I’m 14 and I started listening to them a few months ago, somewhere around late 2023, and I’ve been telling my friends all about them. Some of my punk-loving friends like them, some of my friends who like weirder goofy music like them. It’s really true that they’ve got something for everybody!! :D
Not too long ago I ran into a young guy about your age that had a Devo shirt on. We talked about the group for some time and he was really into them so you’re definitely not the only young person enjoying their music. They were so far ahead of their time it’s unreal.
I saw DEVO live in Los Angeles 3 times back in the day. First time in 1981. If I could use 1 word to describe them: "SCARY." Seriously. We were shocked at how intense they were. They weren't "funny" nor "goofy" in the slightest. Which is what we expected. We went in high to see them. And were smiling and laughing "Ahahaha!" "DEVO!" before the show. But our smiles fell off of our faces quickly when they started to perform. They were like a street gang from the future. As if they were straight out of the film A Clockwork Orange. As if they were going to come down off of the stage and beat all of our asses in the audience at any moment. Super talented musicians and performers. They were menacing. They came across as total intellectuals. I can't describe the unique feeling. Never witnessed any other band with that kind of vibe like them. No one like them before, during or since.
This is the best way I've heard Devo described. I was born in '84 so I missed out on this era (which really bums me out - at least there's youtube I guess), but I did catch them in 2005 or so, and guess what? They absolutely crushed it.
@@lastnamefirst4035 You're full of $hit. There may have been other bands at the time dabbling in electro-sounding music but the fact that DEVO stood out for the next 7 yrs and is the only one anyone gives a $shit about today proves you wrong.
@@lastnamefirst4035 Sorry, but NOBODY was like DEVO. Electronica bands were a dime a dozen, bands with gimicks were too, but DEVO had something special that can't be easily explained.
@@lastnamefirst4035 I'm sorry, but there never was and never will be anything like DEVO. bands with synthesizers and stage theatrics are and were plentiful, but DEVO is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Combining the cold calculated sound of electronic music with cold calculated robotic-like choreography was absolutely brilliant. They weren't soulful -- they were purposely unemotional and dared the audience to accept it. Yes, it was goofy, but that too was tongue in cheek even though a lot of people didn't "get it." (Though tons of bands copied it). They were also tight as hell -- breaking musical boundaries rhythmically, harmonically, sonically and theatrically. Devo are a pretty damn significant part of the evolution of modern music.
u may appreciate mark mothersbaugh interviews on RU-vid super... intelligent guy insightful very entertaining... I would argue that actually devo have soul it was just buried inside of that uptite weirdo white funk
@@thumbprintn2413 Hi Thumb. One of the odd things about DEVO was that they really cared. They expressed that care in a very different fashion. So they had an amazing detachment. Mark was one of the greats. A special intellect and angle.
Hold on Nelson, I see what you're up to: "Devo are a pretty damn significant part of the evolution of modern music." It's DEVO not EVO. Still I liked the line. Almost missed it.
@Abel B. at this point, knowing that's what people might say in 500 years......I'm praying that happens soon, because it means the human race failed miserably.
A very underrated band. I saw them about 6 times in the 1980's and they always delivered an excellent, high-powered show. They should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
@@thearttheftsituation say what?! The RRHOF is a bad joke by including so many artists who were either not that deserving or don't really fit with the label of rock'n'roll, however broad you think it should be. By inducting so many lesser acts and questionable artists, they have made that institution into a laughing stock. But finally, yes, Devo should be there--much more deserving than many of the acts now in that place of questionable honor.
The Hall was to busy electing Whitney Houston,Tupac and so many other undeserving people. Probably more of a embarrassment than a achievement being selected for RnR HOf
@@donnydonnybrook8131 I so agree with your comment. Were it a band of mine, (that I never had) being selected for the hof would be little more than a meh moment.
My friend in San Francisco called me in the early 80’s and asked if Devo was going to be playing Fresno. I said “why yes they are”. He said trust me on this…go see them. So I bought tickets for the wife and I. They were about a hundred times better than I was expecting. Very very good. Cheers.
Yep me too…crazy…if you would have told me then I would be playing in a free jazz noise group with Alan in the mid 2000s I would have never believed it….. Rip Alan, we all miss you.
