| Recombo DNA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by KRK Ryden | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:32:36 | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | Devo | |||
| Devo chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Recombo DNA is a collection of studio demos and unreleased tracks by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in 2000 by Rhino Entertainment's Rhino Handmade label and limited to 5,000 copies.
Recombo DNA is culled from cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, multi-tracks and DATs from the Devo archives, with an emphasis on recordings that had not previously been illicitly circulated, augmented with some sonically upgraded versions of tracks that had previously leaked. The recordings span the era following the band's first independently released singles to the year prior to their signing with Enigma Records. [2]
On August 11, 2017, Futurismo Records reissued Recombo DNA on quadruple vinyl with additional material and new artwork. For this LP edition, "Somewhere With Devo" was removed from the main track listing, retitled "The Somewhere Suite" and included on a 3-inch Mini CD, a release which had been originally planned for May 1989. [3]
"The Somewhere Suite" is in six parts, and an original advertisement from 1989, reproduced inside the LP reissue, labels them as follows: [4]
Notes adapted from liner notes of original 2000 Rhino Handmade edition. [2]
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald V. Casale, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Recombo DNA (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 4-track demo recorded summer 1977 | 2:06 |
| 2. | "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat (Live)" | M. Mothersbaugh | Live in Minneapolis, 1978, with vocal by Booji Boy; a studio version was recorded for Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | 5:28 |
| 3. | "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Casale, Gary Jackett | Basement 4-track demo from Hardcore Devo sessions | 2:17 |
| 4. | "Be Stiff (Alternate Mix)" | Casale, Bob Lewis | Basement 4-track demo from Hardcore Devo sessions | 2:43 |
| 5. | "Pink Pussycat (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, B. Mothersbaugh | Duty Now for the Future album demo; recorded c. late 1978/early 1979 | 4:08 |
| 6. | "Goo Goo Itch (Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | Duty Now for the Future album demo; music recorded 1976, vocals re-recorded c. late 1978/early 1979 | 2:25 |
| 7. | "Strange Pursuit (Demo)" | Duty Now for the Future album demo; recorded c. late 1978/early 1979 | 2:31 | |
| 8. | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | Duty Now for the Future album demo; recorded c. late 1978/early 1979 | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Bushwhacked (Prosthetic Version)" | Live jam recorded on 2-track tape during Freedom of Choice sessions in 1979. Edited version released as a flexi-disc with Reflex Magazine in August 1988. | 4:41 | |
| 10. | "Girl U Want (Demo Alternate Version)" | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 2:59 | |
| 11. | "Turn Around (Demo Alternate Version)" | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 2:12 | |
| 12. | "Snowball (Demo Alternate Version)" | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 2:49 | |
| 13. | "Luv & Such" | M. Mothersbaugh | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980; early version of "Mr. B's Ballroom" | 2:53 |
| 14. | "Gates of Steel (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Casale, Susan Schmidt, Deborah Smith | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 3:29 |
| 15. | "Planet Earth (Demo Alternate Version)" | Casale | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 3:17 |
| 16. | "Whip It (Demo Alternate Version)" | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 2:39 | |
| 17. | "Cold War (Demo Alternate Version)" | B. Mothersbaugh, Casale | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 2:33 |
| 18. | "Time Bomb" | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980; Mark Mothersbaugh vocal version | 3:14 | |
| 19. | "That's Pep (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | Freedom of Choice album demo, recorded at Modern Music studio, 1980 | 2:32 |
| 20. | "Make Me Dance" (labelled "Make Me Move") | Freedom of Choice outtake, recorded February 11, 1980 | 2:16 | |
| 21. | "Gotta Serve Somebody (Live)" | Bob Dylan | Recorded December 31, 1979 at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California; performed by Devo alter ego "Dove", with vocal by Booji Boy | 6:31 |
| 22. | "I Saw Jesus" | Studio demo by "Dove"; recorded April 1, 1981 | 1:31 | |
| 23. | "Psychology of Desire (Demo)" | New Traditionalists album demo, recorded April 3, 1981; early version of "The Super Thing" | 4:23 | |
| 24. | "Pity You (Demo)" (labelled "You Say You Gotta Problem") | M. Mothersbaugh | New Traditionalists album demo, recorded March 24, 1981 | 2:54 |
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald V. Casale, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beautiful World (Demo)" | New Traditionalists album demo, recorded March 24, 1981 | 3:41 | |
