![]() ![]() Devo would find more honest humanity by becoming less human. Theirs was a fight against the increasingly alienating modern world, a sort of "if you can't beat it, join it" idea. This is it? Just two CDs devoted (snicker) to one of the great American bands? With the one-two punch of their mission statements "Jocko Homo" and "Mongoloid" from the early 70's, it's clear that Devo had it all figured out from the beginning. ![]() While completists will still be left wanting, this'll keep most spud boys and girls pogo-ing contentedly. And too many great things cannot be said about the 52-page booklet filled to the gills with info and photos. But it does still paint the picture of Devo and where they were during what Jerry Casale, Mothersbaugh's writing partner, refers to as "the enigmatic years." Until someone steps up and releases the entire Devo recordings and videos together in one big box, this will have to do. The second CD starts to lose the plot a bit as the members of Devo started going in different directions, primarily Mark Mothersbaugh's developing interest in movie soundtracks and scoring. Two or three more CDs could have easily been culled from these same fertile years between their debut album and 1981's New Traditionalists. They could rock! Disjointed beats, Beefheart-worthy rhythms, and strange sounds combined with general outrageousness resulted in a great rock & roll band, and even a hit or two on the pop charts like 1980's "Whip It." The first of the two CDs on the Rhino compilation Pioneers Who Got Scalped goes down like butter, every song a classic. Devo were not just academic philosophers, or simple clowns. "Are we not men? We are Devo!" was their declaration, echoing the man-beast experiments in H.G. This is it? Just two CDs devoted (snicker) to one of the great American bands? With the one-two punch of their mission statements "Jocko Homo" and "Mongoloid" from the early 70's, it's clear that Devo had it all figured o. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini. ![]()
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February 2023
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