreleased
22. It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [2:06]
23. The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand A Chance? [4:03]
24. Time Travel… Yes!! (Steve Burns Version) [3:50]
25. Mr. Ambulance Driver (Alternate Mix) [3:59] Previously Unreleased
26. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Instrumental) [4:52] Previously Unreleased
27. The W.A.N.D. (Instrumental) [3:44] Previously Unreleased

CD3
1. I Was Zapped By The Lucky Super Rainbow [3:33] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
2. Don’t Be Shy [3:15] Previously Unreleased
3. Love The World You Find [2:32] (From Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, released 2007)
4. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium [3:57] Previously Unreleased
5. The Tale Of The Horny Frog [3:51] (From The Heartbreak Kid: Music From The Motion Picture, released 2007)
6. Maybe I’m Not The One [4:13] (From The Heartbreak Kid: Music From The Motion Picture, released 2007)
7. What Does It Mean? [5:10] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
8. The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How To Be In Love [3:24] (From Music From And Inspired By Spider-Man 3, released 2007)
9. Spider-Man Theme [2:22] Previously Unreleased
10. Puri Kura Theme Version 1 [3:35] Previously Unreleased
11. Puri Kura Theme Version 2 [0:49] Previously Unreleased
12. If I Only Had A Brain [2:17] (From Stubbs The Zombie – The Soundtrack, released 2005, and also on Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
13. Free Radicals (Simlish Version) [3:40]
14. Enthusiasm For Life Defeats Existential Fear… [5:05] (From The Fearless Freaks – 20 Years Of Weird: The Flaming Lips 1986-2006, released 2006)
15. Smokin’ A J With The Fearless Freaks [2:18] Previously Unreleased
16. Death In Picher [3:18] Previously Unreleased
17. Jesus And A Spider [1:56] Previously Unreleased
18. The W.A.N.D. Supernaturalistic (Goldfrapp Remix) [3:19] (From The W.A.N.D. CD Single, released 2006)
19. It Overtakes Me (Single Version) [3:15] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
20. I’m Afraid Of Dying… Aren’t You? [4:09] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
21. Free Radicals (The Bird And The Bee Mix) [5:14] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
22. Time Travel… Yes!! (With Steven Michael Burns) [3:15] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)

CD4
1. Free Radicals (iTunes Originals) [3:39] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
2. Do You Realize?? (iTunes Originals) [3:25] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
3. Why Does It End? (iTunes Originals) [3:33] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
4. Cow Jam! (iTunes Originals) [2:28] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
5. Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung (iTunes Originals) [3:12] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
6. War Pigs (iTunes Originals) [4:01] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
7. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Radio Session) [4:37] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
8. Goin’ On (Radio Session) [3:42] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
9. Unmade Bed (Radio Session) [2:56] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
10. No Quarter (Radio Session) [3:58] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
11. The Sound Of Failure (Radio Session) [4:02] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
12. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Chicken Fried Hoedown Protest Rally) [4:43] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch, released 2006)
13. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (In Anatropous Reflex) [4:19] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch, released 2006)
14. Vein Of Stars (Operatic Spook) [4:13] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch, released 2006)
15. Vein Of Stars (Radio Session) [4:49] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch, released 2006)
16. Bohemian Rhapsody [6:37] (From Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen, released 2005)
17. (Just Like) Starting Over [3:35] (From Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur, released 2007)
18. Gates Of Steel [4:59] Previously Unreleased
19. Silent Night/Lord Can You Hear Me [4:33] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)

CD5: U.F.O.s At The Zoo – The Legendary Concert In Oklahoma City
1. U.F.O. Intro [1:14]
2. Ta! Da! [2:18]
3. Race For The Prize [5:41]
4. Free Radicals [3:49]
5. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1 [8:25]
6. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 2 [3:17]
7. Vein Of Stars [7:20]
8. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song [9:25]
9. The Spark That Bled [6:27]
10. The W.A.N.D. [4:17]
11. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion [5:07]
12. She Don’t Use Jelly [6:24]
13. Do You Realize?? [3:58]
14. A Spoonful Weighs A Ton [4:34]
15. Love Yer Brain [5:52]
16. U.F.O. Outro [0:45]

CD6: Live At The Hollywood Bowl (all tracks previously unreleased)
1. Hollywood Bowl Intro [1:53]
2. Ta! Da! [3:13]
3. Race For The Prize [6:00]
4. Free Radicals [5:00]
5. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1 [9:06]
6. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 2 [3:38]
7. Vein Of Stars [4:56]
8. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song [9:39]
9. The W.A.N.D. [4:52]
10. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion [5:34]
11. Do You Realize?? [4:52]
12. War Pigs [4:29]

The 6LP vinyl edition spreads a slightly different selection of the material across 12 sides, as follows.

