This page will contain videos about Devo, as they become available.DevoPromotional photo distributed during Are We Not Men? era.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. They proved hugely influential on new wave music, and to a lesser extent on punk rock and geek rock. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Other likely influences were American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. 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. HistoryFormed 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. This metaphor is carried throughout Devo's work as an abstraction of modern society. The core members of the group are Mark Mothersbaugh, the band's lead singer, guitarist and synthesizer player, and Gerald V. (Gerry) Casale, the group's bassist and main songwriter. 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. 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. 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'). 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. Devo might have remained a cult attraction but for the advent of American cable TV music station MTV. 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. 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. Devo actively embraced the Church of the SubGenius in the early 1980s. 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)". They also recorded "E-Z Listening Muzak" versions of their own songs to play before their concerts. In 1982, they appeared in the Neil Young film "Human Highway." 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. In 1985, he released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, "Musik for Insomniaks," which was later expanded and released as two CDs. 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. Gerry Casale, the group's bass player, has directed rock videos by other bands, including Rush and Foo Fighters. In the early 21st century, the band did a special version of "Whip It" for Swiffer commercials. DiscographyDiscography:
Compilations:
As a backup band for others:
As The Wipeouters:
Mark Mothersbaugh, some solo and soundtrack releases:
Books About DEVO:
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Books About DEVO:. From an interview of his interview with the San Francisco Chronicle:. Mark Mothersbaugh, some solo and soundtrack releases:. Brian Eno is also responsible for the start-up sound to the Windows 95 operating system (which he created on his Apple Macintosh). As The Wipeouters:. British 1990s band The Warm Jets were named after Eno's 1973 album. As a backup band for others:. The band A Certain Ratio took their name from the lyrics of Eno's song "The True Wheel" (on Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)). Compilations:. His younger brother, Roger Eno is also a musician, who combines ambient styles with classical music instruments on some of his albums. Discography:. He was also the provider of music for Robert Sheckley's In the Land of Clear Colours, a narrated story with music originally published by a small art gallery in Spain. In the early 21st century, the band did a special version of "Whip It" for Swiffer commercials. Another was his collaboration with artist Russell Mills on the book More Dark Than Shark. Gerry Casale, the group's bass player, has directed rock videos by other bands, including Rush and Foo Fighters. One is the set of "Oblique Strategies" cards that he produced in the mid-70s, which was described as "100 Worthwhile Dilemmas" and intended as guides to shaking up the mind in the process of producing artistic endeavors. 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. Eno has also been active in other artistic genres, producing videos for gallery display and collaborating with visual artists in other endeavors. In 1985, he released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, "Musik for Insomniaks," which was later expanded and released as two CDs. In 1996 Brian Eno, and others, started the Long Now Foundation to educate the public into thinking about the very long term future of society. Brian Eno is also a columnist for the British newspaper, The Observer. 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. At this time he was also active in the Fluxus movement and his work with the Portsmouth Sinfonia came out of this. 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. Works released included early albums by John Adams, Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars (the famous The Sinking of the Titanic), John Cage, and others. 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. Only 10 albums were released. 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). Eno started the Obscure label in Britain in the early 70s to release works by less-known composers. 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. He is an innovator across many fields of music and recently he has collaborated on the development of the Koan algorithmic music generator. In 1982, they appeared in the Neil Young film "Human Highway.". He won the best producer award at the 1994 and 1996 BRIT awards. They also recorded "E-Z Listening Muzak" versions of their own songs to play before their concerts. He has contributed to albums by artists as varied as Nico, Robert Calvert, Genesis, Edikanfo, and Zvuki Mu. 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)". Eno has acted as a producer for a number of bands, including Talking Heads, U2, Devo, and James. Devo actively embraced the Church of the SubGenius in the early 1980s. These tapes were later used as backgrounds in some of his collaborations with Robert Fripp, and the methodology (not entirely original with Eno) was used by Fripp (on his Frippertronics albums) and others. 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. Side 1 consisted of a tape loop system for generating music from relative sparse input. 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. The second side consisted of several versions of Pachelbel's canon to which various algorithmic transformations have been applied, rendering it almost unrecognisable. Devo might have remained a cult attraction but for the advent of American cable TV music station MTV. In 1975, Eno released Discreet Music. 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. Eno has also collaborated with Robert Fripp of King Crimson, John Cale, former member of Velvet Underground, on his trilogy Fear, Slow Dazzle and Helen of Troy, Robert Wyatt on his Shleep CD, with Jon Hassell, with the German duo Cluster, with composer Harold Budd and others. 