Devo - Live

Rating:
Summary: Devo with special guest Metallica
Review: Dateline 1996 - Lallapalooza - Irvine Meadows, California

Metalheads Devolved into long haired Monkey Men - Film at 11

While stylists primped Metallica's new haircuts behind stage one, 500 headbangers and half a dozen spuds were permanently warped by Devo's raging set on stage two. This years best new DVD is DEVO LIVE from Rhino Records, and I'm sure I can't do it justice with words, but I gotta try.

Be like your ancestors or be different, it dosn't matter:

Decades ahead of their time to begin with, the Spud Boys haven't changed their hair, fashion sense or music in 25 years. The rest of the industry has mutated to play catch up. Their trail blazing cleared the way for Techno acts like Prodigy, and Moby, and Performance artists like Blue Men Group. But, with Gerald on Bass, Bob's 1+ 2 on guitars, and Mark grabbing the mic and pounding on the synthesizers, their bass and guitar heavy set of songs from their first three major label records made it clear that Industrialists like Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson wouldn't exist without Devo. The industrialists may have replaced Devo's morbid sense of humor with being just plain morbid, but Devo rocked just as hard.

Monkey Men All, In Post Grunge Suits:

Opening with their hit (you know the song) to grab the attention of the un-initiated, they then jammed through Satisfaction, Uncontrollable Urge, Mongoloid, Girl U Want, Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA and more. Midway through the set they played an inspired, pulse pounding extended version of their anthem Jocko Homo, and Mark jumped off stage into the audience letting newly enthusiastic metal heads shout the answer to Dr. Moreau's question "Are We Not Men?" By the sets closing number, Gates of Steel, grunge suited monkey men had been unwittingly devolved, screaming, waving their fists, and no doubt spoiled for the Metallibland they were going to see next.

Rush out, buy the DVD, crank the bass, crank the volume, and enjoy the band David Bowie, in 1976, called the future of rock. Duty Now For the Future.

We Must Repeat

Rating:
Summary: U Don`t Own This Yet? R U Kidding Me? U Must B Kidding Me!!!
Review: DEV-O Live from Lollapalooza `96 at Irvine Meadow`s, CA !! No gimmicks here, just the men who made the music in a classic, high energy performance. The setlist contains only early Devo material, featuring killer renditions of Whip It, Girl U Want, Satisfaction, Uncontrollable Urge, Blockhead, Mongoloid, Jocko Homo, Smart Patrol/Mr.DNA, Gut Feeling/Slap Yer Mammy, Gates of Steel, and Come Back Jonee. If you missed the opportunity to see one of the best live bands ever, this is your chance to be even more jealous of all of us who did. With apologies to KISS, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, The Who, Bowie and the other 300+ bands I`ve seen in concert, DEVO`s `82 show at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA is still easily the best concert I`ve ever seen. It`s a shame the band didn`t get to play a full 90-120 minute set at this show, but this DVD is a bargain for all the mutants of this beautiful world we live in.

Rating:
Summary: We Must Repeat
Review: Finally, this concert that I saw 1/2 of on PBS' "On Tour" 8 years ago is available. I don't understand why it took so long, but it's here so I guess I won't cry about it. The spudboys were in great form here, with help from drummer Josh Friese(now in Evanescence). I think the best part of the performance is Smart Patrol/Mr DNA.
If you're looking at this then most likely you're already a Devo fan, so I say BUY IT! There is a lack of any real bonus material, just an optional camera angle feature. But the price isn't bad, and Devo give a spirited performance amongst the pinheads there to see Metallica and such. If you're dabbling with De-evolution, I'd recommend checking out the other dvd release, "The Complete Truth About De-Evolution". The videos will make you realize how crappy most other music videos are by comparison.

Rating:
Summary: The Best 12 Bucks You'll Ever Spend.
Review: For all you spuds out there, this is a disc to have. It is a live recording of their 1996 Lollapalooza set in California. It is great to watch. The sound and filming are superb. The set was simple, just the instruments, amps, and five guys in yellow jumpsuits. Devo performed all the 'Older Hits'. Mongoliod, Satisfaction, Uncontrollable Urge, plus a few others. I'm not sure where these guys are at now, but in '96 they could still play!
Two things perplex me. One is why the wait to release this disc? It's almost been eight years! I thought the spud boys were up on the technological scene, and this should have been released when DVDs hit the market. I guess they're wrapped up in other endeavors. The other item is that there should have been more stuff. Early footage, more interviews, etc. I guess they're saving all of that for a MEGA-DVD. One can only dream. But hey, for twelve dollars, and live DEVO, you can't beat this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: MY GOODNESS ... WHAT CAN I SAY?!
Review: I saw DEVO on their "Freedom of Choice" tour, and it is still one of the best concerts I have seen so far. This DVD is so amazing! This concert has no fancy lights or backdrops; just five guys and their equipment putting on one of the most rocking shows you will ever witness. Mark Mothersbaugh looks better than ever and sounds incredible; the rest of the guys have aged well and can still rock. Looks like they needed a young drummer to keep up with their killer performances. I am sorry to say that I am not sure what happened to Alan (the original drummer); but the new guy does a great, great job filling his shoes.
If you are a DEVO fan, you MUST own this DVD ... if you are not ... buy it, and you soon will be!

