Whip It, Freedom of Choice, Ton o’ Luv, Gates of Steel 4. New Traditionalists (1981) Format: 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC (Warner Bros. Pressing)
The “flowerpot hats” era. Synthesizers take full command. The opening one-two punch of “Through Being Cool” (a direct attack on nostalgia) and “Jerkin’ Back ‘n’ Forth” (a dance track about compulsive behavior) showcases Devo’s pop craft. But listen to the B-side: “Beautiful World” is the most chilling satire of suburban optimism ever recorded. The FLAC rip preserves the icy high-end of the Prophet-5 synthesizer. Devo - 8 Albums -1978-1999- -FLAC-
Shout, The Satisfied Mind, Puppet Boy 7. Total Devo (1988) Format: 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC (Enigma Records) Whip It, Freedom of Choice, Ton o’ Luv, Gates of Steel 4
The difficult second album—and Devo’s most industrial. Often overlooked, this is the sound of a band doubling down on de-evolution as a corporate mandate. “The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize” is pop detourned; “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA” is a seven-minute paranoid masterpiece about genetic compliance. The FLAC encoding captures the dry, claustrophobic production—no reverb, no mercy. Synthesizers take full command
Peek-a-Boo!, That’s Good, Big Mess, Speed Racer 6. Shout (1984) Format: 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC (Original US Release)