Hardcore Devo, Vol. 2: 1974-1977

Devo

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 1991)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0000009UK
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #194,097 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freaky and fun - I love it!!!, June 25, 2005

By	Tomorryo (Southwest USA) - See all my reviews

This CD has to be the kookiest, most original, yet excellently-made piece of work I've listened to in a long time. The more Devo stuff I listen to, the more I LOVE them!!!!! In a world obsessed with outward appearance and behavior, and what other people think of you, Devo symbolize the unashamed nerds that everybody secretly loves and admires for being themselves.

In my opinion, there's nothing worse to listen to than jerk-poseur bands trying to be cool, or weak, watered-down alt and indie bands that even the radio station at my undergrad college refused to play. I'll say it again - Devo is original and authentic in everything they do. I understand and love the concept of Devolution, Devo's style of graphic art, their cosmic/nerdy sound, and the way they think. In short, I absolutely ~LOVE~ this band.

Now on to the CD...

This disc is packed with awesome songs that are unlike anything you'll ever hear. There are wonderful melodies mixed with unusual instruments and sounds, and of course, the wonderful singing voice of Mark Mothersbaugh, which many have tried to imitate (yes, I'm talking to you, David Byrne), but none have succeeded. Here are specifics:

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1. Booji Boy's Funeral: Instrumental, and interesting, but a bit hard to listen to. Sounds sort of like it's from outer space! 5/10

2. Can You Take It?: Not the best, and gets a bit repetitive with the guitar-work. 5/10

3. Bamboo Bimbo: Slightly offensive to Vietnam War soldiers, but an interesting concept. Mark sings purposefully off-key in this one and has narrative interjections that are a bit funny. 6/10

4. A Plan For U: THIS ONE IS AWESOME!!! Great melody, crazy instruments!!!!! 10/10

5. The Rope Song: This one is also snazzariffic. A GREAT chorus, and kooky-sounding instruments. 10/10

6. Goo Goo Itch: A Buddy Holly-esque song about what sounds like an STD... However, it's a cool song, and the word "whammo" is in it about 4 times, so I have no choice but to like it. :o) 8/10

7. Be Stiff: THIS SONG is the reason I bought this CD!!!!! It's the rare slow version, and it's AWESOME!!!!!!! It leaves NO question as to the perfection, range, and general studliness of Mark Mothersbaugh's voice. What can I say - it's just perfect!!! 20,000/10

8. All of Us: Unusual for Devo. Sounds very 1970s-ish (yes, I know it was recorded in the 70s), but not in a bad way... Pretty good! 7/10

9. Baby Talkin' B!tches: More cool outer-space sound effects. Fairly normal sounding! 7/10

10. I Need a Chick: Do ~NOT~ let your grandparents, parents, teachers, acquaintenances, little kids, etc listen to this song!!!!! Just trust me... Would be great though with different lyrics.

11. U Got Me Bugged: Repetitve robotic sound effects. 1/10

12. Chango: Sound effects that are cute and disturbing at the same time. 3/10

13. Fraulein: This one has a tune that is SOOO familiar... It's one of my favorites on the disc, is very peppy and cute. 10/10

14. Dogs of Democracy: Here's another one with a very familiar and cute tune... Mark's singing on this track is pretty funny - it's very gentle, and half the time sounds like he's about ready to run out of breath! 9/10

15. "37": This one is absolutely adorable, and yet again, sounds REALLY familiar. It sounds like Bob 1 singing, and the refrain is "I'm envious of your IQ of 37." So cute, and a really good song in and of itself!!!!! 10/10

16. Bottled Up: Very interesting... Absolutely beautiful melody, slightly sad lyrics, and some peppy background keyboards. 10/10

17. Working in a Coalmine: Not exactly a rare track of theirs... Pretty much like the original "oldies" version, not really one of my favorites. 7/10

18. I Been Refused: Awesome and adorable! Sort of old and jangly-sounding. 9/10

19. Fountain of Filth: Sit down when you listen to this one, or its awesome-ness will make you fall to the ground. If this was released as a "new" song today, it would be MAJORLY loved... Besides slightly confusing lyrics, this is a PERFECT song. I can't even properly describe it!!! 20,000/10

20. Clockout: This one was also released on one of Devo's "official" albums from the 1980s. Slightly slower version though. 9/10

21. Let's Go: Sounds like a let's-rally-up-the-troops song, and is extremely cute. 9/10

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Even though I absolutely love this CD, there's no way I'd shell out the ridiculous amount of $50 that is consistently being charged for a used copy here on Amazon. Yes I'm a tightwad, but there are other, ~ahem~ less expensive places to get a copy...

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare To Devolve..., March 3, 2005

By	Matthew Jaworski (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This blew my mind. This music is psychotic and deranged. I was really not ready for this. I consider myself to be something of a freakish music seeker, yet this amazing recording had not crossed my path till recently (blame it on my age). The true influence of Devo will not be recognized by scholars and the masses for awhile. Devo are directly responsible for ill synthesis, post-punk, new wave, and the video age. If you have not had the fortune to hear these early historic templates than you need to immediately. I actually prefer this to Volume 1, as Volume 1 has many early versions of later Devo classics, Volume 2 has quite a few tracks unavailable elsewhere. And with good reason, the unstable might break if they were administered some of these doses in large quantities. These tracks are much rawer and more deranged than later Devo. From crude vocoder paired with detuned synth, to fuzzy guitar rock, this is some truly Devolutionary music for Devolutionary people. Some of these songs have a leering, almost sinister edge which was later smoothed out for mass consumption. It is absolutely criminal that these two albums are out-of-print. I am a sucker for musical madness, and this was just what my shrink ordered. If you can only get one of these two discs, go for Volume 2, as it is the pinnacle of Devo's pre-corporate madness.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We are so Devo!!, June 17, 2001

By	Scuzzbopper (Pottstown, PA United States) - See all my reviews

While Hardcore 1 kicked, Hardcore 2 kicks more as well as toss it in the air and headbutt it. Even better then Vol. 1, this compilation contains over an hour's worth of even more and even weirder (as well as very catchy) raw guitar-laden basement recordings from Devo's early days. Starting out with the creepy instrumental Booji Boy's Funeral (from their short film The Truth About De-Evolution), the album takes off and never slows down. It contains early recordings of future hits-to-be (Working In A Coal Mine, Clockout),as well many stand out songs, highlights being the tasteless I Need A Chick, the snarky sports anthem Let's Go, the rousing All Of Us, and the poppy Goo Goo Itch. The album succeeds most in sheer weirdness, as heard in Chango, The Rope Song, 37, Fraulean (a de-evolved version of the classic WB cartoon song Powerhouse), and U Got Me Bugged (a kewpie doll to anyone who can understand more then three lyrics.) Find this album and buy it!!