Customer Reviews

Oh No It's Devo

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

ok so i listened to devo while i skateboarded down the street in 8th grade pissing out the left leg of my OP shorts on a CASTER skateboard in VANS hightops. so yeah, im old in pre 20th century terms; BUT; i listened to all the first three albums with clean, un-jaded ears (between kiss & punk rock) & later (after picking up tapes from thrift stores) was under the impression that "oh no it's devo" was the album that followed "freedom of choice". because i thought it was the most complete and thorough sounding. as opposed to "new traditionalists" which to my (young?) mind seemed lack luster and mellow..(though i love it now). i guess all im trying to say (tho maybe very poorly) is that in my mind, rock lover and all, is that "oh no its devo" is one of the best records devo ever made! ( and i love the first 2 and experimental music in general!!) it is so solid. each song, is the next best song you want hear. please if you love the idea of devo, listen to this one, because it is a culmination of all that they aspired to be [ version 5.0 ;) ]. five good albums in a row aint bad. what other bands have achieved that??!! after this one, your on your own tho..
ps.people are saying this suffers from "gimmicks"? what??? this is solid song writing!! and anyway what great pop song doesn't technically contain a "gimmick"? have fun..

Devo was my first concert, just a couple of months after the release of this album. I saw them in December, 1982. It seemed like a great show at the time, but of course I had nothing to compare it to. Regardless, I went on to enjoy this album more and more until I completely forgot about Devo a few years later.

Fast forward to a few years ago. I bought the import CD that has this album and Freedom of Choice on it. I figured it was a great attempt to recapture something I had forgotten. Unfortunately, I think the sound on this CD is sub-par, and when I recently listened to it again, I decided I had no choice but to go out and find it in its original form... vinyl. Much better. (Don't waste your money on that import like I did!)

Now, I've heard all Devo up to this point. Beyond this, I've heard nothing of theirs. As everybody knows, Mark Mothersbaugh has gone on to write music primarily for kids shows (Rugrats, etc.) If you've ever heard these tunes, you can definitely hear the same sort of slight weirdness that Devo was so well known for.

I like older Devo as much as the next guy. Yes, it was edgy and different at first. Sure, Devo began catering to a more pop-oriented audience with this album, but don't let that fool you. These guys were master song writers by this time. The key to enjoying Devo is to not read too much into what they're saying and just take it for the entertainment value it provides. Don't be mistaken. "Oh, No! It's Devo" fulfills that promise of entertainment. Try not to listen to this album and tap your feet the entire way through. It's hard, and That's Good.

Like some other reviewers have mentioned, I'm surprised at the nay-saying I'm hearing about this album lately. "This was the beginning of the end of Devo" and other such horse crap. I'd been into Devo since their first SNL appearance (late 1978/early '79?) and I don't recall this album having anything to do with any sort of decline or downfall. I know it never really qualified as a "hit" album per se, but I recall it being very well received by the fanbase, which by this time (late 1982) had boiled down a bit; it had been a couple of years since Whip It ruled the airwaves, and many Jonee-cum-lately fans had moved on to greener pastures. Still, the videos for Peek-A-Boo and That's Good were MTV heyday staples and aired constantly throughout most of 1983. Maybe Oh No wasn't exactly the band at their peak, but it's a classic nonetheless. As I recall, Devo referred to it as their "evil clown period". I sort of consider it to be part of an unofficial "Devo Phase II" trilogy that began in 1980 with Freedom of Choice, continued with New Traditionalists in 1981, and ended with this. It was the follwing album, 1984's Shout, that made it clear that Devo had lost their edge, run out of juice, was no longer vital. I'm loving their new comeback album and all, but I would argue that this was Devo's last bona fide classic album. I could be mistaken, but I often hear hints of this record in a good bit of techno, at least up to the mid-1990s. I don't mean actual samples, just a general influence. In any case, make no mistake: Oh No It's Devo is quintessential and a must-own for even the most casual spud.

"Oh, No! It's Devo!" for me represented the apotheosis of the Spudboys from Akron, O-hi-o. I know that for most people. this was the beginning of the end, but for me the proof is in the grooves: I played this one so much (LP vinyl) I had to buy a replacement. Within a year the grooves were turning white from dust and the cheapo "Soundesign" needle on my turntable. And, don't forget, the album cover had a cameo appearance on "Diff'rent Strokes," in the ownership of Willis Drummond, as played by the venerable Todd Bridges.

The reason this album works, is because it works as an album. Devo was best when they put their tunes in the hands of accomplished producers, as with their debut (Brian Eno) and "Freedom of Choice" (Robert Margouleff).

This one was put to the mix by Roy Thomas Baker, who produced so many great albums for The Cars, as well as AC/DC's "Back in Black." While "Oh No" bears zero resemblance to the latter, it is produced much like The Cars' second album, "Candy-O": All the songs, in a constant 4/4 tempo, fit with the previous and the subsequent like a dovetail joint. Let your ears and your mind follow the beat as "Out of Sync," "Explosions," "That's Good," "Patterns," and "Big Mess" weave and flow seamlessly into one another.

It wouldn't mean a thang if these were lackluster tunes, but every single one is SOLID.

While contemplating the lyrics of "What I Must Do," I thought that the line -- as sung by Mark -- "To Bring You Happiness / Could Become a Lifetime Goal / A Smile I Might Bring You / Is More Important Than World Peace," is simple and beautifully expressed. Only years later did I find out that Devo lifted many lines (including that one) from love letters crazed (attempted) assassin John Hinckley sent to actress Jody Foster.

By themselves, the words aren't earth shatteringly profound. But when sung with conviction in Mothersbaugh's warbling tones and when backed up by Devo's instrumentals, they rise to the level of profundity.