| 2. | "Race of Doom (Demo)" | New Traditionalists album demo, recorded March/April 1981 | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "I Desire (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Casale, John Hinckley | Oh, No! It's Devo album demo, recorded early 1982 | 3:18 |
| 4. | "Big Mess (Demo)" | Oh, No! It's Devo album demo; music recorded March 27, 1981 as "Chinese Nighttime", vocals recorded 1982; M. Mothersbaugh vocal version | 2:48 | |
| 5. | "The 4th Dimension (Alternate Version Rough Mix)" | For potential Shout album, recorded c. late 1982 | 4:19 | |
| 6. | "Here to Go (Alternate Version Rough Mix)" | For potential Shout album, recorded c. late 1982 | 3:18 | |
| 7. | "Some Things Don't Change (Rough Mix)" | For potential Shout album, recorded c. late 1982; unused | 2:55 | |
| 8. | "Big Adventure (Rough Mix)" | M. Mothersbaugh | For potential Shout album, recorded c. late 1982; unused; lyrics written and sung by M. Mothersbaugh | 2:46 |
| 9. | "No Noise (Rough Mix)" | For potential Shout album, recorded c. late 1982; unused; same music as "Big Adventure", with lyrics written and sung by G. Casale | 2:50 | |
| 10. | "Love Is Stronger Than Dirt" | Demo recorded May 20, 1982 | 2:11 | |
| 11. | "Faster and Faster" | M. Mothersbaugh | Unfinished recording from Oh, No! It's Devo sessions, recorded June 1982; restored, remixed and completed in November 1998 for CD-ROM video game Interstate '82 [5] | 2:49 |
| 12. | "Modern Life" | M. Mothersbaugh | Unfinished recording from Oh, No! It's Devo sessions, recorded June 1982; restored, remixed and completed in November 1998 for CD-ROM video game Interstate '82 [5] | 3:05 |
| 13. | "The Only One (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | Demo from post-Warner Bros. Devo Demos 86-87 cassette; vocals by Toni Basil | 4:06 |
| 14. | "Baby Doll (Demo)" | Demo from post-Warner Bros. Devo Demos 86-87 cassette; re-recorded for Total Devo album | 3:37 | |
| 15. | "Some Things Never Change (Demo)" | Demo from post-Warner Bros. Devo Demos 86-87 cassette; re-recorded for Total Devo album | 5:28 | |
| 16. | "Plain Truth (Demo)" | Demo from post-Warner Bros. Devo Demos 86-87 cassette; re-recorded for Total Devo album | 4:00 | |
| 17. | "Happy Guy (Demo)" | Demo from post-Warner Bros. Devo Demos 86-87 cassette; re-recorded for Total Devo album | 3:33 | |
| 18. | "Somewhere With Devo (Studio Version Demo)" | Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim / M. Mothersbaugh, Casale | Suite featuring "Somewhere", "Shout", "Social Fools" and "Disco Dancer"; later recorded live for Now It Can Be Told: Devo at the Palace album | 18:23 |
The bonus tracks for this edition appear below in italics.
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Necessary Response with Jerry Casale" | 0:17 | |
| 2. | "Recombo DNA (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:06 |
| 3. | "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat (Live)" | 5:28 | |
| 4. | "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, B. Mothersbaugh, Casale, Jackett | 2:17 |
| 5. | "Be Stiff (Alternate Mix)" | Casale, Lewis | 2:43 |
| 6. | "Pink Pussycat (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, R. Mothersbaugh | 4:08 |
| 7. | "Goo Goo Itch (Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:25 |
| 8. | "Strange Pursuit (Demo)" | 2:31 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Bushwhacked (Prosthetic Version)" | 4:41 | |
| 3. | "Girl U Want (Demo Alternate Version)" | 2:59 | |
| 4. | "Turn Around (Demo Alternate Version)" | 2:12 | |
| 5. | "Snowball (Demo Alternate Version)" | 2:49 | |
| 6. | "Luv & Such" | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:53 |
| 7. | "Conscious Mutation with Mark Mothersbaugh" | 0:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gates of Steel (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Casale, Schmidt, Smith | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Planet Earth (Demo Alternate Version)" | Casale | 3:17 |
| 3. | "Whip It (Demo Alternate Version)" | 2:39 | |
| 4. | "Cold War (Demo Alternate Version)" | 2:33 | |
| 5. | "Time Bomb" | 3:14 | |
| 6. | "That's Pep (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:32 |
| 7. | "Mental Warfare with Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh" | 0:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ton O' Luv (Instrumental Demo)" | 2:56 | |
| 2. | "Make Me Dance" (labelled "Make Me Move") | 2:16 | |
| 3. | "Gotta Serve Somebody (Live)" | Dylan | 6:31 |
| 4. | "I Saw Jesus" | 1:31 | |
| 5. | "Psychology of Desire (Demo)" | 4:23 | |
| 6. | "Pity You (Demo)" (labelled "You Say You Got a Problem") | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:54 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beautiful World (Demo)" | 3:41 | |
| 2. | "Race of Doom (Demo)" | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "I Desire (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Casale, Hinckley | 3:18 |
| 4. | "Big Mess (Demo)" | 2:48 | |
| 5. | "The 4th Dimension (Alternate Rough Mix)" | 4:19 | |
| 6. | "Here to Go (Alternate Rough Mix)" | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Some Things Don't Change (Rough Mix)" | 2:55 | |
| 2. | "Big Adventure (Rough Mix)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:46 |
| 3. | "No Noise (Rough Mix)" | 2:50 | |
| 4. | "Love Is Stronger Than Dirt" | 2:11 | |
| 5. | "Faster and Faster" | M. Mothersbaugh | 2:49 |
| 6. | "Modern Life" | M. Mothersbaugh | 3:05 |
