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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
What is wrong with Rhino Home Video?, February 11, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Devo - The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (DVD)
Leave it to Rhino Home Video to get their hands on great material, and somehow manage to put out a lousy dvd. Annoying, cheap menu items pop up between each video. Some of the videos are cut short (WHY?) freeze framing or adding a cheap video effect a moment or two before they're supposed to end. They are not presented chonologically. The flow is further disrupted by inserted snips of DEVO's ad's for pioneer laser disc players. Intro's to some of the videos which originally appeared in "We're all Devo" are hacked off, and buried in a hard to navigate "extra features" section, while others are not (WHY?). The video transfers appear in many places to be from grainy VHS, complete with drop outs, and bad sound. Further, it is not "complete". Where are the skits from "Men Who Make the Music"? Where is "Dr. Detroit" and "Are You Experienced"? Huh? This is the third Rhino DVD I've bought each time I've been amazed how an otherwise quality company falls down so hard when it comes to video. On the plus side, unless you already most of the stuff here, and don't want to hunt around on ebay for "We're All Devo" and "The Men Who Make the Music", and you're a Devo fan, you'll want to buy this DVD. And even if you have those, there are several interesting bonus items that justify the meager price. But why Rhino does such a horrible job putting it all together is beyond me.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Quite Complete, but Still Essential, September 14, 2005
This review is from: Devo - The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (DVD)
DEVO, pioneers (who got scalped) of the Music Video. They may not have been the first - such claims going alternately to Bob Dylan or The Residents, but they were one of the most influential and iconic. How many people still recognize those red hats from the "Whip It" video? (Oh, and they're actually called "Energy Domes")
This DVD is a chronological look at DEVO's videos, and an almost complete look at their major filmography. It's also an almost complete rip of the ancient Complete Truth About De-Evolution Laserdisc. I have to emphasize the "almost" here, because that's what it is. First off, it's missing the amusing promo video for DEVO's "Theme from Doctor Detroit." Okay, that's not exactly their most memorable video, but it's still pretty durn amusing. It can be found on the We're All DEVO! VHS, but who the hell watches VHS tapes these days?
It's also missing, however, DEVO's landmark 1984 video for "R U Experienced?" Not only is it one of only two DEVO videos to be done in 35mm, and the first music video to use computer morphing - it's an incredible cover to boot. Sadly, the Hendrix estate denied DEVO rights to use the video for unknown reasons, and it has been slashed from the disc. The listing for the video in the DVD credits even has a big red "X" over it to drive the point home. A shame. To make up for it, somehow, Rhino tacked on the film-collage video for "Mongoloid" made by Bruce Connor. Essential viewing.
The DVD has bonus features out the wazoo, too. There's live footage from 1973(!), 1977, and 1980 (at the M-80 Festival as DOVE). There's audio commentary for all the videos, and bits from a promotional video DEVO made to promote Laserdiscs. There's an interview with Chuck Staler There's photo galleries, and excerpts from "My Struggle..."
Okay, here's the second big problem, aside from the missing videos. Whoever was responsible for converting the galleries was very sloppy. Instead of being able to step through each image, as on the original laserdisc, you have to PAUSE the DVD and use the "next frame" button to move through. Frustrating. Here's what it's like:
3...2...1... *pause* Damn, missed some images. *rewind, try again, and again* Got it! *press next frame* Same image. *press next frame several times* Oh! There's the next one.
Yeah, it's frustrating, but even if you ignore the galleries and missing videos, this is STILL essential. Where else are you going to get most of DEVO's major videos in one place? Not MTV, or even VH1, these days. This is the only way, flawed as it is, so get it.
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26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Now it can be shown., January 5, 2004
This review is from: Devo - The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (DVD)
Well, almost. I consider "We're All Devo" to be essential to any musicologist who really wants to know how video evolved from quirky and fun experiments into the MTV Record company commercials for bands (and eventually into 30 minute infomercials for personalities that may or may not have anything to do with music). Problem is, this being a straight transfer of the old Pioneer laser Disc - complete with uncomfortable shilling from our spudboys - it has a rather incomplete feeling to it. I'd still call it a dream for devotees, but I was hoping for so much more. On the plus side, hearing the commentary for the tracks is good fun, and reading Mark and Gerald's blurbs about how record companies consistently stuck their fingers in stupid places while spinning their heads in others is hilarious (the turmoil surrounding the first album cover in particular) and make this worth having. "Beautiful World," quite possibly the best video EVER made, is here. It's also nice to have the sound upgraded to DVD status. What we really need next is "We're All Devo" represented on DVD, along with "The Men Who Make The Music" and those nads at the Hendrix estate to open the vault on "Are You Experienced?" Also recommended (if anyone of resposibility is reading) for further releases would be the Saturday Night Live appearance, the TV show "Fridays" where the band helps in a skit before playing "Uncontrollable Urge," the TV commercial for Honda Scooters, "That's Good" performed on "Square Pegs" and, if it was video taped, the legendary Trouser Press magazine interview where Mark and Gerald sat down to chat with William Burroughs. I'm already drooling at the prospects. 5 stars for the classic videos
3 stars for the final presentation and omissions
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