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Early this year, I discovered to my delight that DEVO was releasing a new album on my birthday. "Holy Crap" I thought, and for once, I had something to look forward to in the middle of June. DEVO has been part of my life since I first heard Dr. Demento play "Jocko Homo" on his syndicated radio show back around 1978. I still have my original vinyls of "Are We Not Men," "Duty Now For The Future," and "Oh No, It's DEVO." Finding other outcasts who liked DEVO in the hair-metal-heavy environment of early 1980s New Orleans meant that an outcast like me could find friends. There would practically be no MTV without DEVO - their videos were on heavy rotation for years, back when people got excited over Patty Smythe videos, and well before the "Thriller" era. Gerald Casale was even nice enough to give me permission to show their video "Beautiful World" to a class I taught, and yes, Bob Mothersbaugh autographed my piece of crap Datsun back around 1998 and bought my girlfriend and I a beer. I still feel like a dork for staring at him but hey, those guys were important to me. I still say that when the history of those bands who began in the 1970s is written (and as a historian, I wouldn't mind contributing to it), DEVO will come out as one of the most enduring, diverse, and creative bands that the United States has ever produced. For those of you who doubt this, Ryko had a 2-cassette volume of Devo rarities that I completely wore out. You think that they lacked chops and that punk edge? Listen to tapes made back when they were working in and around Akron - they were tight as hell and were also primarily guitar-based. Bob Mothersbaugh is a very underrated guitarist, and those guys rocked as hard as anybody. They were innovators, they were commentators, and they were, and are, damned-fine musicians.
So albums came and went, and DEVO changed over time up to the release of "Smoothnoodlemaps" (don't remember that one? Neither does anyone else - but I still bought it - not their best). It seemed that the brothers Mothersbaugh and Casale were content with glomming onto the Lolapalooza and reunion tour schtick, and doing movie and TV soundtracks (are you listening Danny Elfman?). I have the live video of a recent DEVO show done before a half-empty arena, and the members later acknowledging that the audience didn't quite get them. It made me want to cry. DEVO isn't allowed to get old, for Bob's sake! Who is going to warn us that we are getting too doggone dumb for our own good? Frank Zappa is gone, Oing Boingo is gone, and most of the others who could needle us good in our comfort areas have thrown in the towel (for the record, let me state that I don't think that Zappa ever "got" DEVO, but then again, no one is perfect.) I was afraid that DEVO would disappear. Then this album got made.
I'm not going to run it down track by track, because I don't want to and it isn't neccessary. This is not old DEVO. People who say that are deceived by the "Whip It" drum beat on one track, and the drum-machine-sounding rythmns throughout. Old DEVO had the great Alan Myers banging the skins, and later, the pads (although to be fair, I saw them with David Kendrick and I thought they sounded great). People are making a big deal about them making a 1980s-style record. This is hogwash - it doesn't sound like 1980s DEVO, nor does it sound like A Flock of Seagulls or Duran Duran. There is some throwback, but it sounds like nothing on "Oh No,", nor "Duty Now For The Future," "New Traditionalists," "Freedom Of Choice," or "Shout." No, this is different. Very different. And I like it for what it is.
I don't know what DEVO is becoming. I never did, and that was what makes them fun. This album still perplexes me - I don't really know what to think - and maybe that is the point. It has stuff that I really like, and some stuff that I am sort of indifferent to, but not displeased with. The tracks are all interesting; the music is good. Personally, I'd love to see them release an album that was less electronic and more guitar, bass, and drum-oriented, because I think that "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO" is one of the most significant rock albums of the 20th century - but hey, I'm a fan. DEVO is changing again. I like this album. I hope that you will too. De-evolution is very real, people.
We Must Repeat...
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Customer reviews
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 OnSongs 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!
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John Frame
honesty and integrity to match the musical artistry
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2010
