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.
I saw this episode when it first ran on the teevee. Had to special order the album the next day at the record shop. It was a Japanese import. And, yes, those fee of us got into fights over this. As a hockey player, that didn't go well for those trying to administer the beating. Ironically, I was an intern/dj at the local 'hard rock' FM station, playing all the music the rockers listened to. Fun times.
Every time the music store got that album is sold out in a couple minutes it took us months to get that album we had to put our name in a hat and then they had to draw the name everybody was buying it and man what a concert was too, it was my first concert and I got to meet the guys
@@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 UA-cam 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.
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.
Devo have used all of those things consistently throughout their career, click tracks and samples in particular. Maybe have the faintest idea what you're talking about next time 🤦🏻♀️
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.
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.
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
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.
@@zacharyredding3860 I don't think they ever opened for the Cars. He may be mistaken for a different band. But, I also could be wrong. I just think I would have heard about that being a huge Cars fan and now a Huge Devo fan. lol
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
It's a bit miraculous that "Blockhead" made it into the short set - it'd been out of the setlist for a while at this point (like "Be Stiff"), and I'm guessing they wanted to give the national audience something that challenged them a bit while still getting the band's pop sensibilities across.
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.
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.
Unfortunately that Hall of Fame is a joke..!!! They have allowed bands and solo artists in , that have NO business being in there and kept out others who have deserved it and earned it ten fold..!!! Thankfully that Hall of Fame building, silly plaque or trophy doesn't define or solidify ANY artist. It is the true fans and following you have amassed that tell you how worthy you are. I am sure that DEVO knows how influential they were and how loved they are without needing a nod from some bullshit club made up from someone who doesn't really understand music anyway.
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 :-)
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
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…
6:40 how can they play Uncontrollable Urge at that speed?! I'm a drummer and I already admire Alan Myers, however I didn't expect this song to be able to be played by ANY drummer at this speed!!
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
More a "punk rock" band but hey rock is at least still in there. A brilliant band and well deserve a place in the R&R HoF especially as seeing they are spuds.
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.
@@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 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.
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!
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.
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 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.
@@kendallsmith1458 Yeah, but then when he found out how difficult it was to work with real human beings with real lives, he gave us The Archies. By the way, my music theory teacher when I went to college in the '70s played the marimba hook on "Sugar Sugar."
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.
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?
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.
I Remember those days
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.
I saw this episode when it first ran on the teevee.
Had to special order the album the next day at the record shop. It was a Japanese import.
And, yes, those fee of us got into fights over this.
As a hockey player, that didn't go well for those trying to administer the beating. Ironically, I was an intern/dj at the local 'hard rock' FM station, playing all the music the rockers listened to.
Fun times.
I love acid!!!
You weren't the only fan in 77 💕
"Freedom Of Choice" is one of the best albums ever made.
Fight me.
Every time the music store got that album is sold out in a couple minutes it took us months to get that album we had to put our name in a hat and then they had to draw the name everybody was buying it and man what a concert was too, it was my first concert and I got to meet the guys
You know who Devo reminds me of? No one.
oh, that was a good one, bro...
Perfect
A little Kraftwerk, some punk with a 50s sci-fi look and you get Devo. They saw the future and it wasn't pretty.
Exactly - and that's what made them good!
Your mom reminds me of Devo
Devo was so far ahead of their time we still haven't caught up with them..
@@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.
You are correct. Devo was one of a kind.
@@79blackbelt my husband at the time was in many of the bands. Alot of good ones but many of them. Synthesizers and stage acting
@@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.
Big fan...... Uncontrollably Urge is one of my faves...
Well yeah, Bills fan
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 UA-cam 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.
Right...and the best parody of the super long 70s ego guitar solo...keep it simple and sweet...to the point...lyrically and musically.
"Jerking back and forth"
500 years from now people will listen to Devo and say. "This is what the future of music sounds like" 😎
...and 1,000yrs. from now, they'll be heads in jars for Phillip J. Frye to talk to
Or they'll listen to Devo's first record then their last record and say, "Now that *was* deevolution!"
@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.
Human race.?live your life
Thank goodness it isn't.
I'm 66 years old and still listen to devo love it!😊
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.
