The discography of Devo, an American new wave band formed in 1973, consists of 25 singles and 9 studio albums. Devo was founded by Gerald Casale, Bob Lewis and Mark Mothersbaugh. Devo currently consists of brothers Mark Mothersbaugh (synthesizers, guitar, lead vocals) and Bob Mothersbaugh (lead guitar, lead and backing vocals), Gerald Casale (bass guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals), Josh Hager (rhythm guitar, keyboards) and Josh Freese (drums). The band rose to prominence in the US during the new wave era with their single "Whip It". The band have released nine studio albums, ten extended plays, fourteen compilation albums, ten live albums, one soundtrack album and twenty-five singles.
| Devo discography | |
|---|---|
 Mark Mothersbaugh performing as part of Devo at Benicàssim, on July 20, 2007. | |
| Studio albums | 9 |
| Live albums | 10 |
| Compilation albums | 16 |
| Video albums | 9 |
| EPs | 10 |
| Singles | 25 |
| Soundtrack albums | 1 |
Before signing a record contract with Warner Bros. in the US, the band released several singles on the independent Stiff Records label that charted in the UK. Devo followed up with their debut full-length album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in July 1978. The album reached No. 12 in the UK and No. 78 in the US. In 1980, Devo released Freedom of Choice, which went Platinum in the US and Gold in Canada, making it their highest selling album. Their 1981 follow-up, New Traditionalists, peaked at No. 23 on the American charts and was their final album to chart in the UK. Devo's chart success slowly fell throughout the decade until they released their apparently final studio album, Smooth Noodle Maps, in 1990; it failed to chart in either the US or the UK.
In 1996, Devo released a multimedia CD-ROM adventure game, Devo Presents Adventures of the Smart Patrol, through Inscape. Members of Devo also began recording together under different aliases, including the surf rock-influenced the Wipeouters and Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers. From 1990 through 2009, no new albums under the Devo name were released. However, a new single, "Watch Us Work It", was released as a digital download in 2007 and as part of a 12-inch EP in 2008. A new studio album, Something for Everybody, was released on June 15, 2010.
A tribute album to Devo, entitled We Are Not Devo, was released by Centipede Records in 1997 and featured various artists—including the Aquabats, Voodoo Glow Skulls and the Vandals—covering some of the band's songs.[1]
Albums edit
Studio albums edit
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
AUS [3] |
CAN [4] |
NZ [5] |
UK [6][7][8] | |||
| 1978 | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
|
78 | 57 | — | 7 | 12 | |
| 1979 | Duty Now for the Future
|
73 | 51 | 87 | 13 | 49 | |
| 1980 | Freedom of Choice
|
22 | 5 | 75 | 9 | 47 | |
| 1981 | New Traditionalists
|
23 | 3 | 32 | 6 | 50 | |
| 1982 | Oh, No! It's Devo
|
47 | 57 | — | 10 | — | |
| 1984 | Shout
|
83 | — | 92 | — | — | |
| 1988 | Total Devo
|
189 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1990 | Smooth Noodle Maps
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 2010 | Something for Everybody
|
30 | — | — | — | 164 [12] |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
Live albums edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | DEV-O Live
|
|
| 1989 | Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace
|
|
| 1992 | DEVO Live: The Mongoloid Years
|
|
| 2005 | Devo Live 1980
|
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Live in Central Park
|
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| 2012 | Live 1981 Seattle
|
|
| 2014 | Live at Max's Kansas City - November 15, 1977
|
|
| 2014 | Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig
|
|
| 2014 | Miracle Witness Hour
|
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| 2015 | Hardcore Devo Live!
