Customer Reviews

Now It Can Be Told

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1989, Devo hit the road for a reunion tour following the "Total Devo" CD, and were, frankly, a highly aggressive live act once more. They were ready to start taking on the old targets. After all, the Reagan/Bush weirdness was in full bloom, so why not prove that de-evolution was still a thing to take note of? This album documents that period well, including the acoustic version of "Jocko Homo" that starts the show off. (Remember how everyone was astounded that Bruce Springsteen, who was touring behind "Tunnel Of Love," was trying to show the maturity of the times by playing "Born To Run" as an acoustic lament?) The spudboys use this kind of irony to play a "cool" version of "Going Under," and a mellowed, jazzier version of "Working in a Coal Mine" before the really getting to work and letting loose with a meaty version of the newer "Happy Guy."

From this point on, Devo rocks out. It helps that most of the remainder of "Now It Can Be Told" is comprised of selections from "Q/A," "Freedom of Choice" and "New Traditionalists," plus you get the wonderful "Shout" and a devolved version of "Somewhere" from "West Side Story." If only because Rhino Handmade's full length version of 1981's "Dev-o Live" is getting tougher and tougher to find, you should have this wonderful artifact about the truth behind De-evolution, some ten years after Devo set the snowball off on its roll down the mountain.

I am preparing to see Devo live this October, and while searching through their catalogue I saw this CD. I never knew this CD existed, and while I should be fair in mentioning that I don't actually have it, I WAS AT THIS SHOW!! This was the last time I saw DEVO, during my college days, and this show is/was still one of the best I've ever seen. First, they blew the audience away with an opening acoustic set - imagine DEVO in the yellow suits sitting on stools - that included some unpredictable numbers like "jocko homo." Second, they left and returned with the flower pots (okay "energy domes", and played an electrifying tour through most of their greatest songs. Remember, this was a time when DEVO was waning. Most of us original fans exited after "Shout" - it was just too, well, synthesized and without edge. But this show restored the faith, at least for their live performances. I'm looking forward to seeing them again after 16 years. Oh yeah, I still carry a scar on my right hand from taking a stage dive at this show and landing on some broken glass on the floor. Memories.

A very very good album. My favourite versions of many songs.
An awesome medley at the end. You don't own all their albums if you don't have this one ( duh ).

Consume, Sleep, crack that whip!

It's been about 20 years since NICBT was released, and this is still my favorite album - live or otherwise, out of a collection of over 400 CD's. I'm guessing it must be a favorite of many people to still be in print after so long, continuously in print I believe. This show was simply amazing from start to finish - a finish that came much, much too soon for me. DEVO knew how to build a show to an amazing climax and this is a perfect example of that. Don't miss this one.

"Somewhere in Time" is really the clincher on this CD--addictive, even--, but if you've seen the spudboys in concert (and I have, three times!), this CD is the next best thing and may even give you goosebumps! (shiver) Better than their 1980 Live CD, fer sure.

After listening to this CD, you will understand how DEVO became the leaders in the "New Wave' era. Live material from DEVO is hard to find, so I suggest that every spud out there and get this one. It has everything for everyone......

This is a live CD with very good sound quality and little audience noise. There is some cheering and talking between tracks, but it does not get in the way of the music. The CD is 60 minutes long. All of the tracks, but the last is under 4 minutes. The last is an 11 minute medley, jam. They were better off sticking to short songs.

To calibrate my views on this: I was never a huge Devo fan, but I did like some of their tracks, and enjoyed the novelty of the group and whole new wave movement for a few years. I like about half of the songs on the CD. The group does a very nice job of playing them, but it isn't much different than the studio versions. For a big Devo fan, this would probably be a great album, because there is a little bit more fun and energy the group put into the songs when playing them live.

This album came out when the whole new wave movement was already dead. Most bands had disbanded, and were already going on reunion tours. Devo was the same. This CD is somewhat of a surprise, because the reunion tours of many other new wave bands were poorly done, and the live albums were poorly recorded.

The best thing that can be said for Devo and New Wave is that they created a new buzz and excitement in music, back when things were going stale. It is like alternative that followed in the early nineties, or rap in the late nineties. (I'm not a fan of rap, but at least it was something enegizing music in the time of the boy bands).

Yes,this is a very good live devo cd i definatley recommend this plus it has many many good songs on it.

Album begins as a real snoozer, with a set of acoustic numbers, yawn, jocko-homo, always seemed a little long on the albums and it is reallllllllllllllllly looooooooong here, like it will NEVER END. Next two songs are also acoustic and equally long and boring. DEVO is not an acoustic band. The rest just sounds like the same songs on the album, but a bit slopier. Quite probably the ugliest album cover ever conceived. Who cares, this is an easy pass.