@@Subtle_Oddity Keep enjoying Devo.
Eu 67 ouvindo neste exato instante.... Fantásticos!!!! Direto de Cabo Frio.RJ
I'm 67 and still listening
I saw them twice in the '80s
No click track, no backing track, no sampling to be triggered, no auto-tune, and they still come off way more futuristic than anything today.
They would have used all that stuff if they had it available at that time, though
Devo have used all of those things consistently throughout their career, click tracks and samples in particular. Maybe have the faintest idea what you're talking about next time 🤦🏻♀️
A click track is mostly used to keep time in the studio. Or to know where you are prior to certain instruments coming in.
They were fucking brilliant
Very nice guitar in “ Freedom of Choice “
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.
But your forgetting something very important. All of that is fine, but your music can’t suck or it is all lost.
@@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.
@@petecartwright5211 That's one thing that always gets overlooked with Devo- what a tight band they were. This was Devo at the height of their powers.
Who knew that over 46 years later they would still seem so contemporary. What a great drummer they had.
BOB
42 years later and this music and band still makes me smile.
You can't see their eyes, like the Xeno Morph Alien.
That’s duty now for the future
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.
they're not????? ridiculous. Such a hugely influential band.
BlueMan Group is Awesome as well and should be inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well.
The fact that they’re not in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame just shows how a legitimate the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame is
They’re from Ohio they oughtta be
@@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.
So tight, I really can't believe it.
Wearing a flower pot on your head was really in style around this time
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
God bless you
Fantastic dynamic beauty
Those were the best days.
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.
A FL fishing guide once told me he went to a show where Devo opened for The Cars, and Devo blew The Cars into the weeds.
I remember the TV advert for that show (in Fresno) when I was in Jr. High.
Gonna see them May in Vegas
@@zacharyredding3860 The Florida fishing guide lied to you.
@@zacharyredding3860 I don't think they ever opened for the Cars. He may be mistaken for a different band. But, I also could be wrong. I just think I would have heard about that being a huge Cars fan and now a Huge Devo fan. lol
This is an extraordinary time capsule. It should be in the national archives.
It probably is. It must be.
Yes, it’s called UA-cam. 😂
And STILL no one will Vote them in the R&R Hall of Fame even though nominated for 15 years a row.! Though I actually don't think they GAF :-D
Most underrated drummer of all time. The variety. He plays almost to the melody of a lead guitar. It's awesome. He is my hero.
Alan was amazing, best timing of any drummer I ever heard
The best drummer in the world is the guy from the Stray Cats.
You know who else used to drum almost to the song's melody? John Bonham. That says a lot! 🤔
Absolutely the best! Alan kicks ass!
What makes you believe he's underrated? Did you travel the globe taking a survey from every citizen of the world? Please explain.
Loved that quirky band."Go speed racer go!".
Most original band of all time
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
Would've loved to hear
" Be Stiff " added to this set. Alas, it was 41 years ago.
Thank you
It's a bit miraculous that "Blockhead" made it into the short set - it'd been out of the setlist for a while at this point (like "Be Stiff"), and I'm guessing they wanted to give the national audience something that challenged them a bit while still getting the band's pop sensibilities across.
Thank You very Much..!!!
I remember watching this way back in ‘79. Absolutely blew my 11 year old mind!
EXACTLY the same for me. Small Black & White TV in my parents basement.
same!
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.
Same bro! 1968!
@@AMOKIAN Wait, you were in Skyline Electric with Alan Myers? Congrats!
They deserved to be in the hall of fame years ago !
what is that
The Hall doesn't deserve them...
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.
Only if the RRHOF was a parody of an Award Pantheon.
Oh, wait.....
Thank god for Devo
Definitely Deserving to be in R&R hall of fame
Sad to say. Never will happen. Only room for Dolly Parton
Unfortunately that Hall of Fame is a joke..!!! They have allowed bands and solo artists in , that have NO business being in there and kept out others who have deserved it and earned it ten fold..!!! Thankfully that Hall of Fame building, silly plaque or trophy doesn't define or solidify ANY artist. It is the true fans and following you have amassed that tell you how worthy you are. I am sure that DEVO knows how influential they were and how loved they are without needing a nod from some bullshit club made up from someone who doesn't really understand music anyway.
