Customer Reviews

Something For Everybody (Blue-Colored Vinyl w/Bonus CD)

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alright, I've been a Devotee for something like 32 years. But let's not get straight to the heart of the matter. Where does this album fall in the scheme of all things Devo? The first 2 albums were guitar driven uber-nerd and quirky affairs. This is where I first fell for Devo. Freedom of Choice was where the boys had said they wanted to go - a keyboard driven band. Some fans were taken aback, was this a sellout? Yes and no. Devo if you recall had their own corporate anthem in 1979. They were always about pop culture and marketing. More on this below. So we embraced the new Devo. Then came New traditionalists. The first truly lateral step, but still good stuff this. Then came Oh No, It's Devo. Hmm. Love it or leave it, this was where fans began to rift. I still loved it. But alas, I fear the boys had run out of things to say - or perhaps we had really just caught up. Shout had its moments, but from here on the world seemed to be moving by. And so it passed.

Now comes Devo 3.0. (we shall never speak of Devo 2.0). A sharply honed purpose driven, lean and hungry new Devo. A Devo with a plan. A Devo shaped and polished by the infamous Focus Group with 88% approval*. Not a "reimagining", nor a "reboot", this is Devo for 2010. Sarcastic, witty and angular - this is the Devo we've been waiting for a long, long time. They have something to say and songs to play with an energy I personally thought was lost. Remember, these are the guys that used to do jumping jacks on stage if they weren't doing anything else. And it sounds as if they could do it again!

Will this create a whole new legion of Devotees? I don't know, but if you're new to Devo I'd say this is as good a starting point as any - and I never thought I'd say that about any "band reunion" album. The sound is the same in that you'd spot it a mile away, and yet has the vitality and strength of any newcomer. You'll hear Mark yelping as if it were 30 years ago. You'll hear spastic guitars. You'll hear wild and weird noises and samples.

Personal listening impressions? It's hard to rate or place it compared to previous efforts, but after tidbits like the Wipeouters and Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers I wasn't really prepared to be sucked in like this. Color me surprised. Okay, the album fades a bit in the second half, but not by much; similar to the way Freedom of Choice goes into a bit of cruise control on the second half. But if you're reading this, then just know you'll be sorry if you don't pick this beast up and set it spinning out of control. It has all the elements of the first 3 albums blended together in a foamy frothy mix; it sounds like what Shout should have been 26 years later. The fact that they chose to not include "Watch Us Work It" (the recent single from the Dell ads) speaks volumes (IMHO) of the quality of songwriting.

In the end, it turns out Devo was simply pointing the way for us 30 years ago, and have been waiting for us to arrive; so here we are. Welcome home. See? We told you so.

Another reviewer here mentioned not liking the album cover - it wasn't Dada enough. Devo was never really into Dadaism per se, it was all part of their marketing. Devo was ALWAYS about marketing, right after DNA modification that is. Look at the power dome. The Devo Corporate Anthem. No, the cover is about selling it. Gorgeous minimalistic lines, simple use of primary colors. Message received and understood.

Don't you want some? Sure you do. It looks good doesn't it? Try a little, you'll like it. Mmmmm, tasty tasty Devo.

-Update-
There seems to be some confusion on the CD content and song order, so here it is:
1) Fresh 2) What We Do 3) Please Baby Please 4) Don't Shoot (I'm A Man) 5) Mind Games 6) Human Rocket 7) Sumthin' 8) Step Up 9) Cameo 10) No Place Like Home 12) March On
Songs that didn't make the CD cut are available on MP3 or iTunes.

Hope that helps!

* Only 88% focus group approval because the song order was changed to "partnership approved" content, meaning Devo and/or WB decided the focus group wasn't entirely correct!

Something For Everybody is popular music's finest hour. It's the fountain of youth. An instant classic. I used to drive my parents batty back in 1980 jumping around the house singing Whip It and Uncontrollable Urge now my kids jump around the house singing "What we do is what we do"... My 9 year old said "this music is too good to be new"... the torch has been passed. Something for Everybody serves to ease the pain for all of us suffering through these musical dark ages.