|
Soundtracks edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Adventures of the Smart Patrol
|
|
Compilation albums edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | E-Z Listening Disc
|
|
| 1990 | Hardcore Devo: Volume One
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Devo's Greatest Hits
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Devo's Greatest Misses
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| 1991 | Hardcore Devo: Volume Two
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| 1993 | Hot Potatoes: The Best of Devo
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| 1998 | Greatest Hits
|
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| 2000 | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology
|
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Recombo DNA
|
| |
| 2002 | The Essentials
|
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| 2003 | Whip It & Other Hits
|
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| 2013 | Something Else for Everybody
|
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| 2015 | Social Fools: The Virgin Singles 1978–1982
|
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| 2016 | E-Z Listening Muzak
|
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| 2023 | Art Devo 1973–1977[17]
|
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50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023
|
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Box sets edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | This Is the Devo Box
|
|
| 2009 | The Ultra DEVO-lux Ltd. Edition
|
|
Extended plays edit
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
AUS [3] |
NZ [5] |
UK [6][8] | ||||
| 1977 | B Stiff EP
|
— | — | — | — |
| |
| 1978 | Mechanical Man EP
|
— | — | — | — |
| |
| 1981 | DEV-O Live
|
50 | 1 | 14 | — |
| |
| 1983 | Theme from Doctor Detroit
|
59 | 88 | 42 | 98 | ||
| 1988 | Baby Doll EP
|
— | — | — | — | ||
Disco Dancer EP
|
— | — | — | — | |||
| 1990 | Post Post-Modern Man EP
|
— | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | Watch Us Work It
|
— | — | — | — |
| |
| 2010 | Song Study EP
|
— | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | What We Do: Electro-Devo Remix Cornucopia – EP
|
— | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
Singles edit
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album/EP | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [19][20] |
US Dance [19] |
AUS [3] |
CAN [4] |
NZ [5] |
UK [6][8] | ||||
| 1977 | "Mongoloid" | — | — | — | — | — | — | B Stiff (EP) | |
| "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | — | — | 98 | — | — | 41 | |||
| 1978 | "Be Stiff" | — | — | — | — | — | 71 | ||
| "Jocko Homo" | — | — | — | — | — | 62 | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | ||
| "Come Back Jonee" | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | |||
| 1979 | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" b/w "Penetration in the Centrefold" (non-album track) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Duty Now for the Future | |
| "Secret Agent Man" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | "Girl U Want" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Freedom of Choice | |
| "Whip It" | 14 | 8[A] | 77 | 11 | 11 | 51 | |||
| "Freedom of Choice" | 103 | 71 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1981 | "Working in the Coal Mine" | 43[B] | 30 | 20 | 17 | 8 | — | Heavy Metal (soundtrack) | |
| "Beautiful World" | 102 | — | 14 | — | 15 | — | New Traditionalists | ||
| "Through Being Cool" | 107 | 32[C] | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1982 | "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth"[21] b/w "Mecha-Mania Boy" (non-album track) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Peek-a-Boo!" | 106 | 13 | 45 | — | — | — | Oh, No! It's Devo | ||
| "That's Good" | 104 | 6[D] | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1983 | "Theme from Doctor Detroit" | 59 | 50 | 88 | — | 42 | 98 | Doctor Detroit (soundtrack) | |
| 1984 | "Are U Experienced?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shout | |
| 1985 | "Here to Go" | [E] | — | 40 | — | — | — | ||
| "Shout" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1988 | "Disco Dancer" | [E] | 45 | — | — | — | — | Total Devo | |
| "Baby Doll" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1990 | "Post Post-Modern Man" | [F] | 26 | — | — | — | — | Smooth Noodle Maps | |
| "Stuck in a Loop" | - | - | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | "Watch Us Work It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Something for Everybody | |
| 2009 | "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010 | "Fresh" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Greetings from Akron, Ohio (Split 7-inch with The Black Keys) Devo track is "Human Rocket" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
- A^ "Whip It" and "Freedom of Choice" charted together with "Gates of Steel" as a triple-sided single on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart.
- B^ "Working in the Coal Mine" additionally charted at number 53 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[19]
- C^ "Through Being Cool" charted together with "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth" and "Going Under" as a triple-sided single on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart.
- D^ "That's Good" charted together with "Speed Racer" as a double-sided hit on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart.
- E^ "Here to Go" and "Disco Dancer" additionally charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart at numbers 44 and 40 respectively.[19]
- F^ "Post Post-Modern Man" additionally charted at #7 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[19]
Other releases edit
This section is intended to be a compendium of the many properly released tracks that Devo has recorded for TV and film soundtracks, video games and various artists compilation albums, as well as rare remixes and other oddities. It does not list any of the tracks that appeared on proper studio albums and singles, nor any tracks from collections of previously unreleased songs (such as the Hardcore Devo compilations) or illicit bootleg releases.
