| Mechanical Man EP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 13:48 | |||
| Label | Elevator Records | |||
| Producer | Devo | |||
| Devo chronology | ||||
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Mechanical Man is an EP by the American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Elevator Records. It includes four 4-track basement demos by the band, recorded before they were signed to a record contract with Warner Bros. Records.
The EP was a 7-inch single housed in a plain sleeve that came in a variety of colors including pink, blue, red, yellow and green. Most EP sleeves were numbered on the back, although the exact number of EPs pressed is unknown. [1]
Opinions differ as to the legitimacy of the EP, with some sources considering it a bootleg. [2] In a Trouser Press article on the band dating from January 1979, Cole Springer refers to it as a bootleg of British origin. [3] However, Devo webmaster and archivist Michael Pilmer later stated that it was produced by Virgin Records and included with some copies of the band's 1978 debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in the United Kingdom. [1] In 2023, Devo member Gerald Casale said that the songs were "the five tracks we were most excited about at the time". [2]
"Blackout" was later known as "Clockout" and "Auto-Modown" includes the unlisted track "Space Girl Blues".[ citation needed ]
The tracks "Mechanical Man" and "Auto-Modown" were recorded in 1975, when the band was a quartet and Jim Mothersbaugh was their drummer. [4] "Blackout" was recorded in 1976, when Bob Casale had joined and Alan Myers had replaced Jim. [5]
In 2023, Electronic Sound magazine repressed a limited edition of the Mechanical Man EP on yellow 7-inch vinyl and offered it as a bundle with issue 103, a 100-page celebration of Devo's 50th anniversary. [2] The bundle became their fastest-selling issue ever, quickly selling out on the website, and the magazine later made a poster of the cover available for sale. [6]
Side one
Side two
Instrumental credits adapted from liner notes of 2013 Superior Viaduct reissues of Hardcore Devo: Volume One (1990) [4] and Hardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991). [5] Credits for "Blockhead" cannot be confirmed.
Devo
Technical
Devo, often stylized as DEVO, is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales, along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", the song that gave the band mainstream popularity.
Freedom of Choice is the third studio album by the American new wave band Devo, released in May 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The album contained their biggest hit, "Whip It", which hit No. 8 and No. 14 on the Billboard Club Play Singles and Pop Singles charts, respectively. Freedom of Choice peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
Oh, No! It's Devo is the fifth studio album by American new wave band Devo, released in 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded over a period of four months, between May and September 1982, at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and was produced by Roy Thomas Baker.
New Traditionalists is the fourth studio album by the American new wave band Devo, released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded over a period of four months between December 1980 and April 1981 at the Power Station in Manhattan, New York City. It features the minor hits "Through Being Cool" and "Beautiful World".
Robert Edward Casale Jr., or "Bob 2", was an American musician, composer and record producer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, which released a Top 20 hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It". The band has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. He was the younger brother of their co-founder and bass guitarist Gerald Casale.
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is the debut studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in August 1978 on Warner Bros. in the North America and Virgin Records in Europe. Produced by Brian Eno, the album was recorded between October 1977 and February 1978, primarily in Cologne, West Germany.
Duty Now for the Future is the second studio album by American new wave band Devo, released on June 1, 1979, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ken Scott, the album was recorded between September 1978 and early 1979 at Chateau Recorders in Hollywood.
Shout is the sixth studio album by American new wave band Devo, released on October 8, 1984 by Warner Bros. Records.
DEVO Live 1980 is a live album and video DualDisc release by American new wave band Devo, released by Target Video in 2005.
"Jocko Homo" is the B-side to Devo's first single, "Mongoloid", released in 1977 on Devo's own label, Booji Boy Records and later released in the UK on Stiff Records. The song was re-recorded as the feature song for Devo's first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! on Warner Bros. Records in 1978. The original version peaked at No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart.
Hardcore Devo: Volume One is the first of two collections of demos by the American new wave band Devo, released on August 17, 1990, by Rykodisc.
Robert Curtis Lewis is an American composer and musician. He is best known as a co-founder of the new wave band Devo. He graduated from Kent State University shortly after the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970.
DEV-O Live is a live EP by American new wave band Devo. It was recorded during the Freedom of Choice tour on August 16, 1980, at the Fox Warfield Theatre in San Francisco.
Greatest Misses is a compilation album of songs by American new wave band Devo, released in 1990 by Warner Bros. Records. Greatest Misses contains lesser-known tracks and alternate versions of tracks from other albums. It has a Parental Advisory label because of the song "Penetration in the Centrefold".
Hardcore Devo: Volume Two is the last of two collections of demos by the American new wave band Devo, released on August 23, 1991, by Rykodisc.
DEVO Live: The Mongoloid Years is a live album consisting of recordings from three early performances by American new wave band Devo, released by Rykodisc in 1992.
The Truth About De-Evolution is a 9-minute short film written by Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, for the band Devo, and directed by Chuck Statler. Filmed in May 1976, it contains two separate songs: "Secret Agent Man" and "Jocko Homo". It won First Prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 1977, and was routinely screened before Devo live concerts. It is included as an extra on the Criterion Collection's release of Island of Lost Souls (1932). Stills from the film were used for the front and back cover of European releases and the inner sleeve of American releases of Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978).
B Stiff is the first EP by American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Stiff Records.
Adventures of the Smart Patrol is a compilation album featuring tracks from the 1996 Inscape CD-ROM computer game of the same name created by American new wave band Devo. It was released in 1996 by Discovery Records.
Hardcore Devo Live! is a concert film and live album, showcasing Devo's June 28, 2014, performance at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, California on the 2014 Hardcore Devo Live tour. The tour commemorates the 40th anniversary of the band and pays tribute to former band member Bob Casale, who died February 17, 2014. The set list exclusively focuses on songs written between 1974 and 1977, before Devo had a recording contract. Many of the songs had not been performed by the band since 1977. While the music is largely performed as a quartet, the band is augmented offstage by Brian Applegate on additional keyboards and bass guitar.