Side A: Original Album Remastered – At War With The Mystics (originally released 3 April 2006)
1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) [4:51]
2. Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber) [3:42]
3. The Sound Of Failure/It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [7:19]
4. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action) [4:51]

Side B
1. Vein Of Stars [4:15]
2. The Wizard Turns On… The Giant Silver Flashlight And Puts On His Werewolf Moccasins [3:41]
3. It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand A Chance? [6:50]
4. Mr. Ambulance Driver [4:22]

Side C
1. Haven’t Got A Clue [3:26]
2. The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [3:43]
3. Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung [4:22]
4. Goin’ On [3:40]

Side D: Non-LP Tracks
1. Why Does It End? [4:39] (From The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song CD Single, released 17 April 2006)
2. You Gotta Hold On [4:52] (From The W.A.N.D. CD Single, released 7 March 2006)
3. Your Face Can Tell The Future [5:21] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
4. The Gold In The Mountain Of Our Madness [4:48] (From The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song CD Single, released 17 April 2006)
5. Time Travel… Yes!! [3:22] (From The W.A.N.D. CD Single, released 7 March 2006)

Side E
1. I Was Zapped By The Lucky Super Rainbow [3:33] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
2. Don’t Be Shy [3:15] Previously Unreleased
3. Love The World You Find [2:32] (From Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, released 2007)
4. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium [3:57] Previously Unreleased
5. The Tale Of The Horny Frog [3:51] (From The Heartbreak Kid: Music From The Motion Picture, released 2007)
6. Maybe I’m Not The One [4:13] (From The Heartbreak Kid: Music From The Motion Picture, released 2007)
7. The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How To Be In Love [3:24] (From Music From And Inspired By Spider-Man 3, released 2007)

Side F
1. What Does It Mean? [5:10] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
2. Spider-Man Theme [2:22] Previously Unreleased
3. Puri Kura Theme Version 1 [3:35] Previously Unreleased
4. Puri Kura Theme Version 2 [0:49] Previously Unreleased
5. If I Only Had A Brain [2:17] (From Stubbs The Zombie – The Soundtrack, released 2005, and also on Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)
6. Bohemian Rhapsody [6:37] (From Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen, released 2005)
7. Silent Night/Lord Can You Hear Me [4:33] (From Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition, released 2018)

Side G
1. Enthusiasm For Life Defeats Existential Fear… [5:05] (From The Fearless Freaks – 20 Years Of Weird: The Flaming Lips 1986-2006, released 2006)
2. Smokin’ A J With The Fearless Freaks [2:18] Previously Unreleased
3. Death In Picher [3:18] Previously Unreleased
4. Jesus And A Spider [1:56] Previously Unreleased
5. The W.A.N.D. Supernaturalistic (Goldfrapp Remix) [3:19] (From The W.A.N.D. CD Single, released 2006)
6. Time Travel… Yes!! (Steve Burns Version) [3:50]
7. Mr. Ambulance Driver (Alternate Mix) [3:59] Previously Unreleased

Side H
1. It Overtakes Me (Single Version) [3:15] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
2. I’m Afraid Of Dying… Aren’t You? [4:09] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
3. Free Radicals (The Bird And The Bee Mix) [5:14] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
4. Time Travel… Yes!! (With Steven Michael Burns) [3:15] (From It Overtakes Me EP, released 2006)
5. (Just Like) Starting Over [3:35] (From Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur, released 2007)
6. Gates Of Steel [4:59] Previously Unreleased

Side I
1. Free Radicals (iTunes Originals) [3:39] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
2. Do You Realize?? (iTunes Originals) [3:25] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
3. Why Does It End? (iTunes Originals) [3:33] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
4. Cow Jam! (iTunes Originals) [2:28] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
5. Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung (iTunes Originals) [3:12] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
6. War Pigs (iTunes Originals) [4:01] (From Flaming Lips – iTunes Originals, released 29 May 2007)
7. The W.A.N.D. (Instrumental) [3:44] Previously Unreleased

Side J
1. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Radio Session) [4:37] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
2. Goin’ On (Radio Session) [3:42] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
3. Unmade Bed (Radio Session) [2:56] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
4. No Quarter (Radio Session) [3:58] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
5. The Sound Of Failure (Radio Session) [4:02] (From If You Could Blow Up The World With The Flick Of A Switch Promo CD Sampler, released November 2006)
6. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Instrumental) [4:52] Previously Unreleased

Side K
1. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) [2 Demos] [3:10] Previously Unreleased
2. Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber) [2 Early Demos] [1:43] Previously Unreleased
3. Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber) [4-Track Demo] [4:18] Previously Unreleased
4. The Sound Of Failure [2 Demos] [3:42] Previously Unreleased
5. It’s Dark… Is It Always This Dark? [Demo] [0:30] Previously Unreleased
6. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action) [Ta! Da! Demo] [2:02] Previously Unreleased
7. Vein Of Stars [Cruel World – 2 Demos] [1:29] Previously Unreleased
8. Vein Of Stars [4-Track Demo] [2:19] Previously Unreleased
9. It Overtakes Me [Demo] [1:17] Previously Unreleased
10. The Stars Are So Big… I Am So Small… Do I Stand A Chance? [Demo] [1:21] Previously Unreleased

Side L
1. Mr. Ambulance Driver [4 Demos] [2:51] Previously Unreleased
2. Haven’t Got A Clue [Vocal Demo] [1:27] Previously Unreleased
3. The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [2 Instrumental Demos] [2:06] Previously Unreleased
4. The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) [Early Demo] [1:29] Previously Unreleased
5. Why Does It End? [Demo] [1:21] Previously Unreleased
6. You Gotta Hold On [2 Demos] [2:57] Previously Unreleased
7. Your Face Can Tell The Future [Demo] [0:33] Previously Unreleased
8. The Gold In The Mountain Of Our Madness [Demo] [3:21] Previously Unreleased
9. Enthusiasm For Life Defeats Existential Fear… [Demo] [3:46] Previously Unreleased