DEVO's first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO, produced with demented glee by Brian Eno, presents the most compelling version of their worldview. Besides offering a rhythmically complex, emotionally preverse cover of the Rolling Stones's "Satisfaction," and the band's statement of identity, "Jocko Homo" ("Are we not men? We are DEVO!"), the album's very first track is (arguably) DEVO's finest moment: "Uncontrollable Urge."
The singer (Mothersbaugh) revels in the pressure that seems to come from outside his body: "Got an urge, got a surge, and it's out of control." By ceding sovereignty to his urge, the singer is liberated from responsibility for his actions: compulsion as liberation.
Mothersbaugh holds his urge up to the light like something to be admired: "I wanna tell you all about it, uncontrollable urge makes me scream and shout it." Pressure and release propels the song to its giddy conclusion, the celebrated urge never identified, left in its generic glory. We have thrilled to the urge's expression, we are left to ponder its ramifications.
Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology is an exceptional 2-CD collection that includes all of the above plus "Girl U Want," "Freedom of Choice," "Gates of Steel," "Whip It," "Working in the Coal Mine," "Through Being Cool," "Jerkin' Back and Forth," "Beautiful World" and a whole lot more.
DEVO will be performing live this spring and summer:
Los Angeles, April 25
(Sunday) - LA COLISEUM
Nike Run Hit Wonder event
NYC, July 22
(Thursday) -CENTRAL PARK
Nike Run Hit Wonder event
NYC, July 23
(Friday)-Central Park's Summer Stage
Devo performs at sundown
OPEN TO PUBLIC (Ticket Info Soon)
Portland, August 1
(Sunday) - VENUE TBA
Nike Run Hit Wonder event
Chicago, September 23
(Thursday) - VENUE TBA
Nike Run Hit Wonder event
I also reviewed Mothersbaugh's Christmas album, Joyeux Mutato here.
![Thirteen - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [CD on Demand]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519Pj1T0pUL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Joe
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeayeyeyeyeyeyeyeAh!
2 - Eric Olsen
Exactly, I love that surge of words that express the urge.
3 - Mark Saleski
i get to enjoy both the surge of words...and the pink marble vinyl (always wondered how may copies they pressed...i've never seen another one)
4 - Eric Olsen
I have pink marble vinyl, but not of DEVO - it may be the Stranglers?
5 - JR
My mom had a copy of Dave Mason's Alone Together that I guess could be called "marble" vinyl. We just called it the "puke disk".
It's a great album, by the way.
6 - Eric Olsen
I think that's his only really good one, by the way. That guy got a shitload of mileage out of about five good songs.
7 - Ram
Mark Mothersbaugh is my uncle my dad was the original drummer I love Devo!!! Hell ya!
8 - Ram
Mark Mothersbaugh is my uncle my dad was the original drummer I love Devo!!!
9 - Ziggy
"I think that's his only really good one, by the way. That guy got a shitload of mileage out of about five good songs"
Oh really go enjoy a Madonna concert! id10t?
10 - HW Saxton
I really like that weird pseudo Martin
Denny music that he scored for the Sat.
Morning show "Pee Wee's Playhouse".
He does some cool stuff too on "Rugrats"
which I can't stand, but from what I've
seen when channel surfing,the incidental
music is pretty cool.
11 - Eric Olsen
HW, the Mothersbaugh Xmas record is classic. I love his incidental stuff as well: "playful ambient" or something.
Ziggy, are you really defending fucking Dave Mason?? He contributed a few good tunes to Traffic, had a couple of nice songs on Alone Together, then lived off of that for the next 30 years. Spare me. Madonna has at least 20 songs I love.
12 - sydney
I think mothersbough has got a little on most of those composers listed in the previous winners list. (mind, i havent heard of half of them).
Anyway, glad to hear he's being recognized.
13 - Eric Olsen
I agree, note this was a year ago
14 - HW Saxton
I'll have to pick up the X-mas record.
I love to drive friends and family nuts
over the holidays playing weird X-mas
tunes.Louis Prima,Buck Owens,Chipmunks,
etc.
I've got the Devo "Bachelor Pad" album,
their weird take on E-Z listening muzak,
but I haven't listened to it for ages.
And: Dave Mason??? Oh gawd... I couldn't
think of anything I want to hear less.
Didn't he milk "Feelin Alright" forever?
on the FM classic schlock stations? oooh
15 - Eric Olsen
milked like a Norwegian goat
16 - HW Saxton
Yummmmmm... Norwegian Fromage De Chevre
17 - ziggy
Oops sorry Eric I thought your comment was aimed at Mark Mothersbaugh...I really ought to read more carefully :-)
18 - hugmebitch
is the music on "Muzik for Insomniacs" anything like the rugrats music?
19 - Jonny Cappo
Yep, it is. I've heard 10 or so tracks from it. Some songs use the EXACT cheesy flute sound from the rugrats theme.