They're back. And this time, they mean it. With this album Devo aims to set us straight on who's the boss in laying down ironic beats. Back in their heyday Devo proclaimed "It's a beautiful world we live in." Today they shout "What we do is what we do. It's all the same, ain't nuthing new." Both statements are the opposite of true. Several tracks on this album offer a whole lot of new. First, if you're buying the Standard ("Corporate") album, skip over Fresh. It's a Devo classic rave-up, with a wonderful stuttering chorus, but it sets the wrong tone for the newness to come. Start up with Step Up, a rocker with wicked swing. You haven't heard this from Devo before. Then continue with March On, a synth opus that could pop the tiles off the dance floor. After that, check out Human Rocket, another swinging rocker that mixes electronica with rockabilly, and offers lyrics that make you smile. After Human Rocket, just dig in. Some of the cuts sound (wonderfully) like old Devo on steroids (Don't Shoot... and the omnipresent Fresh). Mind Games is pure 80s power pop (also new for Devo) and perhaps we could have done without it. The biggest surprise -- and quite a departure for Devo -- is the gripping "There's No Place Like Home," in which Devo frames the most devastating assessment ever of human stupidity in a satirically pretentious pseudo-Rush power ballad. It's $#!@ BRILLIANT. And Devo can play! At its best, classic Devo made you think. Sometimes it made you cringe. On this album, Devo makes you proud.

Good album or not, it's just so amazing to finally have a new Devo album after all these long years. Thankfully, it is indeed a good album. It's not their best work ever, but it's certainly better than Total Devo and Smooth Noodle Maps... and that's all I dared to wish for. It somehow sounds like classic Devo without actually sounding like any of their previous material. (One thing I keep going "Oo!" at is that Bob's guitar is so dominant in the mix, which almost harkens back to the first two albums.) It's better than anything on the radio these days, and that's a fact. I'm getting a kick out of their new de-evolved corporate strategy, all of the market testing and whatnot. They didn't just get back together to slap together and spit out a new record; they're genuinely back with us in today's horribly de-evolved world. And it's fantastic. I only wish Alan Myers was back.

EDIT: This morning I was listening to Sparks' Whomp That Sucker (1981) and was shocked at how similar some of it sounds to new Devo. Check out the song 'Upstairs' to hear what I'm talking about.

This is a very good album! The band's previous two albums have always struck me as fairly lackluster compared to the energetic and highly creative output of the band in their heyday. Well, a 20 year break from making albums seems to be exactly what they needed, because Something for Everybody is loud, fun, exciting, and very high energy! DEVO manages to retain their quirky approach while sounding fresh and new. They are in top form here, and although the boys are now in their 60s, you'd never guess it listening to this brilliant album.

Something for Everybody is a MUST HAVE for fans of DEVO. I honestly wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do. This one's going to stay in the CD player for a while.

No matter what anyone else says, being in the music industry, I feel they have always had a small circle of formation, musically. In other words, they haven't had a wide range of genre's added to their catalog. They are simply Synthpop, New Wave, and Synthrock. If you look at wikipedia, and other good sources of the band's music, you don't commonly see "Rock" as their main genre. A lot of people think because you hear a guitar, it's "Rock", but that is not necessarily the case.

Overall, this is pure New Wave with a very modern flair. It brings us back to the 70's, 80's and 90's, but with an up-to-date sound. My favorite Devo album will always be 'Oh No! It's Devo", but this is running a close second. I was amazed, too, on how smooth the production is on 'Something For Everybody'. Not to bring up an age factor, but for their ages and what they've been through in the last 30 years, they sound just as good as they did back in the 80's, vocally.

If you are a Devo-ted to Devo, then I highly suggest purchasing this wild, fun and danceable CD.

Devo Is back !
I have loved Devo since 1980 when I heard
"Girl u want" on the radio.
I have all of their albums on Vinyl and CD.
I've seen them 6 times in Concert.
I've met them and have their autographs.

I do not understand why most of the reviews of this album,
And their previous 3 albums talk mostly about
how they are "less rock n roll" or have "less guitar than..."
What is wrong with slick synthesizer music?
I LOVE "Shout" and "Total Devo" BECAUSE they are so
electronic. What is wrong with that?
Devo has never been a standard Rock n Roll band.
Even their very earliest music had a heavy dose of Synthesizer.

This new album is excellent. It picks up after their best work.
New Traditionalists, Oh No, it's Devo, and Shout, and Total Devo are previously their best albums. (not a big fan of Smooth Noodle Maps)
I do love their first 3 albums but get board listening to
the much more traditional Rock n Roll sound.

Remember Spuds....Devo stands for D-Evoloution.
So if they are musically evolving backwards,
Then they will end their careers with the most sophisticated music,
since they started it with such unsophisticated music.

