''DEV-O Live'' is a live
EP (and, later,
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
) by American
new wave band
Devo
Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
. It was recorded during the
Freedom of Choice
Freedom of choice describes an individual's opportunity and autonomy to perform an action selected from at least two available options, unconstrained by external parties.
In politics
In the abortion debate, for example, the term "freedom of ch ...
tour on August 16, 1980 at the
Fox Warfield Theatre
The Warfield Theatre, colloquially referred to as The Warfield, is a 2,300-seat music venue located in San Francisco, California. It was built as a vaudeville theater and opened as the '' Loews Warfield'' on May 13, 1922.
History
In the 1920s, ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.
Background
''DEV-O Live'' stems from a 16-track promotional album called ''Devo Live: Warner Bros. Music Show'', recorded for broadcast on the
King Biscuit Flower Hour
The ''King Biscuit Flower Hour'' was an American syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock music recording artists.
History
The program was broadcast on Sunday nights from 19 ...
.
The broadcast was so popular that four songs ("Freedom of Choice Theme Song", "Whip It", "
Be Stiff
"Be Stiff" is the third single by American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Stiff Records. The song was taken from the sessions for '' Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!'' (1978), produced by Brian Eno. Guitarist Bob Lewis wrote the mu ...
" and "Gates of Steel") were released as a promotional EP in November 1980, titled ''DEV-O Live'', followed by the more widely available EP of the same name that added two more tracks ("Girl U Want" and "Planet Earth").
In 1999, Rhino Handmade re-released ''DEV-O Live'' on CD and included both the wide release EP version and the original promotional album in its entirety.
Additionally, side breaks and the announcer's voice from the show were edited out.
The Rhino edition was released in a plastic sleeve with a cover insert. It was later reissued in the 2008 Japanese CD
box set
A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists and bands ...
''
This Is the Devo Box''.
On November 29, 2019, Rhino issued an LP of the 16-track version as a
Black Friday limited edition for
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
, under the title ''Devo Live!''.
Four additional songs—"Pink Pussycat" (played after "
Secret Agent Man"), "
Satisfaction" (played after "Blockhead"), "
Freedom of Choice
Freedom of choice describes an individual's opportunity and autonomy to perform an action selected from at least two available options, unconstrained by external parties.
In politics
In the abortion debate, for example, the term "freedom of ch ...
" and "
Jocko Homo
"Jocko Homo" is the B-side to Devo's first single, "Mongoloid", released in 1977 on Devo's own label, Booji Boy Records and later released in the UK on Stiff Records. The song was re-recorded as the feature song for Devo's first album, '' Q: Are ...
" (both played after "Gates of Steel")—appear on audience recordings of the show.
Reception
Devo were given consistent radio support by
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
-based noncommercial rock station
2JJ
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
, one of the first rock stations outside America to play their recordings. This paid off, as in August 1981, they found commercial success in Australia when the EP spent three weeks at the top of the
Australian singles charts.
Later in the year, they travelled to Australia and appeared on the TV show ''
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
''.
Track listing
All songs by
Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead singer and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 2 ...
and
Gerald V. Casale
Gerald Vincent "Jerry" Casale ( ) (Birth name, ''né'' Pizzute; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and bass player of the New wave music, new wave band Devo, whic ...
, unless otherwise indicated.
1981 EP
;Side one
#"Freedom of Choice Theme Song" – 2:44
#"
Whip It" – 2:42
#"
Girl U Want
"Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by American new wave band Devo. It was the first single released from their third studio album ''Freedom of Choice'' (1980).
Composition
"Girl U Want" was allegedly inspired by the song "My Sharona" by the Knack, ...
" – 2:45
;Side two
#"Gates of Steel" (Casale, Mothersbaugh, Deborah Smith, Susan Schmidt) – 3:16
#"
Be Stiff
"Be Stiff" is the third single by American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Stiff Records. The song was taken from the sessions for '' Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!'' (1978), produced by Brian Eno. Guitarist Bob Lewis wrote the mu ...
" (Casale,
Bob Lewis) – 2:49
#"Planet Earth" (Casale) – 2:31
1999 CD reissue
;Original EP
#"Freedom of Choice Theme Song" – 2:46
#"Whip It" – 2:41
#"Girl U Want" – 2:56
#"Gates of Steel" (Casale, Mothersbaugh, Schmidt, Smith) – 3:17
#"Be Stiff" (Casale, Lewis) – 2:50
#"Planet Earth" (Casale) – 2:32
;Promo LP
#
"Freedom of Choice Theme Song" – 2:46
#"Whip It" – 2:41
#"Snowball" – 2:42
#"It's Not Right" (Mothersbaugh) – 2:20
#"Girl U Want" – 2:56
#"Planet Earth" (Casale) – 2:32
#"S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)" (Mothersbaugh) – 4:06
#" Secret Agent Man" (Steve Barri
Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer.
Career
Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" ...
, P. F. Sloan
Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015), known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many Billboard H ...
) – 3:17
#"Blockhead" (Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh
Robert Leroy Mothersbaugh, Jr. (; born August 11, 1952), or by his stage name "Bob 1", is an American songwriter, composer, musician and singer.
Mothersbaugh's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as lead ...
) – 3:25
#"Uncontrollable Urge" (Mothersbaugh) – 3:08
#"Mongoloid
Mongoloid () is an obsolete racial grouping of various peoples indigenous to large parts of Asia, the Americas, and some regions in Europe and Oceania. The term is derived from a now-disproven theory of biological race. In the past, other terms ...
" (Casale) – 2:50
#"Be Stiff" (Casale, Lewis) – 2:50
#"Gates of Steel" (Casale, Mothersbaugh, Schmidt, Smith) – 3:17
#"Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" (Casale/Casale, Mothersbaugh) – 4:08
#"Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy)" (Mothersbaugh, Mothersbaugh/Casale) – 4:12
#"Come Back Jonee" – 3:19
Personnel
;Devo
*Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead singer and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 2 ...
– guitar, keyboards, vocals
*Gerald V. Casale
Gerald Vincent "Jerry" Casale ( ) (Birth name, ''né'' Pizzute; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and bass player of the New wave music, new wave band Devo, whic ...
– bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
*Bob Casale
Robert Edward Casale Jr. (born Robert Edward Pizzute Jr.; July 14, 1952 – February 17, 2014), or "Bob 2", was an American musician, composer and record producer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboardist and rhythm guitari ...
– guitar, keyboards, vocals
*Bob Mothersbaugh
Robert Leroy Mothersbaugh, Jr. (; born August 11, 1952), or by his stage name "Bob 1", is an American songwriter, composer, musician and singer.
Mothersbaugh's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as lead ...
– guitar, vocals
* Alan Myers – drums
;Technical
*Devo – producer, mixing
*Biff Dawes – live engineer
*Robert Kaminsky – live producer
*Ken Perry – mastering
*Lisa Barillier – front cover photography
*David Peters – back cover photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Sales
References
External links
Devo Live Guide
– Comprehensive guide to Devo's live performances.
{{Authority control
Devo live albums
1981 live albums
1981 EPs
1999 live albums
Live EPs
Warner Records live albums
Warner Records EPs