Devo

Books About DEVO:. Main article: List of Enigma videos. Mark Mothersbaugh, some solo and soundtrack releases:. In 1998, Michael Cretu once again teamed up with Jens Gad (they previously worked together on "Le Roi est Mort, Vive Le Roi"!) and created the album The Energy of Sound under the name Trance Atlantic Airwaves. As The Wipeouters:. Michael has now relocated to a purpose built mansion, in Ibiza, and has recently started installing a state-of-the-art recording studio inside one area of the building. As a backup band for others:. Until recently, he ran the "A.R.T Studios" from his mansion in the Ibiza Hills.

Compilations:. Michael Cretu is based in Ibiza. Discography:. Every album starts with their signature horn sound mixed into the introductory music. In the early 21st century, the band did a special version of "Whip It" for Swiffer commercials. However, Michael himself describes Enigma's music as sensual, not sexual. Gerry Casale, the group's bass player, has directed rock videos by other bands, including Rush and Foo Fighters. The content of Enigma's music ranges from sexuality (Principles of Lust), love (Gravity of Love), and innocence (Return to Innocence).

His company, Mutato Muzika, provides employment for Devo guitarists Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale: the former works as a composer, and the latter as a recording engineer. It is a sensual track, with an insatiable beat, which is based around questioning the sexual desires of the Marquis de Sade, hence the German release name of "Sadeness", as opposed to the English word of Sadness. In 1985, he released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, "Musik for Insomniaks," which was later expanded and released as two CDs. "Sadeness" was named Sadeness Part 1 on its single release in Germany, and Sadness Part 1 on its single release in England. Mothersbaugh has gone on to considerable success writing and producing music for television programs (starting with Pee Wee's Playhouse), video games, animated cartoons and movies. Enigma achieved their first commercial success through the single "Sadeness", which juxtaposed Gregorian chants with elements of overt sexuality in a strange and unusual new way; a great deal of New Age electronica owes its existence to Enigma's first album. In 2001, members of Devo formed the surf band The Wipeouters, claiming that it was actually a reunion of the first garage band they started while in their early teens. Enigma's music evolved from Gregorian chants (MCMXC a.D.) to ethnic chants (The Cross of Changes), to modern sounds and beats (Screen Behind the Mirror, Voyageur).

After the release of Smooth Noodle Maps in 1990, the band folded, although it has been revived on several occasions for one-off performances and short tours in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Before the album was released, Michael was cautious of the response towards the upcoming album, decided to forgo mentioning his real name and credited himself as Curly M.C. Their popularity and sales slipped over the next few years, however, although they produced the albums New Traditionalists (1981), Oh, No! It's Devo (1982), Shout and Total Devo (1988). in December 1990. Devo remained popular in many countries and they had a large and loyal following in Australia, where the '70s-'80s pop TV Countdown was one of the first in the world to broadcast their video clips. Enigma was formed by Michael and released their first album, MCMXC a.D. In 1982, they appeared in the Neil Young film "Human Highway.". The pair have also worked together under the name Sandra.

They also recorded "E-Z Listening Muzak" versions of their own songs to play before their concerts. Enigma is a musical project, that was started by Michael Cretu and his wife Sandra Cretu in 1990. Michael is both the composer and the producer; Sandra often provides vocals on Enigma tracks. In concert, Devo often performed as the opening band for themselves, pretending to be a Christian soft-rock group called "Dove (the Band of Love)". 2004 – Boum-Boum (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). Devo actively embraced the Church of the SubGenius in the early 1980s. 2003 – Following the Sun (EMI). Although they started out with a mixture of traditional rock instruments and electronic effects, during the early 1980s Devo adopted mostly or entirely synthetic instrumentation, becoming one of the first American acts to perform on stage using only synthesizers; they were also one of the first groups in the world to regularly use radio microphones and microphone headsets on stage. 2003 – Voyageur (Virgin Records).

They scored a major success in 1980 with their third album Freedom of Choice and the single 'Whip It', which became a big hit thanks to regular MTV screenings of its unique music video. 2001 – Turn Around (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). Devo might have remained a cult attraction but for the advent of American cable TV music station MTV. 2000 – Push the Limits (Virgin Records). Their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo was produced by Eno and featured a radical cover of the Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and the controversially titled Mongoloid. 1999 – Gravity of Love (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). By this time Alan Myers had replaced Jim Mothersbaugh as drummer and Gerry Casale's brother (also called Bob) joined as second guitarist (dubbed 'Bob II'). for the Brain (Virgin Records).

Devo's big break came in 1976 when their short film The Truth About De-Evolution won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival; it was then seen by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who championed them and enabled Devo to secure a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records. 1997 – T.N.T. The first lineup formed in 1972 with Gerry Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh and Mark's two brothers Jim on homemade electronic drums and Bob (aka Bob I) on lead guitar. 1996 – Beyond the Invisible (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). (Gerry) Casale, the group's bassist and main songwriter. 1994 – Out from the Deep (Virgin Records). The core members of the group are Mark Mothersbaugh, the band's lead singer, guitarist and synthesizer player, and Gerald V. 1994 – The Eyes of Truth (Virgin Records).