Rating:
Summary: Joyeux Mutato
Review: I was just a little suspect about this release, but checked it out because...well, it's Devo. Couldn't resist for that fact alone. Despite the late date of the show, 1996, I was completely overwhelmed by their energy, humor, attitude, and endurance during the entirety of the show. The whole Devo sensibility was more intact than it had been since 1982, but without all the gimmicks of their early image (not that I would ever knock it). This is Devo at about as stripped down as any band can be, and they're simply amazing. Their musicianship is astonishingly spot-on. Can't recommend it enough.
As much as I love Mark Mothersbaugh's art, I wish he'd put RUGRATS on hold and get into the studio to produce just one unadulterated Devo album, one which would balance his keyboard wizardry with the more guitar-driven work of his wonderful brother Bob and the inspired cynicism of Gerald Casale. While you can "never go back," isn't that what Devo was all about conceptually?

Rating:
Summary: Joyeux Mutato
Review: I was just a little suspect about this release, but checked it out because...well, it's Devo. Couldn't resist for that fact alone. Despite the late date of the show, 1996, I was completely overwhelmed by their energy, humor, attitude, and endurance during the entirety of the show. The whole Devo sensibility was more intact than it had been since 1982, but without all the gimmicks of their early image (not that I would ever knock it). This is Devo at about as stripped down as any band can be, and they're simply amazing. Their musicianship is astonishingly spot-on. Can't recommend it enough.
As much as I love Mark Mothersbaugh's art, I wish he'd put RUGRATS on hold and get into the studio to produce just one unadulterated Devo album, one which would balance his keyboard wizardry with the more guitar-driven work of his wonderful brother Bob and the inspired cynicism of Gerald Casale. While you can "never go back," isn't that what Devo was all about conceptually?

Rating:
Summary: Sucks.
Review: I'm a hardcore Devo fan and I think they're geniuses. I've read about some of the amazing stage theatrics they've performed and was excited about this dvd. Unfortunately this dvd sucks. Instead of being footage from when they were new and experimental in the 70s or at their peak in the 80s the show is from a 1996 Lollapalooza show. Filmed in broad daylight a very middleaged Devo perform for a crowd of people wearing Metallica t-shirts possibly waiting for Metallica to come on. The crowd seens bored and although Devo put on a better show as middle aged men than other bands do in their prime they are clearly phoning in their performance. The dvd ends with Mark Mothersborough telling the camera that he was dissapointed with the show and looks annoyed when asked if he plans on touring again.

Why not release a concert dvd of the Beginning was the End or of their other performance art? Who has the rights to those shows?


Rating:
Summary: Spudboys and Spudgirls rejoice!
Review: It is up to you to fullfill your genetic imperative and buy this DVD. Great live DEVO! Who could ask for more. Buy this and we will get more DVD's from DEVO!

Rating:
Summary: D-E-V-O!
Review: It was 1977 when I first saw the magic and aura that is Devo in a video for "Come Back Jonee" that had just aired on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. (Anybody remember him?). From that point on, I was hooked. Devo was, and are, unlike anything before or after them. Their quirky, revolutionary sounds and visuals influenced many bands that followed, and being a "Devotee" you always felt like you were a part of some secret loyal underground club who shunned the conventions of the rest of world, whether or not you fully understood the messages (sometimes I think even Devo wasn't sure what they were spouting off about). Nobody married avante garde electronica and subversive humor with a uniquely identifiable sound and concept better than Devo. They were 100% original, and you'd be hard pressed to pinpoint their musical influences (perhaps Bowie, The Residents, or Kraftwerk, but Devo was clearly defined). They perhaps lost their way after departing Warner for the smaller Enigma label, running out of fresh ideas and no longer as immediately relevant in an ever-changing fickle world of flash-in-the-pan artists and music.

Happily, this performance drives the point home as to just how cool and radical they really were. I was hesitant at first to buy this, as the thought of my heroes becoming some fat, bloated 40-somethings who got together for pure nostalgia would sadly dillute the impact of the band and it's history, but thankfully I was dead wrong. This is no Motown review reunion, Devo rocks! They sound raw and inspired, and best of all: wonderfully strange and out of touch with the rest of the world (for the better). Their music still sounds as bizarre and off-kilter as ever, proving that little has changed in 20+ years of music evolution. Duty Now for the Future!