My Devo journey started with seeing them in Phoenix in 1979 New Traditionalist tour saw them live 5 years in a row. Move to Atlanta saw the Hardcore Devo tour here and never looked back. Their sound is nerdy, driven & ahead of its time. And from my home state Ohio!! 4:14
Because every vid should have it: Secret Agent Man 0:00:21 Blockhead 0:03:25 Uncontrollable Urge 0:06:37 Mongoloid 0:09:35 Devo Corporation Anthem 0:12:45
Rock brilliance that slipped by most. Everyone was drawn by the goofy looks and moves, but the truth of the matter, Devo was as tight of a band as you could find. The musical balls it took to pull this off, in the seventies, were unmatched by anyone. Maybe Frank Zappa, but that would have been about it...
I'm saying it again, but note how tight they are. Nobody swings the wrong way, everyone knows exactly what's coming next, no one bangs into anyone else. Every note is correct, no fudgy misses or scratches that normally underlined punk. These guys were as tight as they get. AND...they actually play and sing. No phony backing tracks or lip-syncing going on, those boys are working hard.
@@gz9520 Great comment. The schtick was certainly the mass appeal and it worked, but any experienced musician can watch these, especially now, and see the musicianship. No fakery. It was a straight-up rock band with all the right parts. To be honest, at the time, I was a southern rocker, so Devo wasn't on my playlist. But you can't argue with radio hits and longevity in a biz notorious for consuming things into oblivion. It took a few years before I realized how groundbreaking and influential they were, but damn...they sure were. We're still talking about their stuff 45 years later...that's impressive.
Here's another one that'll get me beat up by my friends: The Bay City Rollers. I couldn't watch them just because of their pants, but they were a band actually playing their stuff.
Some timestamps for those who want it :] 0:23 - Secret Agent Man 3:22 - Blockhead 6:38 - Uncontrollable Urge 9:42 - Mongoloid 12:44 - Devo Corporate Anthem
Growing up in Los Angeles it was 1978-79, I was 16, very long hair, listening to lots of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, etc. My introduction to DEVO was Duty Now for the Future … and my mind was blown! But not just by them but all the Punk and New Wave being played on KROQ. X, PiL, B-52’s, Talking Heads, etc etc. But this period of DEVO they are unbelievably good. I still own a yellow DEVO suit I bought in 1980 :-)
I've loved DEVO since the debut was released. The utter fearlessness to be weird for weirdness' sake, while being completely kick-ass, clean, tight, AND understanding great song construction. And Mark is a great singer.
Yes. People really don't properly appreciate the craft they put into their songs, and their covers as well. They were masterful. It's no accident Mark Mothersbaugh has had a successful career composing music for film and TV as well. If only more people recognized them today for more than just "Whip It."
@@mickandelisa Great thoughts... I will say, this thread shows you and I are not alone. There are a TON of people, not musicians, who got it. I was one who didn't at first. That changed when I saw them in a concert video.
Got to see DEVO live at the ORPHEIUM in Boston in 1979...Old school perfect acoustical theater. They had video prior and for one break they took...They were great and understand this place holds under 500 people in cushioned chairs...I may have been on an illicit substance for enhanced musical enjoyment. It was f __king awesome!
"Freedom of choice is what you got, freedom from choice is what you want". Forty years on, our future is still in question. Can anyone be free if all are not free?
Absolutely LOVE this group! Yeah, everyone remembered Whip It in the 80s, but when you dug into their catalog... Holy Mother of God! Got into them HARD in the 90s, & never looked back!
I never objected to them as my musical taste was evolving through adolescence. Now that I'm on the wrong (right) side of 55 y/o, I've grown to appreciate their bandwidth as bold masters of expression. Thank you, Henry Rollins. Listening to your weekly radio show on NPR elevates the casual music fan to the status of engaged, the engaged to the informed and the informed to the fanatical.
I Remember when Devo,The B 52's,The Sex Pistols,The Clash and many more bands exploded on the scene,we thought a musical revolution was happening, it was so exciting and radical!!!
@@gregbors8364 To most people sure, though Good Girls Don’t charted at #11, then they had their downfall with a nice little comeback years later with albums Serious Fun and Zoom…damn good band, crappy management decisions and the usual in band bickering costed them…But they did have a brief but magical run in the summer of 1979…
I must have gone to 4 or 5 of their live performances. I saw a lot of other bands but these musicians had the BEST stage performance and stage presence of any band I ever saw, hands down. Artists, really artists.
