Devo

Books About DEVO:. See also: Indie rock. Mark Mothersbaugh, some solo and soundtrack releases:. The bands of the collective have since all moved on to various labels and projects of their own, though many are still friends and even tour together under various guises. As The Wipeouters:. In October 2002, the Elephant Six Collective as a fully functioning entity called it quits, due to difficulties in recording and lack of organization. As a backup band for others:. This was the ostensible nature of the Elephant Six collective: instruments, players, and space are divided among and shared among many projects.

Compilations:. The most characteristic trait of an Elephant Six recording is the eclectic and exotic instrumentation: along with the guitars and drums you can hear, for example, the flugelhorn, singing saw, wandering genie, and one-note piano on Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane over the Sea; the euphonium, selemintan, and magnus organ on Olivia Tremor Control's Black Foliage; the sitar, "magic robot voice", and Nepalese copper shawn on Elf Power's When the Red King Comes; and everything from sarangi to clarinet played by eighteen backup musicians on Beulah's When Your Heartstrings Break. Discography:. Several Elephant Six projects began to find commercial success in the late 1990s, including Beulah, Elf Power, The Music Tapes, and Of Montreal, as well as the founding bands mentioned above. In the early 21st century, the band did a special version of "Whip It" for Swiffer commercials. The Elephant Six Recording Company was a musical collective founded in Athens, Georgia, USA, by Bill Doss, Will Cullen Hart (both, now formerly, of Olivia Tremor Control), Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel), and Robert Schneider (of the Apples in Stereo), the four of whom grew up making music in Ruston, Louisiana. Gerry Casale, the group's bass player, has directed rock videos by other bands, including Rush and Foo Fighters. Von Hemmling.

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. Visitations. In 1985, he released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, "Musik for Insomniaks," which was later expanded and released as two CDs. ulysses. 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. Thimble Circus. 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. Sunshine Fix.

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. Secret Square. 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). Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. 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. Orchestre Fantastique. In 1982, they appeared in the Neil Young film "Human Highway.". Olivia Tremor Control.

They also recorded "E-Z Listening Muzak" versions of their own songs to play before their concerts. Of Montreal. 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)". Neutral Milk Hotel. Devo actively embraced the Church of the SubGenius in the early 1980s. My First Keyboard. 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. The Music Tapes.

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. Minders. Devo might have remained a cult attraction but for the advent of American cable TV music station MTV. Midget and Hairs. 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. Marta Tennae. 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'). Marshmallow Coast.

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. Marbles. 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. Jeff Mangum. (Gerry) Casale, the group's bassist and main songwriter. Major Organ and the Adding Machine. The core members of the group are Mark Mothersbaugh, the band's lead singer, guitarist and synthesizer player, and Gerald V. Helium.

This metaphor is carried throughout Devo's work as an abstraction of modern society. Late B.P. 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. Ladybug Transistor. 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. The Instruments. Other likely influences were American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. High Water Marks.

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. Great Lakes. 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. The Gerbils. 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. Frosted Ambassador. 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. Fablefactory.

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. Essex Green. 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. Elf Power. 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. Dressy Bessy. 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. Dixie Blood Mustache.

They proved hugely influential on new wave music, and to a lesser extent on punk rock and geek rock. Circulatory System. 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. Chocolate USA. 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. Black Swan Network. Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! by Jade Dellinger & David Giffels (SAF Publishing Ltd./UK). Beulah.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005). Bablicon. Music for Edward Gorey, a private release of 300 handmade CD-R discs. The Apples in Stereo. Mystery Men. A Hawk and a Hacksaw. 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).