Flaming Lips Releasing Companion to ‘Dark Side of the Moon’

Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips | Photo Credit: 3 Song Photography / Shutterstock

For those who can’t wait until Record Store Day for new Flaming Lips experiments, the band has an early surprise. Wayne Coyne and company just announced that they’re putting out a companion piece to Pink Floyd’s classic psych-rock album Dark Side of the Moon on Monday, March 31st. Titled Flaming Side of the Moon, the digital release is designed to be listened to simultaneously with the Pink Floyd album, and is also supposed to sync up with The Wizard of Oz. (Pink Floyd’s original is, of course, said to line up with the 1939 film.)

“Designed as an immersive companion piece to the original 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon listeners are encouraged to listen to the new Lips album while listening to Dark Side at the same time,” the press release says. “Flaming Side of the Moon was also carefully crafted to sync up perfectly with the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. For ideal listening conditions, fans are encouraged to seek out the original Alan Parsons’ engineered quadraphonic LP mix of Dark Side, but it will work with the album on any format.” 

This would not be the Flaming Lips’ first foray into Dark Side territory. In 2009, the band joined forces with a few friends to release a cover of the entire album, titled The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs With Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon. Shortly after the release, they played the Pink Floyd album front-to-back during their New Year’s Eve show in Oklahoma City.

The band says that Flaming Side of the Moon is available “through all participating digital outlets,” and also mentions that 100 limited edition vinyl copies will be distributed to the band’s friends and families. The Flaming Lips are also reportedly at work on a St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band tribute record with Miley Cyrus, Tame Impala and MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden.