Customer Reviews

Devo - Greatest Hits [Warner Brothers]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some may call Devo a one-hit-wonder. Some may call them silly or odd. Some just don't get it. After listening to these "Greatest Hits" you will get it. Besides the obvious choices like "Whip It" and "Working in A Coalmine", we also get songs they've covered, like "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones), as well as songs they've had covered, like "Girl U Want" (Soundgarden believe it or not). Lesser known tracks that still impress are "Through Being Cool", "Beautiful World", "Freedom Of Choice", and "Jocko Homo". There are a few songs missing as always, hence I suggest the better single disc collection "Hot Potatoes", or their anthology.

The wonderful weirdness that is Devo emerged during a very bleak season in pop music; they were indeed a welcome breath of odd air. Devo's minimalist, abrupt style caused many to label them as punk, but they were far too smart and musically innovative to fit under this heading. Punk seemed determined to thwart music while Devo simply redefined it. Putting aside for the moment their marvelously worked-out theories of de-evolution, the songs were actually very stripped down rock and roll reminiscent of early Kinks, delivered in streamlined techno packaging. It may have been robotic, but it was electronic fun with a danceable beat. Their covers, Satisfaction, Coal Mine, are particularly amusing; no matter how straight the delivery seems to be their tongues are always planted squarely in their cheeks. Devo's lyrics were sly and worth listening to, and the visual element of their presentation put the icing on the stainless steel cake. This was a complete act that delivered on every level. There are numerous Best Of Devo CDs out there, I recommend this one, it's got many of the "must have" tracks like Whip It, Girl You Want, Coal Mine, Satisfaction, and Through Being Cool. The companion CD, Misses, complements it nicely, and if you really have to go the distance there's the 2-CD retrospective, Pioneers Who Got Scalped. Always interesting to see which groups last and which do not. At the time those red hats and jumpsuits seemed to usher in a novelty act that would be gone in a week. Twenty years later, Devo sounds better than ever.

What more could you ask for? 16 of the best songs to come out of the 1980's...at a budget price. These five guys from Ohio perfected the synthesizer-heavy dance sound of the 1980's. Songs like 'Whip It' and 'Through Being Cool' are the best there is. GET IT GET IT GET IT!

I loved these guys in the 80's. Went to one of their concerts and almost had a riot (Devo thought it would be cute to see how many of their music videos they could play before the concert started, thought I was gonna get thrown off the balcony) anyway Devo's keyboards are often in the upper ranges of notes and this production sounds like someone cut off the treble. Wait for the remaster!

It's easy to let your memories of Devo boil down to whip-cracking dweebs with red hydrant-shaped hats. Don't let it happen. Get this CD. You'll be surprised how many MTV memories will come jumping from the farthest corners of your head (if you're around 30 years old, that is). You'll recognize more songs than you think, and you'll never get the grin off your face. Incidentally, if you want man-machine music with more potency but without the chuckles, listen to the original robot band: Kraftwerk.

Nice selection of 16 songs haphazardly put together. No sense of order. It's not chronological, alphabetical or even horizontal. It's like they put all the names into a hat and picked them randomly. Devo may not deserve a box set but they do deserve a well thought out anthology. But the music is great...strangely dated considering how ahead of their time they were back in 1978.

I enjoyed this reliving of my childhood (long ago, I had vinyl copies of "Are We Not Men?", "Duty Now For the Future" and "Freedom of Choice"; ah, the foolishness of youth to let these gems get away!), but I wasn't blown away by this collection. I would like to have seen more early Devo ("Praying Hands" didn't make the cut on either album!), and less of the tame (some would say poor) new material ("Working on the Coal Mine"? Gimme a break!). "Satisfaction" is here in its unadulterated glory, and I can still remember getting chewed out by my parents for singing the lyrics to "Smart Patrol/ Mr. DNA" (I was eight at the time!). Still, this album seems more suited for the "Whip It" crowd (nothing wrong with that, but not my cup of tea); there is an abundance of "Freedom..." material here. Still, it's not too bad!

Sixteen great songs at a budget price. Can't go wrong here. This collection represents DEVO at their most enthusiastic, pop smart best. It also shows how slickly they pioneered the synth heavy dance sound that so many imitated through the eighties. The classics are all here ("Whip It," "Jocko Homo," "Satisfaction,") as well as a bunch of should have beens, like "That's Good" and "Here To Go." These were the songs that powered a lot of college new wave dance nights, pogo ready with sing-a-long chorus/slogans like "Through Being Cool" and "Jerking Back and Forth."

The only way to get more is to move up to "Pioneers That Got Scalped" for the post "Shout" material, but then you have to wade through that double CD's overkill of irrelevant extras. It's a safe bet to have this and the "Greatest Misses," which shows off more of DEVO's wild musical side. As for subversive pop in the MTV age, this was the best there was.

HIGHLY recommended.

Even in this current deluge of techno-pop, DEVO sounds as fresh as they did when the band first hit in the disco-oriented and "new wave" sound era of the late 1970s: combining a static, mechanical sound with extremely satirical lyrics, they sounded nothing so much like nerds from outer space, and time has not dimmed the "do what?" reaction to their sound.

This collection of both their radio hits and some of their lesser known works does an extremely good job of creating an overview of the band's work, be it the top 40 and nostalgically remembered "Whip It" and "Coal Mine" or the lesser known but sharper still "Beautiful World" and "Girl You Want." But like all DEVO albums, there is a problem with it: a little of it goes a very long way, and sitting through an entire album is likely to make you one very anxious spud.

The issue here is the unvarying sound the band creates. The tempos are always up and sharp and on the fast side; the vocals always have the same slightly strident sound. After more than three or four cuts it becomes extremely wearing. But take heart: since they are really best heard in small doses, this is the perfect band (and the perfect recording) to scrounge from when you're making your own party mixes. A single cut by DEVO will bring a slightly nostalgic grin to every one's face--and enough bounce to the party to make your next door neighbors complain!

It can be difficult to make newer listeners understand just how unique this music was at the time it came out. Most people didn't consider it music. Fans that appreciated this band were ridiculed or harassed on the streets. That's part of the reason punk rockers and new wavers were so tough - you had to be. Plus they were fighting for the rights to be different, a position much more acceptable in 2002 than it was in 1982.

Never in anyone's wildest imagination would they expect to hear Devo music as the theme song in a department store ad, or Iggy Pop selling vacation cruises. Yet here we are today. Don't believe your parents when they say they listened to this; they still don't get it really. The music was about standing out, not fitting in; it was about the ability to be yourself no matter how extreme it seemed to be, and the lack of fear from the repercussions that came from that attitude.

Back to the music. Devo was a pioneering act, like the Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, Blondie, X or Joy Division. This CD accurately reflects their most popular songs, many accepted as mainstream today. When they debuted, they were anything but popular. This collection is a must have for anyone that likes to keep an accurate selection of different genres or eras. Hopefully it will encourage listeners to explore the Devo catalog while it is still available, because the work remains unique.

It is also highly recommended to the fans that experienced Devo first hand. A Devo concert was a true original multimedia experience. They did things before most others, now taken for granted in rock performances, such as the juxtaposition of video within a stage show or multiple costume changes that fit the roles they assumed in the act. I rate this disc at 4.65 out of 5.00 stars, rounded up to 5.00. It has tremendous value from both the musical and historical perspective. And don't forget the best cover of Satisfaction made since the Rolling Stones put it out.