That said, The new album rocks just as hard as anything they've ever done!
There is plenty of Rock n Roll guitar along with the pulsing synthesizer bass.
And Josh Freeze Rocks on Real drums harder than David Kendrick
and possibly harder than Alan Myers!!
I love the blend of Bob 1's Guitar and Jerry's Minimoog Bass.
And the Synthesizer parts are clean and fun and sound both Retro and modern
all at the same time !!! I just wish that there was more music being made
in the classic new wave style. But there is this new album and it is fantastic !

B Williams

Devo is back, and surprisingly good! The sound on this album is very reminiscent of both New Traditionalists and Total Devo (with a touch of Shout). If you're a Devo fan, that's probably an odd statement -- because those two couldn't have sounded more dissimilar. And that's why sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

The standout songs on this album are BRILLIANT. "Fresh" is old-school Devo with some newer production. "Please Baby Please" blends about a dozen different musical styles into a single, unified whole. And "Later is Now" is their new "Beautiful World." Unfortunately, not all the songs are standouts. Most of the others are decently crafted and enjoyable to listen to, but a handful are simply uninspired, and one ("No Place Like Home") sounds like Devo deciding to do a Motley-Crue-style piano ballad -- and yes, that's just as horrifying as it sounds.

This is definitely a good album. (And to me, "Good" is 3 stars. I save 4 and 5 for "Great" and "Excellent.") The standout songs MORE than compensate for the few misses. If it's still on sale when you read this, it's a steal -- GET IT. If it's back to full price, then I'd take a moment to mull it over. If you liked Devo's older stuff, but still enjoyed what they did on their later (post-Alan) albums, you'll enjoy this quite a bit.

This new disc is just jumping all over the place, I can't pick a favorite track, there all tight, the band sounds so energized, I can't believe I'm listening to a new DEVO collection, 2010, gee they
finally have arrived and not a min two soon. This music needs to get heard!, finally some new music arrives that has something to say and its so damn much fun and the vocals and sound production, wow... we haven't been here but a moment, NO PLACE LIKE HOME, this spells it out whats happening now,
thanks DEVO for kick'n this music up to the present, what a treat!

Overall, this strikes me as a continuation Devo album, something I would have expected from then in the late 80s. The sound essentially is the same, the rhythms and arrangements expected and delivering almost as well as I had expected.

All twelve songs are pop, none longer than four minutes. That unique Devo voice is there, that immediately recognizable Mothersbaugh/Casale sound, still thankfully youthful (despite the clear aging in that very cool rear-panel group portrait). There's a lot of electronic sound--not necessarily noise--but that unique Devonic marriage of hard guitar chords over electronics a la Are We Not Men? and Duty Now for the Future just isn't there (you can hear them just starting to wind up in the far background on "Fresh," unfortunately just as the song closes out). The sound is clubby in bass and beat at times ("Human Rocket," "Step Up," "Cameo"), and has more than a hint of currently trendy voice manipulation. In fact, the chorus for the closer, "March On" could almost be music for a car rental or computer processor commercial.

The opener, "Fresh," is the most catchy of the album, with a strong and easy chorus. "What We Do" follows, and has a good opening hook and vocal. If you're listening to the lyrics, they're saying that those dancing to this song are mercifully going to be the first ones to go.

The title track, "Sumthin,'" with its very, very Whip It-like beat, is as political as this release gets, with a shot at Dubya Bush, the New World Order (a reference now a good twenty years old), and complaints about pundits/angry mobs/fundamentalists/, outlining the current state of post-punk devolution.

The package offers no song lyrics, nor detailed liner notes. You get the bare minimum on personnel and copyright, but the booklet is a wordless tableau of photos centered on that iconic flowerpot hat, now apparently a delicious, sexy, irresistible blast of gelatinized cobalt-blue self-actualization. It's pure Devo concept, open to any number of interpretations.

One thing I was listening intently for is the raw, trembling, nerd-infused sexual drive that made songs such as "Pink Pussycat," Triumph of the Will," and especially "Uncontrollable Urge" (and more) so powerfully resonant. "Please Baby Please" (with a percussion opening which instantly reminded me of The Polecats' "Make a Circuit with Me") is in contact with the touchy subject, but this song is a plea rather than the direct, earthy, threatening demands of old.

Bottom line: we've heard this Devo before. It's familiar and easy, with no strange departures, with their consistent product updated and tuned to a new consumer demographic. There's nothing more Devo than that.