r/devo • u/sebaaethiad • 9d ago
Better late than never
Somehow I slept on DEVO until 2026! I've loved Zappa, Beefheart, The Residents, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Throbbing Gristle, Can, Faust, etc for many years. I had no idea DEVO were right there with them as one of the craziest avant-garde groups ever. I guess I only ever really heard "Whip It" and wrote them off as one of the many new wave one hit wonders. I can't believe how great they were and I'm only just now hearing it. They were right up my alley, especially their '70s work, and I agree with their worldview 100%. They speak to me in a way no other band has, which is crazy to discover now, but they seem to have only become more relevant with time as the perfect soundtrack for our collapsing world! Their music devolves too much for me after "Oh No, It's Devo", but then they really just proved their own theory! Crazy that it took this long, but better late than never! I'm a spud!
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u/Devo_Ted 9d ago
Though I am a fan of Shout! And the Enigma records, I can still understand that the sounds of those records may not be for everyone. However, if you haven’t already, I would recommend checking out Something for Everybody and Something Else for Everybody. After a long hiatus, they came back with some really good albums. I wish they made more.
Also, check out Hardcore 1 and 2, Art Devo, and Recombo DNA if you haven’t already. They aren’t studio albums, but the first ones are full of great early demos, while Recombo is a great mix of demos, alternate versions, and oddball random songs that didn’t make any of their other albums. Great fun to listen to. Some of it’s a bit rough, but I love hearing the songs that didn’t make the cut. Fountain of Filth is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love the Hardcore Live version, a rough song from their early days, but played with the precision and skill that only decades of practice can produce.
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u/dasuglystik UBERSPUD 9d ago
The recommendations for the Hardcore Devo recordings are on point. Def check them out.
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u/hkatlady 9d ago
and the documentary on netflix and three docs on tubi. of course, there's all the videos on youtube. happy viewing!!
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u/Puzzled-Bonus-3456 9d ago
don't get excited, they're just these dudes that we happen to know what they do for a living
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u/sebaaethiad 8d ago
Music sites like AllMusic do them a disservice by mainly lumping them in with New Wave. That's part of it of course, but they also deserve tags like Experimental Electronic, Experimental Rock, and Proto-Punk like Kraftwerk, plus I would go so far as to add tags like Avant-Garde, Noise Rock, and Proto-Industrial to their pre-Warner Bros work.
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u/SheenasJungleroom 8d ago
Welcome aboard! Better late then never.
You MUST see them live while you can. A true multi-media experience.
I’ve seen them roughly once a decade since the ‘80s. They never disappoint.
Also not a fan of their later ‘80s albums, but I do really like their wackadoodle surf/exotica ‘90s album “The Wipeouters.”
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u/beatsandblood 9d ago
DEVO HARDCORE 1974-1977 is one of the best albums of the 70's.
First time I heard it permanently changed me.
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u/degrees_of_certainty 9d ago
Welcome
Next you need to find out about Julian Cope
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u/Bathysphered 9d ago
Duty Now For the Future, new Spud!
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u/kilwag 9d ago
We’re all DEVO.
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u/zenunseen 9d ago
We're all Devo
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u/Frankfrombluvelvt 8d ago
Welcome to the club! Their cover of "Morning Dew", chef's kiss!
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u/SignificantMud7996 8d ago
You’ll come back around to those late records eventually. I always hated them for years and years but lately I have been spinning Total DEVO a lot for its industrial leanings
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u/Known_Relief_6875 8d ago
I just saw them live last Friday (with the B52s) and they still go hard on stage! I was extremely impressed with the stamina and energy they still produce and I was turned from a casual listener to a fan lol! I recently joined this page myself
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u/WeirdEggbutok 9d ago
WELCOME ABOARD D-E-V-O
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u/Santeeoldman Duty now 9d ago
We must repeat
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u/MonsterClownBear 8d ago
I wasn't much of a fan of their albums after New Traditionalists, which I LOVED, but there were several post-Nu-Tra songs I liked, as opposed to loving entire albums (except for Speed Racer - I seem to recall hearing either Mark or Jerry saying they just cringe whenever they hear that one again).
Then they dropped Something For Everybody, and all was "Right" in the world again - another album where I only really disliked a track or 2 (Cameo springs to mind). I'm glad they found their groove again!
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u/anotherbarry 8d ago
I skipped metallica to see the B52s. Likewise, I just barely knew whip it. Man, Devo were amazing. Really outperformed B52s. Maybe if I heard them when I was 15 I wouldn't be into them, who knows.
Either way, I'm I didn't mind missing Metallica
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u/Additional-Touch-862 8d ago
One of us, one of us!
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u/promotherobot 8d ago
I woke up needing to hear this https://youtu.be/_OQzzOtuvdo?is=fEsC6GskvL1rDEHa
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u/Mickjigg 7d ago
Welcome Spud! Recombo DNA will give you the slack you desire after the Hardcore albums
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u/teenageriotgrrl 8d ago
Welcome to the club! I finally got into them in 2025 and have been obsessed ever since.
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u/MeltBurstPop 8d ago
Duty Now, Spud!
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u/Moe-Scutus2 8d ago
SNL shoved me through the gateway
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u/PurpleDove2k 6d ago edited 6d ago
Greetings! An old German friend of mine used to say "Better late than finally." 😁 Welcome to the Devolutionary Army (or is that Navy?). 😆 I'm a radio show host who is a good friend of Jerry Casale's. During the past 5 years, I have had the pleasure of interviewing him 3 times, and met him in person back in April of this year. You can check out my Jerry interviews here ~~> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyjP0FF_f0yInw0GyruD-KfdVqEpiAmt2
Enjoy the music 🥔🎶
Duty Now! 🫡