Devo

Books About DEVO:. The following were all released on the A&M Records label. Mark Mothersbaugh, some solo and soundtrack releases:. Finally in 1997, Gary Cherone joined with Van Halen for their album called Van Halen 3, issued in 1998, and he left Van Halen in 1999-2000. As The Wipeouters:. Extreme disbanded in 1996. As a backup band for others:. The subsequent record Waiting for the Punchline, released on February 7, 1995, containing the singles "Hip Today", "Unconditionally", and "Cynical" was even less successful than III Sides to Every Story.

Compilations:. The band was sued, but they quickly settled out of court, later releasing a new version of the film clip. Discography:. The video for the first single, "Rest In Peace" was inspired by a film short by the National Film Board of Canada called "Love Thy Neighbour". In the early 21st century, the band did a special version of "Whip It" for Swiffer commercials. Sales of the ambitious concept album III Sides to Every Story, released on September 22, 1992, were disappointing despite the record receiving critical acclaim from some quarters. Gerry Casale, the group's bass player, has directed rock videos by other bands, including Rush and Foo Fighters. Extreme was one of the many bands to receive diminished attention from music fans and the recording industry when musical tastes changed in a rush following the release of Nevermind by Nirvana.

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. The subsequent single, Hole Hearted, also an acoustic and sweetly-sung tune was also successful, rising to Number 4 on the same popular music chart. In 1985, he released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, "Musik for Insomniaks," which was later expanded and released as two CDs. It later became a huge smash, hitting Number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in the United States. 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. The acoustic ballad "More than Words" entered the Hot 100 on March 23, 1991, at Number 81. 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. Neither single was successful, and album had fallen off the charts when A&M sent the third single to a number of radio stations in Arizona.

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. "Decadent Dance" and "Get the Funk Out" were released as singles. 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). It revolved around a loose concept, following the path of young boy Francis as he wandered through a decadent, degraded and corrupt society. 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. The record, which showcased Bettencourt's extraordinary guitar-playing prowess, was an ambitious and complex mixture of funk, pop and glam metal sounds. In 1982, they appeared in the Neil Young film "Human Highway.". Michael Wagener, who had previously worked with Dokken and White Lion was engaged to produce Extreme II Pornograffitti 1990.

They also recorded "E-Z Listening Muzak" versions of their own songs to play before their concerts. Moderate sales of Extreme's first record were enough to support a second album. 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)".
. Devo actively embraced the Church of the SubGenius in the early 1980s. The first single was "Kid Ego", a song that Cherone would later admit made him cringe. 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. In 1988, the band signed to A&M Records and recorded their self-titled debut which was issued in 1989.

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 band had accumulated approximately 55 songs by the time A&R director Bryan Huttenhower signed them to A&M Records. Devo might have remained a cult attraction but for the advent of American cable TV music station MTV. The band gradually developed a strong local following, and was named "Outstanding Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Act" at the Boston Music Awards in 1986 and 1987. 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. Cherone and Bettencourt began writing songs together and played numerous shows in the Boston area. 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'). Following an altercation between the rival groups over communal dressing rooms Cherone, Geary, Bettencourt and Badger decided to form a new band.

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. Vocalist Gary Cherone was in a band with drummer Paul Geary, whilst guitarist Nuno Bettencourt was in a band with bassist Pat Badger. 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. Extreme was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. (Gerry) Casale, the group's bassist and main songwriter.
. The core members of the group are Mark Mothersbaugh, the band's lead singer, guitarist and synthesizer player, and Gerald V. Being asked about their style, Extreme categorized their music as 'Funky Metal'.

This metaphor is carried throughout Devo's work as an abstraction of modern society. Some of Extreme's influences, Queen and Van Halen, are easily apparent from their music's multi-part vocal harmonies and electric guitar tone and virtuoso techniques. 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. Extreme was an American funk metal / hard rock band which achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 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. See also Extreme value, Extreme sports, Extremophile. Other likely influences were American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. Running Gag (1995).

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. Waiting for the Punchline (1995). 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. III Sides to Every Story (1992). 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. Pornograffiti (1990). 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. Extreme (1989).

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. Michael Mangini. 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. Paul Geary. 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. Gary Cherone. 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. Nuno Bettencourt.

They proved hugely influential on new wave music, and to a lesser extent on punk rock and geek rock. Patrick Badger. 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. 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. 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).