Frightening, but the very essence of "Devolution" just the same.

I was compelled to write this review in response to TBrough. I appreciate your review, but disagree. This is simply a well-written, fun album, period. Even if you find fault (as TBrough did) with the vocal effects, there is inovation here. More so in the songwriting and lyrics as opposed to the engineering and musicianship. I'll agree the sound engineering is a bit thin at times, but not to the extent of being severely dated (like early Eno, Tangerine Dream, or even Depeche Mode, for example). I believe that the vocals and Synths are intentionally juxtaposed against each other - like dueling alien spaceships in a B sci-fi movie ala Mystery Science Theater 3000. One is not meant to drive the other.

Devo's other more edgy work will undoubtedly be less enduring then the quality arranging on this album. This kind of work doesn't go out of style. Especially notable for the quality of composition are "Patterns" and "Deep Sleep". These songs don't use conventional over-used progressions and, quirckiness aside, are quite melodic and catchy.

If you are the kind of person who doesn't follow music fads, appreciates good composition, and has a silly side, this CD is for you. Forget that Devo is one of the quintessential 80's bands - it doesn't matter. Maybe you're not going to listen to this with all the lights out, headphones on, and have a religious experience. But, you will find yourself wanting to listen to at unexpected times, long after you bought the CD.

After the (for the most part) fan favorite "New Traditionalists," Devo went straight ahead into synth pop territory and eliminated any traces of the angsty/quirky new wave guitar stuff. This created a rather divided fan base from this album on -- some like the synths, others want to bludgeon them with a sledgehammer.

I lean more towards loving it. "Oh, No! It's Devo" is fun and inventive synth pop, but on the whole a bit underwhelming.

The first listen completely perplexed me. "Peek-A-Boo!" was an instant plus. "Speed Racer" and "Big Mess" were extremely entertaining. But the rest seemed like a bad Cars imitation.

After a couple more listens, though, I grew to really love this thing. Every song except for the last couple are compelling in a off beat way, even the vaguely Car-sy "Out of Sync."

It also has the coolest beginning to any Devo record, ever. "Hello/this is/De-vo/we would like/to say/things go/both ways/new ideas/stupid moves/nightmares/or dreams come true" etc etc. The general recommendation to "give yourself a break" in opener "Time Out For Fun" is really quite nice and friendly, albeit in an odd way.

While not as good as "Duty Now" or "Freedom of Choice," "Oh, No! It's Devo" is easily their most charming album.

Devo has always been good at tackling serious (or semi-serious) subject matter under the veil of silliness, but I think this is their best attempt at such. While New Traditionalists is normally mentioned as Devo's "dark" album, I think this one tops it in that area. Themes of impending mental collapse, paranoia, social decay, and various forms of mental illness are explored liberally throughout the album.. same as any other Devo release on the surface, but the music is so danceable and deceptively innocent that it may take several listens to pick up on the various layers of meaning in these ostensible pop songs. The most blatant examples of this are "Big Mess" and "I Desire" the lyrics of which were culled from crazy letters written to the band by an obsessed fan, and the journal of would-be Reagan assassin John Hinkley, respectively.

In any case, this is probably not the "best" Devo album, strictly speaking, but it is the one that gets the most play at my house. In spite of, or probably because of, its brilliantly disguised lyrical content, it's still the most fun of all of the band's albums for me.

This is an easy 5 stars, as is every Devo album that came before it.

I can still remember the days when MTV would play DEVO videos, and this new release had a couple of video hits that were played quite a bit, That's Good, and Peek-A-Boo! Both are great videos and great songs, but the rest of the album is just as good. Songs like Time Out For Fun, Explosions, and Speed Racer are particular favorites. But really, there isn't a bad track on this album. If you like some of DEVO's other music, and are looking to add more to your collection then you can't go wrong here.

Even though this album continues the mostly guitarless electronic new wave that started with Freedom Of Choice and went full circuit with New Traditionalists, but unlike NT this album is extremely varied in sound and atmosphere. In my review of NT I called a number of its tracks 'filler', but this album is all very strong, lyrically and musically.

The music is often pretty quirky (Speed Racer, Time Out For Fun, That's Good) while others are much more serious (Explosions, Patterns); overall the album is less a recap of everything they've done before but more an electronic progression of such things. This album also has some of the catchiness tunes they've ever made, at least in my opinion; with NT I feel a lot of tracks really fall short of melody and any strong musical structure, but every track in Oh No! is cleverly written, with intelligent usage of percussion and keyboards/synths and samples, and some of the most memorable vocals in the DEVO catalogue (Peek A Boo, Speed Racer, Time Out For Fun, which has an interesting intro to the song/album).

Lyrically, as I said, it goes from quirky to serious, in between those extremes and simultaneously. From the first track you can tell DEVO was more interested in doing something fun, but this lighter side of DEVO still retains the satirical DEVO mentality. The whole thing is sort of 'We still aren't happy with the world, but we can make fun of it and no one's the wiser'.

This is probably the one DEVO album that I have no problems listening all the way through in one sitting, without skipping a track.

Theres not much to say about this album. Its a very good record and a favorite of mine. Amazon dosen't list the bonus tracks, which are in this order; Part of You, Find Out, Peekaboo! (Dance Velocity), Peekaboo! (Devo Dub, Here to Go (Go Mix Version), and Here to Go (Here to Dub Version.) All good tracks, except why are these two remixes of Here to Go on Oh No! It's Devo? These should be on the Infinite Zero reissue of Shout, where the Here to Go song came from. Very weird. It would of balanced out the bonus tracks better. Other wise this CD is excellent. I highly recommend it. I wish Infinite Zero re-issued all of Devo's WB catalog like this and shame on Rhino for not remastering all of the albums!