| Year | Title | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Flimsy Wrap" | 7-inch flexi-disc included with UK picture disc copies of Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | Segment of a radio DJ talking during a set break of the band's 11/10/78 concert at the Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California |
| "It Takes a Worried Man" (AKA: "Worried Man Blues") | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | A cover of the folk song by the Carter Family, from the film Human Highway | |
| 1981 | "Uncontrollable Urge" (Live) | Urgh! A Music War: The Album | Recorded live at the California Theater, San Diego, CA, August 20, 1980 |
| 1982 | "That's Good" (Extended Version) | "That's Good" promotional 12-inch single | Artificially extended mix using "cut and paste" techniques |
| "Speed Racer" (Extended Version) | "That's Good" promotional 12-inch single | Artificially extended mix using "cut and paste" techniques | |
| 1983 | "Luv-Luv" | Songs from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Doctor Detroit | |
| "That's Good (Extended Edit)" | Disconet Program Service Volume 5 Program 9, Disconet Mix, 1983 | Mixed By Valapucci | |
| 1985 | "Let's Talk" | Fright Night: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Reissued on Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology. |
|
| 1986 | "Bread and Butter" | 9½ Weeks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Reissued on Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology. |
A cover of the song by the Newbeats |
| 1987 | "I Wouldn't Do That to You" | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | From the film Happy Hour |
| "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | A cover of the song by Brian Hyland, from the film Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | |
| 1988 | "Bush Whacked" | Recombo DNA | 1979 session outtake jam. 7-inch flexi-disc included with Volume 1, Issue 6 of Reflex Magazine in August 1988. An extended version (labeled "Prosthetic Version") was issued on Recombo DNA. |
| "Baby Doll (Sung in Swedish)" | Tapeheads: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Alternate version of "Baby Doll" from Total Devo | |
| 1993 | "Whip It" (HMS & M Mix) | Hot Potatoes: The Best of Devo | Remixed by Psychoslaphead |
| 1995 | "Are You Ready?!" | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: the Movie - Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture | |
| "Girl U Want" (Remake) | Tank Girl: Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack | Based on the cover by Soundgarden | |
| "Part of You" | Infinite Zero CD reissue of Oh, No! It's Devo | Previously unreleased 1982 session outtake from Oh, No! It's Devo | |
| 1996 | "Supercop" | Supercop: Music From and Inspired by the Dimension Motion Picture | |
| "Head Like a Hole" | Supercop: Music From and Inspired by the Dimension Motion Picture. Reissued on Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology. |
A cover of the song by Nine Inch Nails | |
| "Theme From Adventures of the Smart Patrol" | Music From Adventures of the Smart Patrol | A studio version of an instrumental track played by Devo at the beginning of concerts on their New Traditionalists tour. Recorded for the Inscape PC CD-ROM game Adventures of the Smart Patrol under the name "The Smart Patrol". | |
| "That's What He Said" | Music From Adventures of the Smart Patrol | Recorded for the Inscape PC CD-ROM game Adventures of the Smart Patrol under the name "The Smart Patrol". | |
| "U Got Me Bugged" (Alternate Vocal Mix) | Music From Adventures of the Smart Patrol | Demo recorded in 1975 and released in 1991 on Hardcore Devo: Vol. 2. Overdubbed for the Inscape PC CD-ROM game Adventures of the Smart Patrol. | |
| 1997 | "Thanks to You" | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | From the film Meet Wally Sparks |
| "Communication Break-up" | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | From the film Meet Wally Sparks | |
| 1998 | "Huboon Stomp" | Chef Aid: The South Park Album | A studio version of a very early Devo song that had only been performed live |
| "Witch Doctor" | The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture | A cover of the song by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. | |
| 1999 | "One Dumb Thing" | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | 1982 session outtake from Oh, No! It's Devo. Restored, remixed and completed for the PC CD-ROM game Interstate '82. |
| "Faster and Faster" | Recombo DNA | 1982 session outtake from Oh, No! It's Devo. Restored, remixed and completed for the PC CD-ROM game Interstate '82. | |
| "Modern Life" | Recombo DNA | 1982 session outtake from Oh, No! It's Devo. Restored, remixed and completed for the PC CD-ROM game Interstate '82. | |
| 2000 | "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat" | Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology | Studio version of a song sung by Booji Boy and often played live on the early tours. The song originates from the 1966 Japanese sci-fi film War of the Gargantuas. |
| 2001 | "It's All Good" | Digital download | Originally released as a flash animation on Shockwave, credited to "Big Dirty Farmers". No longer available, but audio circulates as bootleg. |
| 2002 | "Ohio" | When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear | A cover of the song by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, chronicling the events of the Kent State massacre of 1970. (Devo members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale have often cited this event as the catalyst for the creation of Devo.) |
