New Traditionalists - Devo > Reviews > Eliminate the minis and the twist

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Classic electro synth pop - rock
Disadvantages:	Perhaps a little obscure for some

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Devo, from Akron in Ohio USA, should be up there with Kraftwerk as a huge influence on todays electro-synth-rock acts, and if they're not it's a travesty. They made some outstanding albums between 1978 and 1984 before kind of disappearing, though with the rise of the internet have come back into the public's knowledge banks. Their records are quirky, humorous electronic songs that are underpinned with a wry irony. I love this band. When they first appeared in Britain in 1978 at the Reading Festival, they were jeered at by the thousands of hippies present. Ha who's laughing now.

New Traditionalists was Devo's follow up to the platinum-selling genius that was "Freedom Of Choice" (which contained their most famous tune Whip It) and sees them carry on the basic sound of that album whilst moving into even quirkier, darker material yet still containing that wonderful ironic humour that makes us love them so much.

Originally released in late 1981, it had the classic Devo line-up of brothers Mark, Jim and Bob Mothersbaugh (variously keyboards, vocals and guitars) Gerald Casale (bass) and David Kendrick (drums). Some of you will know that Mark M now composes theme tunes to TV programmes, "Rugrats" among others.

First track and a minor hit in the UK is Through Being Cool, where the band tell us they are exactly that, over a synthesised drum beat that simply makes you want to get up and thank the good heavens there is such a thing as Devo. The repetetive strains of Pity You echo along for what seems forever but is actually only 2.43 before the smoother synth and guitars of Going Under ironically bring the album flipping back up on course. Race......Of.....Doom sees a shuddering synth percussion leading into a disturbing sounding song as the title is repeated over and over at the chorus.

Love Without Anger reprises a bit of Pity You, neither are classic Devo but as an album it hangs together nicely. The best song on here is the cuttingly sarcastic Beautiful World, ostensiably about how great life is until right at the end the lyrics have a sting in the tail "It's a beautiful world / it's a beautiful world / for you......it's not for me". This would have made a great single but I don't think Virgin (the label) did release it over here.

Well the truth must be told I suppose. In just about all their albums they have at least one song dedicated to, aaah, well, masturbation. Their first release Q. Are We Not Men? had the hilarious Praying Hands, their second Duty Now For The Future had Triumph Of The Will and here we have Jerking Back And Forth, a lazy synth leading over some (oh the irony) jerky guitar lines as the lyric leads with " you got me / looking upright / you got me / searching down oh / you got me / I know you know / you got me jerking back and forth". Another theme based around the male person is Soft Things, at seven minutes plus easily the longest selection here. An almost medeavil sounding synth jumps in and out as the topic sings of "and now I'm calling on the soft things / cos some things soft sometimes get hard", well work it out for yourselves.

The upfront Enough Said end this collection, a nice ending to what is not their best album in my opinion (that would be Duty Now For The Future) but overall it's an almost perfect example of early 80's synth pop.

The thing I love about Devo, and it's a love affair that's lasted a quarter of a century, is that this sort of stuff is absolutely timeless. Laugh if you want to but songs like Beautiful World and Through Being Cool still sound like they could have been made yesterday and this sort of electro-synth rock is very much back in vogue as we speak. So this spud boy is going to sign off but before I do that, to all you beautiful mutants, get yourself some Devo before it's too late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I LOVE DEVO XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX