Total Devo [Import]

Devo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Restless Records UK
• ASIN: B000003BK5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,648 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Baby Doll

2. Disco Dancer

3. Some Things Never Change

4. Plain Truth

5. Happy Guy

6. Don't Be Cruel

7. The Shadow

8. I'd Cry If You Died

9. Agitated

10. Man Turned Inside Out

11. Sexi Luv

12. Blow Up

13. Some Things Never Change Cassette Version

14. Baby Doll Extended Mix

15. Disco Dancer 12' Version

16. Agitated Hyperextended Mix

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Look! They Changed Their Clothes!, November 17, 2001

By 

Terry Clockout (Scuzzbopper's drawer) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Total Devo (Audio CD)

This album marks a drastic change in Devo's previous sound. Gone are the bouncy, immature, ironic humor laced lyrics of the albums before it. They are now replaced by more mashed up love lyrics. Devo sounds like they matured on this one.

Low points: Most of the songs are just not so memorable. Most of it is bland synth-pop.

High points: Baby Doll! Very catchy and a Swedish version was featured on the movie Tapeheads. Disco Dancer is a really energetic tune, especially the included 12" remix by Ivan Ivan. Some Things Never Change is a classic song of the Devo view on the fallability of the human race.

This isn't a terrible album, but it's certainly not Devo's best. If you are looking for the more techno oriented Devo, try Smooth Noodle Maps. I recommend Are We Not Men? We are Devo!, Freedom of Choice, and New Traditionalists as better albums to start with.

A note about the album art: They are posing naked on the back cover! I hear it's a parody of a Prince album. The front cover has a poorly pasted chin on David Kendrick's face. It's like sliding down his jaw! What happened was that Bob2's shirt was covering David's chin during the photo shoot. They didn't feel like posing for the same photo again, so they did a little last-minute "plastic surgery" on Kendrick.

Some things never change.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PREACHIN' FROM GUYS WHO AIN'T GOOD AT PREACHIN', April 26, 1999

By 

"[e-mail]" (Grand Junction, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Total Devo (Audio CD)

This was the album that first started shaking my set-in-stone, leg-humping love for the Boys From Akron. Overall it's quite good; however, some of the songs on the album were borderline _preachy_...dig it! Instead of gnawing-at-your-throat lyrics that if you were so stupid that you didn't understand them you were probably the target of them, the listener is presented with songs that are _blatantly _preachy_, with all the _blatant_ social commentary of a Monkees' song. However, this is still a pretty good album, and well worth obtaining, especially for the loverly cover of "Don't Be Cruel"....

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a more mature Devo, July 14, 2005

By 

Freddy G. Sanford "the G stands for 'Gum" (Watts, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Total Devo (Audio CD)

this album (1988) was Devo's 7th studio album and first with the Enigma record label (their previous 6 (Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! - 1978; Duty Now for the Future - 1979; Freedom of Choice - 1980; New Traditionalists - 1981; Oh, No! It's Devo - 1982; and Shout - 1984) were with Warner Bros.). they would
later release their 8th and final studio album (Smooth Noodle Maps - 1990) once again under Enigma, who ultimately failed to promote Devo after the band were 'blacklisted' by executives at Warner Bros. some argue that Devo ultimately 'sold out' when the video for 'peek-a-boo!' aired for the first time on MTV back in late '82 or early '83. I, on the other hand, was immediately drawn to them because of that video. not only did they look different, they played music in a way like no other band. they were truly unique. naturally, the masses just didn't get it, and like other seminal bands (e.g. - The Ramones), Devo sequentially failed to succeed commercially. looking back these past years, this album is arguably Devo's last good album, as the new partnership with Enigma would sadly mark the beginning of the end for the spud boys. in some ways, 'Total' was one of Devo's greatest efforts, as the album was written and recorded over a span of 3 years. unlike previous recordings, this album shows a much darker side of Devo, with lyrics that are not only cynical, but filled with emotion as well. in some cases they are down-right depressing, as in 'I'd Cry if you Died' which brings back feelings (whether they be sadness, guilt, or anger) of being let go by someone you love, while other songs touch on the dichotomy in life (love/hate, joy/sadness, pleasure/pain, etc.). in 'Baby Doll' we're reminded that what a person wants and what they have to offer can result in a painful reality when the two don't coincide, while 'Disco Dancer' explores feelings about a world and a man that have lost touch with one another. in 'Some Things Never Change' we get (what I think) are some of Devo's best lyrics "Small minds play at some big time games and everybody else pays; make no mistake they're on the take - they like to keep it that way." of course, in typical Devo fashion the album also offers some lighter, more fun tracks such as 'Blow Up' (if you've ever heard 'Explosions' on 'Oh, No!...' think of the background voice - "Oh, Yeah" as the same technology was used) or the sick (I mean that in a good way) Elvis Presley cover, 'Don't Be Cruel.' unlike the vinyl production of the album, this CD offers 4 bonus tracks in addition to a special track ('Sexi Luv'), which didn't appear on the original album. if you're an avid Devo fan, I recommend giving this one a try. if it doesn't do it for you, perhaps it will in the '4th Dimension.'