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'). Outside, and on the song "I'm Afraid of Americans". 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. Eno collaborated with David Bowie as a writer and musician on Bowie's influential "Berlin trilogy" of albums, Low, Heroes and Lodger, on Bowie's later album 1. 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. He collaborated with David Byrne, formerly of Talking Heads, on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which was one of the first albums not associated with hip hop to extensively feature sampling. (Gerry) Casale, the group's bassist and main songwriter. His methods were recognized at the time (mid-70s) as being unique, so much so that on one album he contributed to (Genesis's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway) he is credited with "Enossification.". The core members of the group are Mark Mothersbaugh, the band's lead singer, guitarist and synthesizer player, and Gerald V. His skill at using "The Studio as a Compositional Tool" (the title of an essay by Eno) led in part to his career as a producer. This metaphor is carried throughout Devo's work as an abstraction of modern society. Eno describes himself primarily as a "non-musician" and is indeed best known for "treating" instruments rather than playing them himself. 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. He is widely cited as coining the term "ambient music" in his Ambient series (Music for Airports, The Plateaux of Mirror, Day of Radiance and On Land). 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. He continued his career by producing a larger number of highly eclectic and increasingly ambient electronic and acoustic albums. Other likely influences were American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. He also played with Phil Manzanera in the band 801. 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. Between 1973 and 1978 he created four influential solo-albums that followed somewhat in the genre of Roxy Music, in their having recognisable tunes and lyrics -- Here Come The Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), Another Green World and Before and After Science. 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. After graduating in 1969, he moved to London where eventually he started his professional musical career playing keyboards with the band Roxy Music from 1971 to '73. 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. He was educated at Ipswich Art School, where he developed an interest in using tape recorders as musical instruments, but transferred to the Winchester School of Art, where he experimented with his first (sometimes improvisational) bands. 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. Jean le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, usually shortened to Brian Eno, (born May 15, 1948 in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England), is an electronic musician, producer, and music theorist. 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. Brian Peter George St. 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. 2004 The Equatorial Stars (with Robert Fripp). 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. 2004 Curiosities Volume 1. 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. 2003 January 07003 | Bell Studies for The Clock of The Long Now. They proved hugely influential on new wave music, and to a lesser extent on punk rock and geek rock. 2003 Compact Forest Proposal. 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. 2003 Music for Civic Recovery Centre. 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. 2002 Kite Stories. Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! by Jade Dellinger & David Giffels (SAF Publishing Ltd./UK). 2002 I Dormienti. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005). 2002 Lightness. Music for Edward Gorey, a private release of 300 handmade CD-R discs. 2001 Drawn From Life (with Peter Schwalm). Mystery Men. 1997 The Drop. The Rugrats Movie. 1995 Spinner (with Jah Wobble). The Royal Tenenbaums. 1993 Neroli. Rushmore (1999). 1992 Nerve Net. Joyeux Mutato (1999), Christmas music (released in two different versions). 1990 Wrong Way Up (with John Cale). Musik for Insomniaks, Volumes 1 and 2 (1988). 1990 The Shutov Assembly. P'Twaaang!!! (2001). 1989 Textures. Martini Ranch: Holy Cow (1988) (Bob Casale produced How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture? while Mark Mothersbaugh contributed backup vocals.). 1985 Begegnungen II (with Roedelius and Dieter Moebius aka Cluster). David Byrne: Feelings (1997) (backup on Wicked Little Doll). 1985 Hybrid (with Daniel Lanois and Michael Brook). Toni Basil: Word of Mouth (1983) (backup on covers of Devo's own Space Girls, Be Stiff and Pity You). 1985 Thursday Afternoon (soundtrack to an art gallery video). Jermaine Jackson: Let Me Tickle Your Fancy (1982) (backup on title song). 1984 The Pearl (with Harold Budd). Recombo DNA (2000), a compilation of music demos and rarities (only available through Rhino Handmade). 1984 Begegnungen (with Roedelius and Dieter Moebius aka Cluster). Pioneers Who Got Scalped (2000). 1983 Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. Hardcore Devo, Volumes 1 & 2. 1982 Ambient #4 / On Land. Devo's Greatest Misses. 1981 My Life In The Bush of Ghosts (with David Byrne). Devo's Greatest Hits. 1980 Ambient #3 / Day of Radiance (by Laraaji with Eno producing). Smooth Noodle Maps (1990). 1: Possible Musics (with Jon Hassell). Now It Can Be Told (1989). 1980 Fourth World, Vol. Total Devo (1988). 1980 Ambient #2 / The Plateaux of Mirror (with Harold Budd). E-Z Listening Disc (1987). 1978 After the Heat (with Roedelius and Dieter Moebius aka Cluster). Shout (1984). 1978 Music for Films. Oh, No! It's Devo (1983). 1978 Ambient #1 / Music for Airports. New Traditionalists (1981). 1978 Before and After Science. Freedom of Choice, featuring the single "Whip It", probably the band's best known song (1980). 1977 Cluster & Eno (with Cluster). Duty Now for the Future (1979). 1975 Discreet Music. This debut album featured a mechanized interpretation of The Rolling Stones hit "Satisfaction", as well as "Jocko Homo", Devo's theme song and anthem. 1975 Another Green World. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978). 1975 Evening Star (with Robert Fripp). 1974 Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). 1973 Here Come The Warm Jets. 1973 Portsmouth Sinfonia Plays the Popular Classics (with the Portsmouth Sinfonia). 1973 No Pussyfooting (with Robert Fripp). |