| March 9, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lyrics: Crack that whip When a problem comes along
Now whip it When a good time turns around I say whip it Crack that whip When a problem comes along Now whip it Get It: Get your copy of Devo’s deluxe, remastered edition Freedom of Choice here: And if the album isn’t enough, you can get your very own energy dome here: Dances with Bass YouTube Channel:
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In the early 1970s while funk, R&B, and protest records were dominating the airwaves, something, uh, peculiar was percolating in the Buckeye state. While at Kent State University, two sets of brothers—Mark and Bob Mothersbaughs and Gerald and Bob Casales—formed a band called Sextet Devo. The impetus for the “Devo” part of the name came from the band’s theory that the human race was devolving while evolving. The band lineup changed a number of times between 1973 and 1976. Eventually, drummer Alan Myers joined the band and set the classic quintet that would form the core of the band through its early 1980s prime. (I’m cutting some corners here for the sake of brevity.) Devo saw its first glimmer of limelight in 1976 when the band’s short film, The Truth About De-Evolution, wan a prize at the Ann Arbor Music Festival and attracted the attention of David Bowie. The short film consisted of videos for two Devo singles, Secret Agent Man and Jocko Homo. Grandfather of Grunge Neil Young asked the band to participate in his film, Human Highway, in which the band portrayed “nuclear garbagemen. The band wrote their own parts while Mark Mothersbaugh scored and recorded much of the soundtrack.  With Bowie’s help, the band managed to sign a record deal in 1978. The band’s first two albums, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Duty Now for the Future, began building the band’s future cult following. In 1978, Devo reached a national audience when it appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed the Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and its original track, Jocko Homo. Devo officially broke big in 1980 with the release of today’s featured album, Freedom of Choice, which contained the mega-hit, Whip It. Devo began wearing its ziggurat-shaped red hats, known as “energy domes,” during its Freedom of Choice tour. They were custom made for the band, and are sometimes referred to as “flower pots.” Mark Mothersbaugh has been quoted as saying that the hats were inspired by the German Bauhaus movement (a German art school that was famous for its modernistic approach to art), geometric fashion, and Aztec temples. In 1981, Devo also contributed their cover of the 1966 Lee Dorsey hit, Working in the Coal Mine, to the film Heavy Metal. Devo also toured with Toni Basil (of Mickey fame) as her stage band. In 1982, Devo recorded the title track to Dan Aykroyd’s movie, Doctor Detroit. The band continued touring and recording until 1984 when they hung up their energy domes. Mark Mark Mothersbaugh composed music for Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and released a solo project, Musik for Insomniaks. Devo reformed in 1987, split again in 1994, and has reunited a number of times through the subsequent years. They still tour today, though with a different lineup. Drummer Alan Myers died of stomach cancer in 2013 at age 58. Guitarist, keyboardist, and founding member Bob Casale died in 2014 of heart failure at age 61. Video: Here is the video for Whip It, which was one of the first videos aired on the then-new MTV:
Prior to striking it big with Whip It, Devo released a cover of The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction in 1977, which appeared on one of three 7-inch vinyl singles the band released that were eventually repacked into an EP CD titled B Stiff. While this is a cover, it is 100 percent Devo.
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