Pete Cartwright I saw them once before in around 1984. I consider Devo to be about the best live acts I've ever seen. Right up there with the Stones for live act excitement.
DEVO was so different and unique they tripped everyone out in a good way with their songs and looks, plus you have to admire when they would cover a song they did it their way and it always sounded great. If you got to grow up in the 50's through the 80's with all the classic movies & music, YOU were blessed!
The first album changed everything. Saw them in Buffalo NY in Dec 78. Absolutely the tightest live band ever. 77-81 or so... what a tsunami of great music.
Pretty sure i've said it before... Devo were on fire for this performance but massive kudos to the camera team direction and editing. The whole thing snaps together perfectly, the production team did a fantastic job on this. Duty Now... Edit: edit
DEVO actually changed the direction and my outlook on life. I am 56 and I would give anything to be transported back to those days, even though by most peoples standards my life is a success.
DEVO wasn't a parody of Rock, they were a parody of civilization. But they they did play a HUGE role in the Punk movement. Punk wasn't a parody of rock. It stripped down Rock to it's basic elements and made it available for everyone...even if you couldn't play your instrument very well. You bought a shitty guitar, learned 3-4 chords and you went and joined a band. PUNK had a strict "Do It Yourself" mantra/ attitude....and DEVO did that perfectly. They even made and designed their own instruments & their uniforms. The record companies didn't have to craft an image for DEVO because they did that all on their own. When DEVO came out NO ONE wanted to sign them...they were way too different. DEVO consisted of Art Students from Kent State University...which is incredibly obvious if you think about it. EDIT: I'm not saying that DEVO couldn't play their instruments...listen to any of their songs for 15 seconds and it's obvious that they play them quite well.
Every time I watch these old vids with Bob and Alan on the drums I tear up at the loss we all have with them gone! The guitar work and drumming are to be envied! And folks do not call them a Rock band! Watch and listen the guitar work and sound!
Make no mistake, the majority of Americans in 1977 either hated DEVO or had no idea who they were. Even in our hometown of Akron, Ohio they were reviled and dismissed as "weird". Very few of us saw these brilliance right from the start. America hated the New Wave. They were still stuck on Fleetwood Mac, Journey and Styx. People like me who listened to DEVO got beaten up.
WMMS was guilty of that. Throw in Meatloaf, Eddie Money, Southside Johnny, etc. while most of New Wave went over their heads. WMMS was very successful but they were also dorks. The comment "America hated the New Wave" is ridiculous though. Maybe in Akron.
They were unique in the 80's, now 2023 even more so. Man, I love the 80's. The last era of greatness. Gone downhill ever since. One reason I know I'm getting old. I look back at the 80's as the top of the hill, now we are well below sea level and falling fast. Devo helped make the 80's great. Whip It!
I remember seeing DEVO on Friday’s and they blew my 13 year old mind! They along with The B-52’s were the gateway to the new music scene. As a suburban kid I always felt different and strange so these bands were speaking to me!!❤️🔥👍🏽😁❤️🎶🎶🔊🔊🎹🎸🎤🥁
Yeah. Contemporaries the B52s at the end of punk places this well. Add in The Cars. Big synth sound with punk and rock riffs. Coming of New Wave. That's all good context for people who weren't alive in this era. 70s old rock people hated it. It took an open mind to accept the change.
Best american band ever. 100% true to their original concept. Brilliant music. So many brilliant incarnations. Dove the band of love was especially genius.
Like Hustler Magazine and the Pretenders; other innovative Ohioans. "Through Being Cool" is still my favorite one. "Jerkin Back and Forth" is a close second.
Wasn't too into these guys at first but they are just so original it became captivating to watch & now realize they are at a very high level of musicianship. Fantastic band 👏
I saw them several times back then, including at the Long Beach arena on New Year's Eve. They were absolutely brilliant. I'll never forget it. Someone threw a boot at Mark Mothersbaugh's head and missed him by 2 inches. He was in his Booji Boy persona.
Saw them at Rhode Island College in 79. They played in the basketball center and it was hot as Hades....they also blew up their equipment the night before in Boston. They must have been dying in those yellow suits but they never missed a beat.