Art.
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
:-)
Right on Baldwin park here
@@RALPHGIBBS186 Pico Rivera
@@middleclassic right on ..ive moved up to oregon these days lol
@@RALPHGIBBS186 Hacienda Heights here
Uncontrollable Urge is one of the greatest songs ever.
At 9 I remember my Mom letting me stay up late to watch this with her, She was a fan,
Most underrated band ever! Devo was epic and so ahead of their time. I still think that "Gut Feeling" is the best song ever recorded!
I have to agree with you. Gut Feeling is beyond epic!
Devo thank you for your service 🫡
DEVO still blowing minds in 2021
And 2023...🤘🍺
@@pabloimireia not so much,,,the gimmick has faded
@@tomstiel7576 you don’t belong here.
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
and in 2024
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!!!
Please add The Cars, The Knack, Blondie and The Pretenders to that impressive lineup… great time to be 17/18 years old!
@@douggrey6253The Knack were one-hit wonders
@@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…
This CRAP today can't hold a candle to what we had in the 80's
Let’s add Ramones, Buzzcocks, Gang of Four, and the Dickies to that list!
6:40 how can they play Uncontrollable Urge at that speed?! I'm a drummer and I already admire Alan Myers, however I didn't expect this song to be able to be played by ANY drummer at this speed!!
Early DEVO is just killer…man machine!
I don't often wish to be young again but watching this and remembering those days does it! THANKS DEVO!
I was 14 then. Wish I could go back. People were much more decent then. And make some good stock trades, lol
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.
You nailed it.
Same here. I can honestly say I loved them from the git go. I got it,they were just hamming it up while playing some far out music.
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!
Secret Agent Man...luv it. I'm headin to my 70s. Good music never grows old
I had an uncontrollable urge to watch this video
I have a gut feeling you are a true spud my friend
In a Beatiful World Devo would be all the music we need...
We all need to take some time out for fun and listen to Devo
@@ffjsb For you...;-)
@@guitarmemoir Well played sir...
Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.
Devo’s music is angular and prickly. Tight performance with a precision of surgical knife. Newer than new wave.
"Angular and prickly"...damn...I wish I had come up with that. It's dead-on.
Yeah, and still quite a bit Punk
@@petecartwright5211 But...still F'n ROCKS HARD!!! 👍🤘
"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?
@@petecartwright5211 Yeah, so it was- I was thinking Fast and Bulbous". Got me?
A perfectly maniacal set. Bravo, Don Kirshner, for letting artists play live in the era of lip sync and heavy censorship on TV.
He likedvthev15?
I saw this video when I was 6 and didn’t like it. 40 years later, I like it. We are DEVO.
I'll give them a for originality but I was never a big fan but we are devolving no question
Alan is ROCKING those drums
Alan Myers was a badass drummer!!! RIP!!!
Every great band has a secret weapon and many times it's the drummer. He's as good as they get and these guys do a lot of "off-meter" stuff.
John Bonham’s favorite drummer.
Facts
@@wtysont That's so cool. Well done!
It's an awesome groove he's playing.
today is the day that youtube gave my baby a surprise..god bless devo
Wow, they really are playing live. You don't see that much (now or then).
They were so far ahead of the curve we just couldn't "get" it. One of the coolest and smartest bands ever on the planet.
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.
I was at an Oakland A's game today and saw a man wearing a Devo red hat.
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
We never deserved DEVO. They’re from the future. They’re brilliant as the light of a thousand suns.
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!
Agreed. I never actually liked whip it. But I loved all their other stuff. Great music.
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.
If I recall correctly, Come Back Jonee was my fav
Don't forget Jihad Jerry and the Evil doers.
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.
Just saw them in L.A. about 2 weeks ago. (9/25/21) Still great. I love "Uncontrollable Urge".
Well done. You were seeing musical history. That was the culmination of 45 years of rocking.
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.
@@Ekkie101 It's been incredible to learn so many others enjoyed them just as much as I did. You probably saw them at their tightest.
Well done.