| 2003 | "Go Monkey Go" | Heroes & Villains: Music Inspired by the Powerpuff Girls | A song written for the character Mojo Jojo and appearing in bumpers for the Cartoon Network |
| 2004 | "Whip It" (Philip Steir & Ramin Sakurai Remix) | The Cornerstone Player 061 | 2 CD/1 DVD promotional set for the film Hustle & Flow. |
| 2006 | "Girl U Want" (Black Light Odyssey Mix) | Future Retro | |
| 2009 | "Red Shark" | Digital-only "Devo Demo Bundle" for fans who purchased concert tickets | C. 1979–1980 demo version of "It's Not Right" |
| "Merry Something to You" | YouTube video | Released December 2009. Video set to stills of Mark Mothersbaugh artwork. Later released on 2010 compilation Gift Wrapped II: Snowed In. | |
| 2012 | "Monsterman" | Monster Man TV series. Reissued on Something Else for Everybody. |
Theme song for the Syfy series Monster Man. |
| "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro! (Seamus Unleashed)" | Digital download | Song poking fun at the scandal involving Mitt Romney's former dog, Seamus, being strapped to the roof of the family's car in a dog carrier. | |
| "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro (Remember Seamus)" [Remix] | Digital download | ||
| 2022 | "Empire" | Good Music to Ensure Safe Abortion Access to All | By David Byrne and Devo. Part of a various artists compilation album made available for only 24 hours on Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to Abortion Care Network, Brigid Alliance and Noise for Now.[22] |
Filmography edit
Video releases edit
- 1979: The Men Who Make the Music
- 1984: We're All Devo
- 1993: The Complete Truth About De-Evolution
- 2003: Devo Live
- 2004: Live in the Land of the Rising Sun
- 2005: Devo Live 1980
- 2009: Live at the London HMV Forum – exclusive to Ultra Devo-lux Limited Edition box set[23]
- 2014: Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig – paired with The Men Who Make the Music
- 2015: Hardcore Devo Live!
Film appearances edit
- 1976: The Truth About De-Evolution
- 1980: Pray TV – appearing as "Dove"
- 1982: Human Highway
- 1982: Urgh! A Music War
- 1983: Entrées de secours (short)
- 1990: The Spirit of '76
- 1998: The Rugrats Movie
- 2011: Shut Up, Little Man!
TV appearances edit
- 1978: Saturday Night Live
- 1979: Chorus
- 1979: Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
- 1980, 1981: Fridays
- 1980: American Bandstand
- 1980: The Merv Griffin Show
- 1981: Evening Magazine
- 1982: Square Pegs
- 1982: Late Night with David Letterman
- 1996: Ellen
- 2019: Chi Chi & Devo – documentary for the Golf Channel[24]
References edit
General
- "Devo > Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
- "Devo > Discography". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
Specific
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Various Artists - We Are Not Devo". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ a b "Devo Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 88. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "Search – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c "charts.nz – Discography Devo". © 2006–2010 Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c Warwick, 2004. p.320
- ^ Warwick, 2004. p.320
- ^ a b c "Official Charts > Devo". The Official UK Charts Company. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Album Certification". RIAA. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ "Q: ARE WE NOT MEN? NO WE ARE DEVO BPI certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "CRIA Searchable Database". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: Asher D – Dyverse". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ "DEVO "Live 1981 Seattle" 2-LP Set: Record Store Day". Club Devo. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "Devo to release 'New Traditionalists: Live 1981 Seattle' on CD with 2 bonus tracks". Slicing Up Eyeballs. April 1, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "Devo - Live At Max's Kansas City--November 15, 1977". Record Store Day. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "Devo - Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig". Record Store Day. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ Wray, Daniel Dylan (August 19, 2023). "'We were once paid $50 to quit': new wave heroes Devo on boos, Bowie and retiring after 50 years". Music. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Photo and blurb on Devo-Obsesso website". Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Devo Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Bubbling Under Singles & Albums (1998): 64
- ^ Gimarc, George (2005). Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970-1982. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87930-848-3. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Brodsky, Rachel (October 7, 2022). "Good Music To Ensure Safe Abortion Access To All Compilation Available For One Day Only". Stereogum. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ Pilmer, Michael. "Ultra DEVO-Lux Ltd. Edition Package". Devo-Obsesso. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ Golf Channel Public Relations (December 17, 2019). "GOLF Films' "Chi Chi & Devo" Premieres Thursday, Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. ET". Golf Channel. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
Notes
- Warwick, Neil; Jon Kutner; Tony Brown (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-058-0.
External links edit
- Devo discography discography at Discogs