It took the Flaming Lips a long time to become the “Do You Realize??” band, or even the “She Don’t Use Jelly” band, and today, we get to hear an artifact of the band at one of the earliest stages of their development. Earlier this month, Lips frontman Wayne Coyne indulged in a “record store tour,” hitting some of our nation’s finer vinyl emporiums and selling some curios from his band’s past. One of those curios was a 1983 recording called 2nd Cassette Demo, one that captured the band when they were still a provincial punk band, one who was just starting to learn the mind-freeing powers that come when you get really weird. Even if you’re not a big fan of the band’s current incarnation, the propulsive ooze on these songs is something worth hearing. Check out both sides of the tape below.

The music is out now on limited-edition 7″ blue vinyl, and maybe if you run into Coyne somewhere, he’ll sell it to you.