| 7. | "We Are Unique with Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh" | 0:32 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Only One (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Baby Doll (Demo)" | 3:37 | |
| 3. | "Some Things Never Change (Demo)" | 5:28 | |
| 4. | "Plain Truth (Demo)" | 4:00 | |
| 5. | "Happy Guy (Demo)" | 3:33 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Before Baby Doll There Was Satan with Mark Mothersbaugh" | 0:49 |
| 2. | "Satan" | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Red Alert (Unreleased)" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Sad Song (Unreleased Instrumental)" | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Mind Games (Demo)" | 2:27 |
| 6. | "Later Is Now (Instrumental)" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "It's Not Nuclear Bombs You Must Fear with Booji Boy" | 0:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Somewhere Suite (Studio Version Demo)" | Bernstein, Sondheim / M. Mothersbaugh, Casale | 18:23 |
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 Los Angeles and was produced by Roy Thomas Baker.
Duty Now for the Future is the second studio album by American rock band Devo, released in 1979 by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ken Scott, the album was recorded between September 1978 and early 1979 at Chateau Recorders in Hollywood. The majority of the songs on the album had been performed in Devo's live set as early as 1976.
Shout is the sixth studio album by American new wave band Devo, released on October 8, 1984 by Warner Bros. Records.
Total Devo is the seventh studio album by American new wave band Devo, released in 1988 by Enigma Records. "Disco Dancer" hit No. 45 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart for the week of September 3, 1988.
E-Z Listening Disc is a compilation album by the American new wave band Devo, originally released in 1987 by Rykodisc. The album is a compilation of all but one of the tracks from Devo's two E-Z Listening Muzak Cassettes, which had been available only through Club Devo in 1981 and 1984, respectively, consisting of instrumental versions of Devo songs performed in the style of easy listening Muzak or New-age music.
DEVO Live 1980 is a live album and video DualDisc release by American new wave band Devo, released by Target Video in 2005.
Hardcore Devo: Volume One is the first of two collections of demos by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in 1990, on the label Rykodisc.
Smooth Noodle Maps is the eighth studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in June 1990 and would be their last album released through Enigma. The album was recorded over a period of three months between October 1989 and January 1990, at Master Control Studios, in Burbank, California. Smooth Noodle Maps was Devo's last full-length studio album until the release of Something for Everybody in 2010, as well as the last Devo studio album to feature David Kendrick on drums. The album includes a cover version of Bonnie Dobson's song "Morning Dew," transformed into a dance song.
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 Hits is a collection of songs by Devo released in 1990. The album includes several photos from previous albums, and the first half of an article on the band by Howie Klein. The second half of this article appears in the accompanying material for Devo's Greatest Misses.
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".
Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace is a live album by American new wave band Devo, released in 1989 by Enigma Records. The album was recorded during their 1988 "comeback tour" in promotion of the Total Devo album. It contains performances of several cuts from Total Devo but largely focuses on earlier material and also contains one exclusive song, "It Doesn't Matter to Me".
Hardcore Devo: Volume Two is the last of two collections of demos by 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.
Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology is a compilation album by the American new wave band Devo, released in 2000 by Rhino Records. 17 of the 50 tracks were previously unreleased on CD, including single B-sides, outtakes, remixes, soundtrack songs and spoken word material. The band recorded the long-time concert favorite "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat" in the studio for the first time, specifically for inclusion on this compilation.
B Stiff is the first EP by American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Stiff Records.
Mechanical Man is a semi-official EP by new wave musicians Devo, released in 1978. It includes four 4-track basement demos by the band, recorded before they were signed to a record contract with Warner Bros. Records.
Theme from Doctor Detroit is an EP by American new wave band Devo, released in 1983 by MCA Records. It includes the two songs from the Doctor Detroit movie soundtrack recorded by the band, plus a dance mix of the title theme. A music video for the song, containing scenes from the movie as well as footage of the band, was released on the We're All Devo home video in 1984 and also appears on the 2014 re-release of The Complete Truth About De-Evolution video collection.
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.
