Four years had passed since the previous Devo album, Shout (1984). Since then, the band had lost their recording deal, drummer Alan Myers had quit, and lead vocalist, Mark Mothersbaugh occupied his time recording music for the show, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and the score to the 1987film, Revenge Of The Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise. The latter he brought in long time Devo collaborator, and friend, Gerald Casale.
This would also lead to a formal Devo collaboration for the song, Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, which would play at the beginning of the film. Sadly, no soundtrack would ever be released for the film, leading to a lot of great music seemingly being lost to time.
In 1987, Devo would also sign a two-record deal with Enigma Records, who would also revisit Mothersbaugh's 1985 solo album, Muzik for Insomniaks, expanding it for a two CD re-release. As for Devo, the Casale brothers, Gerald, and Bob, would pick up the pieces with the Mothersbaugh brothers, Mark, and Bob, bringing in form Sparks drummer, David Kendrick, to fill the role of Myers.
Their first project would be for the 1988 film, Slaughterhouse Rock, starring Toni Basil. Not unexpected, the film would bomb in theaters but become a cult classic horror film on VHS and DVD. Much like Nerds, there would be no formal soundtrack release.
Devo would then set their sights on a comeback album, 1988's Total Devo. This unfortunately would not pan out, with the album charting far worse than any of their others to date. Further, it would receive overall poor critical reviews. Despite this, the band headed out on a world tour, and released the live album, Now It Can Be Told: Devo At The Palace in 1989.
But let's pause there and actually play through today's Retro Spins.
Believe it or not, Total Devo starts out on a really solid note. I was really digging Baby Doll, Disco Dancer, Some Things Never Change, and Plain Truth. However, by song five, everything seemingly did a 180, and tanked. Probably the biggest offender to come was the horrible cover of Otis Blackwell's Don't Be Cruel, originally performed by Elvis Presley. It just doesn't hold a candle to the classic version.
This lull does unfortunately overshadow everything else, and I really only got into one more track, I'd Cry If You Died. That was definitely disappointing considering how well everything started off.
There are some specifics to note with this album. Those being that the original vinyl version didn't include the song, Sexi Luv, while the cassette version featured an extended version of Some Things Never Change. Both would be included on the CD version, with the latter being included as a bonus track at the end, while also featuring the shorter vinyl version in its normal slotted position.
Devo released their second, and final album on Enigma, Smooth Noodle Maps in 1990. The album would fail to chart and be considered another failure. In 1991, the label, who were already struggling financially, would fold, and all of its assets be sold off to EMI. As a result, the band would once again find themselves without a recording contract.
Undeterred, the guys would make an appearance in the film, The Spirit of '76, released in 1990, and release a series of demo compilations entitled, Hardcore Devo: Volume One (1990) and Hardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991) through Rykodisc. However, it would be on a bus while watching This Is Spinal Tap, that the band would confer in each other that what they were seeing on the screen had essentially become their lives. They'd agree that things needed to change, resulting in them agreeing to no longer tour. Their final show was in March of 1991, and upon completion they disbanded.
In 1996, Devo filled one of the "mystery guest" spots at Lollapalooza and made an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival. They'd also take part in the creation of the Inscape adventure game, Adventures of the Smart Patrol. While the game would perform poorly, Devo's popular comeback was not. The guys began headlining tours again, which eventually brought them full circle back to Warner Bros. for 2010's Something for Everybody, their final studio album to date.
While the album performed decently, it wasn't the successful comeback that everyone expected. At least not on the studio album side. Touring, Devo continued to make waves and grew even further with the creation of the annual convention, DEVOtional.
2005 brought them back to their hit, Whip It, which they re-recorded to fill a Swiffer ad. I mean, sometimes you just gotta get paid, even though they would later say they regretted the decision.
Disney would then make them an offer to create Devo 2.0, a series of re-recorded song, with vocals and performances provided by children. It would be released in 2026 on a two CD / DVD combo and become a bit of an irony for the band, who would state the required changes to lyrics was ultimately the complete opposite of what their songs were originally intended as.
Warner Bros. and Devo announced a re-release of Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice in 2009 and continue to work with the label until 2012. This was driven by the creation of their own website, where to this day they sell their own merchandise, including Devo wearable gear and unreleased music. They also continue to actively tour and release periodic singles. They're currently performing a series of shows across the USA, which will wrap up in October.
With that, I've checked off Devo from my collection of albums which needed a listening session. Tomorrow, I'm off to something "new", but at this point, I haven't actually landed on what that will be. I guess we'll all find out tomorrow.
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