This metaphor is carried throughout Devo's work as an abstraction of modern society. 1994 – Age of Loneliness (Virgin Records). Formed in 1972, Devo's original inspiration came from Oscar Kiss Maerth's "The Beginning Was the End": a pseudoscientific anthropological thesis which attributes the rise of man as an evolutionary accident caused by a species of sex-crazed, cannibalistic apes who developed tools to exploit each other sexually and feed on each others' brains. 1993 – Return to Innocence (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). They were one of the first American groups to use the services of noted British producer, musician and artist Brian Eno, who produced several landmark American New Wave music groups including Talking Heads. 1993 – Carly's Song (Charisma Records). Other likely influences were American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. 1991 – Principles of Lust (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH).

Devo were strongly influenced by the German Krautrock genre and the music of European groups such as Neu!, Can and the production work of Conny Plank, and they are certainly one of the few American acts who were able to incorporate these influences while still achieving widespread mainstream commercial and critical success. 1990 – Sadeness Part I (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). Devo created and directed many of their own videos, and the band have cited the video for the song "Beautiful World" as their favourite example of their video work. 1990 – Mea Culpa Part II (Charisma Records). They also pioneered the use of long-form promotional video cassettes with releases such as The Truth About De-Evolution and The Men Who Make The Music, which mixed self-produced conceptual video clips with live performance footage and mock-documentary segments. 2003 – Voyageur (Virgin Records). Devo were pioneers of the music video — the video for 'Whip It' became an early staple of MTV — and their many promotional films and video clips are important landmarks in the development of this genre. 2001 – Love Sensuality Devotion: The Remix Collection (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH).

The character featured in many stage performances and video clips, as did Booji Boy's father, General Boy (played by Mothersbaugh's own dad), who satirised American authority figures. 2001 – Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). Mothersbaugh also donned a baby mask to create his famous alter-ego, Booji Boy (pronounced Boogie Boy), who symbolised the infantile regression that Devo saw in so much of American culture. 2000 – The Screen Behind the Mirror (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). Devo was probably as well known for their image as for their music, donning uniforms that mocked industrial culture and pop consumerism, such as the yellow chemical-protection suits during the early Q: Are We Not Men? period, matching plastic hairdos, masks and the signature "flower pot" hats (energy domes) for Freedom of Choice. 1998 – Trilogy (3xCD) (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). The band's deliberately constructed 'geeky' image also enabled them to expound often provocative commentaries about the state of American society and, like Frank Zappa, beneath the clownish exterior there was serious musicianship, and social and political content -- founder member Gerry Casale had witnessed the killing of students at Kent State University when National Guard troops infamously opened fire on demonstrators in 1970. 1996 – Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH).

They proved hugely influential on new wave music, and to a lesser extent on punk rock and geek rock. 1993 – The Cross of Changes (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). Devo (The De-Evolution Band) was a rock music band from Akron, Ohio whose music mingled kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, satirical social commentary and thinly veiled sexual allusions in discordantly synthesized pop songs that often featured unusual time signatures. (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH). This first-ever book about DEVO provides an extensively researched account focusing largely on the band's formative years, and is available at DEVObook.com. 1990 – MCMXC a.D. Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! by Jade Dellinger & David Giffels (SAF Publishing Ltd./UK).

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005). Music for Edward Gorey, a private release of 300 handmade CD-R discs. Mystery Men. The Rugrats Movie.

The Royal Tenenbaums. Rushmore (1999). Joyeux Mutato (1999), Christmas music (released in two different versions). Musik for Insomniaks, Volumes 1 and 2 (1988).

P'Twaaang!!! (2001). Martini Ranch: Holy Cow (1988) (Bob Casale produced How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture? while Mark Mothersbaugh contributed backup vocals.). David Byrne: Feelings (1997) (backup on Wicked Little Doll). Toni Basil: Word of Mouth (1983) (backup on covers of Devo's own Space Girls, Be Stiff and Pity You).

Jermaine Jackson: Let Me Tickle Your Fancy (1982) (backup on title song). Recombo DNA (2000), a compilation of music demos and rarities (only available through Rhino Handmade). Pioneers Who Got Scalped (2000). Hardcore Devo, Volumes 1 & 2.

Devo's Greatest Misses. Devo's Greatest Hits. Smooth Noodle Maps (1990). Now It Can Be Told (1989).

Total Devo (1988). E-Z Listening Disc (1987). Shout (1984). Oh, No! It's Devo (1983).

New Traditionalists (1981). Freedom of Choice, featuring the single "Whip It", probably the band's best known song (1980). Duty Now for the Future (1979). This debut album featured a mechanized interpretation of The Rolling Stones hit "Satisfaction", as well as "Jocko Homo", Devo's theme song and anthem.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978).