Customer Reviews

Greatest Misses

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

...because I LOVE this collection of Devo tunes. I am quite happy to find the "Duty Now for the Future" songs collected here, and "Penetration..." is just the icing on the cake. Don't get me wrong; I like the "Greatest Hits" too, but I don't think this is bad music at all. Besides, I can't seem to find "Duty..." for sale, except as a high priced import!

Anyway, "Mongoloid" is a great song, I really like "Clockout" and "Blockhead", and even the remix version of "Jocko Homo" has its appeal. Oh, and "Pink Pussycat" is a fine tune as well. So, if you are a true Devo fan, you probably kept your vinyl copies of their excellent first two albums, but being an idiot, I didn't, which leaves me quite satisfied with the trip through memory lane. Still, I would have liked to have "Praying Hands"!

The samples on Amazon.com do not do this compilation justice, but then many of the songs are definitely for mature audiences only! Please borrow this from someone before purchasing from this site. I love it though and recommend it to anyone who likes DEVO. They are much more than their pop hits Whip It and Freedom of Choice, that's for sure. They are dark and bizaare with a really energizing electronic sound - I wonder what Mom Mothersbaugh must think of her sons... It's hard to believe they're from Ohio of all places (no offense). They began as a college art project in the 70's in Akron and turned into a cult hit. Their early music was mainly regular instruments like guitar, drums, Moog synthesizer, theremin and then they later became pioneers in electronica. (Check out soundtracks that Mark Mothersbaugh has done since DEVO and you'll be pleased.) This album is a great companion to DEVO's Greatest Hits, which are lyrics actually allowed on the radio, whereas this album would scare the general public. I sure wish I appreciated DEVO when they were still touring!

I love it!

If you are a die-hard fan (like myself), not buying this collection would be a mistake. A few previous reviews pointed out that much of this material is availible on the first 2 albums. They obviously lack good ears and good eyesight, because many of those songs are different versions. They even say so on the liner notes. There is enough rare stuff on this collection to make it worth having. Listen for the extra verse on Jocko Homo. Enough said!

_Greatest_Misses_ is prolly THE best Devo compilation there is...presumably, the album title comes from the fact that none of these songs ever came close to making the Big Time, in spite of the fact that these are actually some of their FINEST work! Unfortunately, most of the hairless protosimians out there are going to take the title out of context (that is to say, _negatively_), and never bother even trying this album out. Well, it's THEIR souls in danger, not mine...

To tell you the truth i have both, greatest hits and misses. I have to say that in spite of the name, this album is probably one of the best DEVO compilations in existence. I would definetly recommend this CD to any DEVO fan.

The greatest MISSES, part two of the greatest HITS, DEVO, two disc cd package, is just as good as the greatest hits disc, if not better. It contains, some of their more obscure songs, that didn't get the MTV treatment. In any case, if you haven't heard the Spud Boys lately, this disc will remind you of how good they actually were.

There are many good songs on "Greatest Misses," making this a good purchase for the casual Devo listener. With Devo's irreverent sense of humor, most of these songs will put a smile on your face. In typical erudite fashion, they look down their noses at blockheads and mongoloids. "Hold the pickles / hold the lettuce / all that we ask is that / you let us serve it YOUR way" is their stab at our fast food nation on "Too Much Paranoias." I cannot help but find the misogyny of "Timing X/Space Junk" funny. Typical for Devo's idea of a love song, the girl is a person of reference rather than a person of address. Not so typically, however, the girl this time is killed, though not by murder. Rather, she is hit by "space junk," such as the Sputnik, which fell from the sky. ("Original" is a word that promptly comes to mind when conjuring words to describe Devo.) The "Explicit lyrics advisory" comes from one song, "Penetration in the Centerfold." (Hint: "penetration" does not refer to the staples that were used to bind magazines at that time.) Not quite misses, "Jocko Homo" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" are nonetheless slightly different versions than those appearing on the "Greatest Hits" disc. Devo is a group whose music does not appeal to all tastes, though fans cannot get enough. This is a very good choice for purchase, though a better choice for celebrating geekdom would be to get all their original releases.

..or your through being cool.

Seriously...you probably have to like DEVO to enjoy this CD. Which is sort of ironically names. The songs I believe were selected at least partially on the basis that they were songs that the band thought would be popular but were not. Rather than songs that never had a change in anyone's estimation.

Combine this with Greatest Hits (the one with the crosshairs on the plane) and you have a swell packaging of DEVO.

I like Robots, feedback, DEVO, and sleeping. Buy this recording

It's interesting to see what tracks Devo picked for "Greatest Misses" as compared with "Greatest Hits" - I think this volume is significantly more interesting to listen to and in the long run is the better compilation. I'm not usually a fan of "best of" CDs - and I'd suggest getting Devo's first 3 CDs because they are about as good as you can get for late 70's/early 80's punk/new wave. But this has a couple of really great alternate versions (the Booji Boy mixes) that breathe new life into these great songs. I think for those songs alone it's worth the $10 I paid for it. I also enjoyed listening to "Speed Racer" - glad to have that one without having to buy "Oh No, It's Devo" (I think that's what it's from)- which isn't so hot. Mark Mothersbaugh & Jerry C - those guys are geniuses and will someday will be recognized as the pioneers that they are. Devolution is real and it's happening all around us - look (listen) and see!