Continued from page 14
“ Bastards of Young ” and “ Dose of Thunder ,” six tracks from Let it Be including a rollicking “ I Will Dare ,” and five from Sorry Ma . The set list includes the early incarnation of “ Can ’ t Hardly Wait ,” written for Tim but held over for Pleased to Meet Me . “ This is real nice ; I like it ,” says Westerberg to the crowd before launching “ Answering Machine .” “ Johnny ’ s Gonna Die ” includes a tribute to recently-passed Minutemen guitarist D . Boon . Bob Stinson shoots sparks throughout the set , highlighted on songs including punk rager “ Customer ” and the furious “ Take Me Down to the Hospital .” The ‘ Mats play a slashing and derelict “ Takin ’ a Ride ” after Westerberg gives the crowd its choice of that song or “ Run It .” The show concludes with a moody version of “ Go ” from 1982 EP Stink .
Grammy-winning writer Mehr ’ s revealing new essay includes interview quotes with figures including Westerberg , fellow Minnesotans Jakob Dylan and Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik , and Sire president Seymour Stein . Mehr also writes about the Metro concert , placing it in context with the band ’ s infamous appearance on Saturday Night Live . Dylan explains that the band ’ s Minnesota roots were elemental to their chaotic appeal . “ People who are shot out of cannons don ’ t usually come from L . A . or New York ,” he says .
– Jeff Elbel
8
DEVO 50 Years of De-Evolution 1973 – 2023
( Rhino )
Timed to coincide with the band ’ s Fall 2023 50 Years of De-Evolution tour , this 4xLP set celebrates five decades of Devo ’ s subversive music . All nine of the Ohio post-punk / new wave / synthpop / electronica pioneers ’ studio albums are represented , from 1978 ’ s Brian Eno-produced debut Q : Are We Not Men ? A : We Are Devo ! to 2010 ’ s excellent but underrated Something for Everybody .
50 Years ’ 50 selections are split into two groups . The blue-jacketed 2xLP half covers the band ’ s most popular fare including
Freedom of Choice standards “ Whip It ,” “ Girl U Want ,” and the album ’ s title track . Most listeners will spend most time with this set , which proceeds in a loosely chronological flow . Selections include Devo ’ s twisted covers of Motown hit “ Working in a Coal Mine ,” Johnny Rivers ’ “ Secret Agent Man ,” and the Rolling Stones ’ “ Satisfaction .” Signature songs including Casale ’ s debut single “ Mongoloid ” with its motorik rhythm and Mothersbaugh ’ s devolved manifesto “ Jocko Homo ” are drawn from the band ’ s debut . “ Beautiful World ” and “ Through Being Cool ” help represent New Traditionalists . Songs from Oh No ! It ' s Devo include the disturbing revelation of “ Peek-a-Boo .” Oh No ! It ' s Devo track “ That ’ s Good ” uses a sugar-sweet dance beat to pose a sticky question . If everyone wants the same thing in order to be satisfied , what ’ s to be done by those who can ’ t get it ?
Conspicuous omissions are bound to occur on any career-spanning distillation . It ’ s odd thatSomething for Everybody is represented in the main set only by “ Fresh ,” without including frequent concert song “ Don ’ t Shoot ( I ’ m a Man ).” A radio edit of the album ’ s single “ What We Do ” and ecological warning “ No Place Like Home ” do appear on the yellow-jacketed second set .
The box ’ s second half digs deeper into the band ’ s fearless and inventive sonic experiments , oddities , and counter-cultural proclamations . The adventurous set launches with the 1974 demo of “ I ’ m a Potato ,” identified in liner notes as a vintage 4-track basement recording . The playlist continues with the self-released versions of “ Mongoloid ” and “ Jocko Homo .” Live staple “ Uncontrollable Urge ” is a surf-punk blast riding Bob 1 ’ s ( Bob Mothersbaugh ’ s ) chugging guitar riff . Devo takes folk crooner “ It Takes a Worried Man ” and bends into a paradoxically optimistic pop-rock arrangement . The buoyant electronica of “ One Dumb Thing ” was recording for PC CD-ROM game Interstate ’ 82 . Songs for films including a demented version of novelty song “ Bread and Butter ” from 9 1 / 2 Weeks and the manic “ Theme from Doctor Detroit ” are also gathered here . The yellow set concludes with the jagged 2007 single “ Watch Us Work It ,” marking the band ’ s return to studio releases after a 17-year gap .
Devo completists may already have the bulk of this material , but this cross-section goes beyond the greatest hits to provide recent converts with a fairly wholistic picture of the band . The LP set arrives on clear vinyl and includes extras like a foldout paper energy dome ( hat ), stickers , lithograph , and an Oh No ! It ’ s Devo Spud Boy air freshener for your car . A 30-page book includes photos from the band ’ s history and thoughts from principals Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale on Devo ’ s musical agitation and philosophy .
– Jeff Elbel
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