@@petecartwright5211 "well done"?I wss commenting on your using well done
@@lastnamefirst4035 Dude, you need me to explain that? You're kidding.
I complimented the person.
A lot of people didn't get it, but Don Kirschner did.
This version of Uncontrollable Urge melted my phone
I'm the 1000th comment these Guys are legendary icon's of USA LOVE FROM MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA.
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!
More a "punk rock" band but hey rock is at least still in there. A brilliant band and well deserve a place in the R&R HoF especially as seeing they are spuds.
Punk rock went to art school. Devo was then born.
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.
"Everyone, Rise For The Anthem!!" The greatest new wave, concept, post-punk, electro-rock band of all time!!!
Everyone rise for the anthem...I am weeping...
Wow. I had never seen this before. Absolutely glorious.
I agree. I’m a total Spud now!
Alan makes it look easy. If you saw DEVO at their peak you know he literally drove their shows.
Please use words other than "literally" since you do not understand what it means.
@@princeofcupspoc9073 please don't be a pompous a$$
I think it's fair to say that a drummer literally drives the show. Talk to a musician sometime.
@@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!
@@princeofcupspoc9073 I literally want you to tell me what it means.
D.E.V.O. is the greatest RNR band the world ! Only hits !!!
The two consecutive years I saw Devo when they first broke they were absolutely phenomenal live
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.
From Akron, Ohio, these guys were great innovators of music and of style.
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!
Never replicated!
How many kids of the 80's grew up listening to this, then had kids who heard the Mothersbaugh brothers as the soundtrack to Rugrats?
I did not know that. Well done.
Not sure when I first heard Devo as a child… maybe SNL? Still love them, and still have several vinyl records of theirs.
Absolutely rocking. Fantastic. Brutally good.
So ahead of their time. Might just be the most underrated band of all time.
Wow… this band was so far ahead of everyone.. definitely RR Hall of Fame.. so deserved
When Punk was a parody of Rock, Devo was a parody of Punk.
Perfect
Yeah, not really.
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.
@@MrMicklethal Much like the B'52's
@@NormAppleton Yes! Another underrated band.
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.
Who clicks on DEVO form the 70's and gives a thumbs down? What were you expecting to find?! If you don't like genius-level songwriting, move on.
This needs way more views. 2,316 views, 7 comments. Unacceptable.
Share this in 2021 please!
Will do.
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.
This is a great set. Perfect if you're trying to introduce DEVO to someone.
Incredible!!!! I love them. Always have
I always thought of Devo as a great guitar band.
Great blend of guitars and synth
I never seen this video before. Mildly interested at first but then had goosebumps on goosebumps when they started Uncontrollable Urge.
Fantastic music makers , I still listen to Devo and will till I die, still cutting edge to this day.
Devo was right. America is constantly in devolution. Devo were way ahead of their time.
Got their first two LP's. Still have them. Still listen to them. THE best thing to EVER come out of Akron, including tires and Le Bron. Sorry LeBron.
LeBron's ditched Ohio twice so he's probably content to be #2.
Don't forget GBV
Heard Chrissie Hynde was in a band with some Devo members.
I saw them 1 or 2 years after this and they had even more polish. They sound absolutely rockin here.
So ahead of their time
...or DEVOlved from their time.
This is awesome, and shows how real and intense they were! I saw them live in 1983! Thanks for sharing! #Freddysparascope
Leave it to Don Kirschner to include the name of the band's manager in his intro. Perhaps the biggest putz to ever get near the making of music.
probably his cousin....lol
Gave us the Monkees
@@kendallsmith1458 Yeah, but then when he found out how difficult it was to work with real human beings with real lives, he gave us The Archies. By the way, my music theory teacher when I went to college in the '70s played the marimba hook on "Sugar Sugar."
its so cool its 2023 and I hear Devo almost every day on tv on the Kleenex commercial!!! instantly recognizable!
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.
I was in High School when Whip It exploded. We LOVED DEVO!!!! Part of the 80's landscape.
The precision of assassins
I Lived the 80's riding a Moped and in My Sony Cassette I had DEVO! LOVE DEVO!!!!!
You mean your Walkman
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?
The best punk band ever... or the best techno band ever... rock band I mean.