Rooted in the conceptual notions of de-evolution, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is the debut LP from Ohio rock band Devo and a pioneering declaration of high art.
A foundation of American new wave, Devo’s debut album pushed forward synth-pop and art-punk aesthetics. A tightly wound, angular statement of intent — merging punk’s confrontational bluntness with art rock abstraction and new wave technology - From the opening pulses of Uncontrollable Urge and the robotic, twisted cover of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, the album shoots out of the blocks as an energetic critique of rock tradition with gaudy theatricality. It was produced by Brian Eno (with remix contributions from David Bowie) under circumstances where Eno financed travel and studio costs anticipating the band’s future signing. There were no issues there, with the album debuting in the early autumn of 1978 on Warner Bros. Records in the USA and Virgin Records in the UK, but those goliaths of major label music seem both to be such odd homes for an album of groundbreaking artistic experimentalism. Emerging from Akron, Ohio, Devo was formed by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, carrying the concept of “de-evolution” — the idea that civilisation was regressing rather than advancing.
They experimented and developed material throughout the mid-1970s, playing live long before a major label interest took hold. The debut album was recorded between October 1977 and February 1978, with primary sessions taking place at Conny Plank’s iconic studio in Cologne. Under the guidance of Brian Eno - whose experimental work brought a unique dimension to the production - the sessions were not without friction. Eno reported that Devo were often reluctant to stray far from their demo arrangements, and in response he introduced synth parts and textures that the band ultimately used sparingly.
“Anal is the word. They were a terrifying group of people to work with because they were so unable to experiment.” - Brian Eno
David Bowie would step in to remix elements of the album when scheduling constraints allowed it, resulting in a meeting place between Bowie’s inimitable ear, Eno’s ambient and experimental sensibilities and Devo’s driving proto pop/rock. The guitars snap, bass pulses, rhythms jitter, and synths hover at the edges rather than dominating. The reinterpretation of Satisfaction exemplifies the band’s approach in many ways. They take a familiar rock touchstone and bend it into a robotic, alien cadence. Every aspect of the album embraces minimalism, precision and irony.
“Our brand was real freedom, rather than freedom as an advertising campaign where the consumer was told how to be free.” - Gerald Casale
Everything about this amazing band poses a question, even the album title in this instance. There have been few artists over the last fifty years who have experimented with such purpose and lack of fear as Devo. As a listener, not knowing what part is a joke, what is a reference, what is a call to arms and what is a chorus is a huge part of the allure. Everything is up for grabs and across 34 minutes there are absolutely more questions than there are answers. Uniforms, choreography and dense visual language… they were just light years ahead of everyone else.
Whether they necessarily wanted to be a band or not (which the excellent new Netflix documentary discusses), there are very few songs that have ever been committed to tape that pack the impact of Gut Feeling. It is an extraordinary five minutes.
All rise for the evolution and the de-evolution.
