DEVO – Q: ARE WE NOT MEN? A: WE ARE DEVO (VIRGIN RECORDS)
Very few debut albums are filled with as much fun as Are We Not Men. In order to attain such a highly tuned sense of humour a group of individuals really need to be born and blessed with magic or had to suffer a really testing set of circumstances and experiences in order to reach this viewpoint. With this in mind such reflections really do need to be channelled into some kind of form of expression, maybe art, maybe a career but regardless it is the trait that will set a person above the standard set by the rest. To be confronted with such music you sense a large part of the author’s intention is to make the listener feel uneasy, to touch a nerve and bring them through into a brighter and more understanding/optimistic time and place, to make circumstances generally better for all.
The album opens with “Uncontrollable Urge”, a dizziness experience that contains a chunky looping riff that even the most stunted of person should be able to remember and retain, even find themselves able to play on a guitar.
As the strains of “Satisfaction” drop in and one of the key moments of the Rolling Stones legacy is deconstructed, there is a definite weirdness to proceedings, a sound that is unique and has never been heard before. What are they doing to Mick and Keef? Where do people like this come from? What would they be doing if they weren’t making music? Are they Scientologists?
By the third track “Praying Hands” it is obvious that higher powers are at work with this record as things turn distinctly evangelic and with the spuds as followers the band is building a true movement around their beliefs of devolution and the stupidity of modern man.
The centre piece of the album is the double whammy of “Mongoloid” and “Jocko Homo”. Compared to the original single versions of these songs, with Brian Eno at the helm he was able to really harness the DEVO sound and lend it more punch and weight. No longer were the songs so lo-fi and the bass sound and vocals were now clearer and more piercing without jeopardising any of the weirdness or character of the originals.
From here the record takes a distinctly dark turn. Any song called “Too Much Paranoia” will always be one that addresses a fragile state of mind and fear of a ruling body, being it local or global. It has screaming and a guitar riff that sounds as if it is made out of rubber. Such fears are then realised on “Gut Feeling” which is a song truly doused in legitimate worry and concern that are subsequently experienced as things mutate into “(Slap Your Mammy)”, a hardcore punk song before hardcore punk was even invented.
Following is “Come Back Jonee” and one final request being sent out for someone special to return to the fold of reality. The song is delivered with real urgency and sadness sounding like a true desperate plea. There is always an option, even if you are Chuck Berry.
As things close on “Shrivel Up”, a perfect conclusion is performed and executed as the sound of a band being returned to the toy box is served. This is perhaps the most paranoid song on the album. It’s a god given fact.
This record will change your life if you want it changed.
Thesaurus moment: furtherance.
DEVO
Virgin Records
Very few debut albums are filled with as much fun as Are We Not Men. In order to attain such a highly tuned sense of humour a group of individuals really need to be born and blessed with magic or had to suffer a really testing set of circumstances and experiences in order to reach this viewpoint. With this in mind such reflections really do need to be channelled into some kind of form of expression, maybe art, maybe a career but regardless it is the trait that will set a person above the standard set by the rest. To be confronted with such music you sense a large part of the author’s intention is to make the listener feel uneasy, to touch a nerve and bring them through into a brighter and more understanding/optimistic time and place, to make circumstances generally better for all.
The album opens with “Uncontrollable Urge”, a dizziness experience that contains a chunky looping riff that even the most stunted of person should be able to remember and retain, even find themselves able to play on a guitar.
As the strains of “Satisfaction” drop in and one of the key moments of the Rolling Stones legacy is deconstructed, there is a definite weirdness to proceedings, a sound that is unique and has never been heard before. What are they doing to Mick and Keef? Where do people like this come from? What would they be doing if they weren’t making music? Are they Scientologists?
By the third track “Praying Hands” it is obvious that higher powers are at work with this record as things turn distinctly evangelic and with the spuds as followers the band is building a true movement around their beliefs of devolution and the stupidity of modern man.
The centre piece of the album is the double whammy of “Mongoloid” and “Jocko Homo”. Compared to the original single versions of these songs, with Brian Eno at the helm he was able to really harness the DEVO sound and lend it more punch and weight. No longer were the songs so lo-fi and the bass sound and vocals were now clearer and more piercing without jeopardising any of the weirdness or character of the originals.
From here the record takes a distinctly dark turn. Any song called “Too Much Paranoia” will always be one that addresses a fragile state of mind and fear of a ruling body, being it local or global. It has screaming and a guitar riff that sounds as if it is made out of rubber. Such fears are then realised on “Gut Feeling” which is a song truly doused in legitimate worry and concern that are subsequently experienced as things mutate into “(Slap Your Mammy)”, a hardcore punk song before hardcore punk was even invented.
Following is “Come Back Jonee” and one final request being sent out for someone special to return to the fold of reality. The song is delivered with real urgency and sadness sounding like a true desperate plea. There is always an option, even if you are Chuck Berry.
As things close on “Shrivel Up”, a perfect conclusion is performed and executed as the sound of a band being returned to the toy box is served. This is perhaps the most paranoid song on the album. It’s a god given fact.
This record will change your life if you want it changed.
Thesaurus moment: furtherance.
DEVO
Virgin Records