Being from SF, in the 70s we where blessed with everyone who was anybody, and I made it a point to see everyone. Devo was easily one of the tightest live groups I saw.
Saw these guys on the New Tradionalist tour and was blown away. Great music, great presentation. I was 3rd row, sitting in front of Alan Meyers. What a great drummer. He laid it down relentlessly throughout the whole concert. Underrated drummer, but still great.
I Loved Devo as a kid in the early 80's...and still loving them in 2022... Rock and Roll Hall of Fame..where are you?...say what you want about Devo.. They were ahead of their time and ground breaking....
In 1979 i would go into town on a Saturday to pick up the latest Devo tracks for my older brother. He worked I didn't. I was 14. Still a huge fan. Are we not men?
One of the several things I've always loved about this video is how loud Bob 2's guitar was in the mix on Secret Agent Man. Presumably it was not entirely intentional - because (I don't think) it was ever that loud (and raunchy) in the mix at other times. He's so tight - and what a great sound.
@@princeofcupspoc9073 i thought he literally drove TO the shows, but yeah....a drummer can sink the ship if he's messing up. Blockhead seriously rocks....check out Jay Reatards' Angry Angles band doing it...kinda like an earlyish 2000's garage punk, honorable version. Banatam Rooster 'exhume' Big Mess and Clawhammer, in the 90s, talked a very cool label into releasing their version of the first lp!
I have such great memories of staying up until one in the morning to see Rock Concert, In Concert, Midnight Special, Austin City Limits, etc. That was our RU-vid back then!
Amazing musicians. Like a voice crying out in the wilderness. So misunderstood. They were trying to warn the population of the devolution but the audience dances and parties and devolves right in front of their eyes.
Devo was a head of this time. They definitely had a unique computer space age electronic futuristic sound. Listen to their lyrics and great musicians to incorporate their new sound & style of music . Brilliant🫡
I really like the disturbing dystopian undercurrent that was in a lot of early DEVO songs (especially from the first and second albums). That band sure had a unique and strange interpretation of rock/pop music: their lyrics, their strange singing style, their mix of rigid new wave synthesizer and mid 60s guitar twang, their robotic movements. And their precise musicianship is pretty impressive.
The Midnight Special and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert were go-to's every Friday and Saturday night. Even if we were partying, we'd turn on the T.V. and see who was on. We did the same with SNL.
Nice performance, spuds! Thanks for posting. One of the great regrets in my life is I didn’t buy any of the kickbutt devo items advertised on the album sleeves. I thought about it back when but never pulled the trigger on their mail-order offers. Stuff was inexpensive, too; it’s like devo was giving it away to the loyal fans. I blew it.
@@petecartwright5211 These guys literally SHOWED everyone how DERANGED and truly SAD culture was, and how much WORSE it was going to get, if we didn't change course. They were not just ahead of THEIR time, they were ahead of TIME... period. F#&%ING VISIONARIES. They even saw digital, decades before it happened. Offending people with the TRUTH, was what they were about. They forced people to look at things that they that they either refused to acknowledge, or that they were too weak and scared to look at.They put TRUTH right in everyones FACE.Their message was one of an abysmal future, and they were RIGHT. Losing our HUMANITY, becoming COLD, STIFF, and CLINICAL. Losing our WARMTH and becoming ROBOTS. Losing our connection to NATURE and LIFE, and becoming ROBOTS. PEOPLE, you're headed in the WRONG direction. They were about making a STATEMENT. Their message was...We're going in REVERSE, we're getting WORSE, not BETTER. Jerry Casale was my favorite band member. Mothersbough was not far behind. DEVO was a WARNING..🚨🚨🚨... I'll end this by quoting the lyrics of a BRILLIANT, and PROPHETIC song of theirs..."Now let's have a great big hand, for anybody who can understand, life's a bee, without a buzz, it's cool and great, until you get stung, and let us not, forget to toast, everyone who might have missed the boat, and to everybody else who waits, until the next one sails in again"...from "That's Good". The first time that I heard that song, I had F#&%ING TEARS in my eyes. I'm a guitarist myself. Have been for quite a while, and they remain, for me, in 2021...GENIUS.🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
