With In a Priest Driven Ambulance, a coherent vision starts to peek through the chaos. It comes courtesy of an irony-free cover of the standard "(What a) Wonderful World," sung with wobbly conviction by Wayne Coyne. 

 The addition of guitar-effects maestro Ronald Jones and monster drummer Stephen Drozd gave Coyne the musical muscle to carry out his ambitions, and on Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, the Lips fashioned their first masterpiece. 

 Clouds Taste Metallic is an obtuse but fascinating attempt at making a pop album. 

  Zaireeka represents the Lips at their most indulgent. It's impractical–a box set of four CDs designed to be played simultaneously. 

 The Soft Bulletin marks a turning point. Instead of clouding Coyne's vulnerability in weirdness, the ornate orchestrations heighten it. 

 On the surface, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is a return to the artfully conceived strangeness of the band's earlier work. 

 The Lips lost their way on At War With The Mystics, which found the band on a pop star Pixy Stix high, too enamored with their own cheery arena hooks. 

 With the release of their long-in-the-works Christmas On Mars sci-fi film and the highly experimental album Embryonic, the Lips had strongly swung back to their avant-punk roots, albeit with their loopy populist streak somewhat intact. 

 With the release of their long-in-the-works Christmas On Mars sci-fi film and the highly experimental album Embryonic, the Lips had strongly swung back to their avant-punk roots, albeit with their loopy populist streak somewhat intact.