50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023
| 50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | October 20, 2023 | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 158:37 | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Devo chronology | ||||
| ||||
50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023 is a compilation album by American band Devo, released on October 20, 2023, through Rhino Entertainment. The first disc contains the band's hits and more well-known material, while the second disc contains rarities and fan favorites. It received positive reviews from critics. The band embarked on a farewell tour in support of the album.[1]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| American Songwriter | [3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[4] |
Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Stephen Thomas Erlewine remarked that it is not "a chronological document, but a celebration of a complex, sometimes baffling body of work. Too long to count as a greatest-hits compilation, too reliant on the band's standards to be of considerable interest to hardcore fans—all the rarities have been in circulation for a while—50 Years of De-Evolution nevertheless portrays an act that simultaneously inhabited its times and pointed the way to the future".[4] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter stated that it does "a perfectly respectable job" as it compiles the band's "best-known titles, tosses in obscurities from soundtracks along with single B sides and other musical ephemera, and then remasters the audio" but felt "there is little reason for this to exist other than to rake in some bucks by repackaging content any fan already has or for whoever doesn't already own this material".[3] Mark Deming of AllMusic called it "a convenient guide to their history in 50 songs", with the first disc "reveal[ing] how Devo were able to shape their sometimes morbid ideas into expressive and unexpectedly accessible forms (especially after electronics and dance beats became a bigger part of their formula), and the harder-edged material in the second half shows they learned a lot from the electronic artists they most certainly influenced".[2]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, except where otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Source | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mongoloid" (Warner version) | G. Casale | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 1978 | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Jocko Homo" (Warner version) | M. Mothersbaugh | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | 3:39 |
| 3. | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Come Back Jonee" | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | 3:25 | |
| 5. | "Secret Agent Man" | P. F. Sloan, Steve Barri | Duty Now for the Future, 1979 | 3:34 |
| 6. | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" | M. Mothersbaugh | Duty Now for the Future | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Smart Patrol" | Duty Now for the Future | 3:45 | |
| 8. | "Girl U Want" | Freedom of Choice, 1980 | 2:57 | |
| 9. | "Whip It" | Freedom of Choice | 2:40 | |
| 10. | "Freedom of Choice" | Freedom of Choice | 3:28 | |
| 11. | "Gates of Steel" | G. Casale, M. Mothersbaugh, Sue Schmidt, Debbie Smith[5] | Freedom of Choice | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Working in the Coal Mine" | Allen Toussaint | Single A-side; bonus 7" included with some copies of New Traditionalists, 1981 | 2:49 |
| 13. | "Beautiful World" | New Traditionalists | 3:30 | |
| 14. | "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth" | New Traditionalists | 3:04 | |
| 15. | "Through Being Cool" | G. Casale, M. Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh | New Traditionalists | 3:11 |
| 16. | "Time Out for Fun" | Oh, No! It's Devo, 1982 | 2:48 | |
| 17. | "Peek-a-Boo!" | Oh, No! It's Devo | 3:01 | |
| 18. | "That's Good" | Oh, No! It's Devo | 3:25 | |
| 19. | "Big Mess" | Oh, No! It's Devo | 2:44 | |
| 20. | "Here to Go" (Go Mix Version) | Shout, 1984 | 5:32 | |
| 21. | "Are You Experienced?" | Jimi Hendrix | Shout | 3:09 |
| 22. | "Disco Dancer (7" Version)" | Total Devo, 1988 | 4:10 | |
| 23. | "Post Post-Modern Man" (Macro Post-Modern Mix) | Smooth Noodle Maps, 1990 | 3:20 | |
| 24. | "Fresh" | Something for Everybody, 2010 | 2:57 | |
| Total length: | 79:37 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Source | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm a Potato" | 1974 Demo | 2:23 | |
| 2. | "Mongoloid" (Booji Boy Version) | G. Casale | Single A-Side, 1977 | 3:33 |
| 3. | "Jocko Homo" (Booji Boy Version) | M. Mothersbaugh | B-side of "Mongoloid" (Booji Boy Version), 1977 | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Be Stiff" (Stiff Version) | G. Casale, Bob Lewis | Single A-side, 1978 | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Uncontrollable Urge" | M. Mothersbaugh | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)" | M. Mothersbaugh, B. Mothersbaugh / G. Casale | Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | 4:57 |
| 7. | "Triumph of the Will" | Duty Now for the Future | 2:17 | |
| 8. | "Soo Bawlz" | M. Mothersbaugh | B-side of "Secret Agent Man", 1979 | 2:21 |
| 9. | "It Takes a Worried Man" | Traditional, arr. Tom Glazer, Donald Guard | From the film Human Highway, 1982; recorded 1979 | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Snowball" (Single Remix) | B-side of "Freedom of Choice"; original version from Freedom of Choice | 2:27 | |
| 11. | "Mr. B's Ballroom" | M. Mothersbaugh | Freedom of Choice | 2:47 |
| 12. | "Going Under" | New Traditionalists | 3:26 | |
| 13. | "Love Without Anger" | New Traditionalists | 2:36 | |
| 14. | "One Dumb Thing" | Interstate '82 CD-ROM game, 1999; recorded 1982/1998 | 2:45 | |
| 15. | "Speed Racer" | Oh, No! It's Devo | 2:40 | |
| 16. | "Theme from Doctor Detroit" | Doctor Detroit, 1983 | 3:09 | |
| 17. | "Shout" | Shout | 3:16 | |
| 18. | "Puppet Boy" | Shout | 3:10 | |
| 19. | "I Wouldn't Do That to You" | From the film Happy Hour, 1987; recorded 1985 | 3:14 | |
| 20. | "Bread and Butter" | Larry Parks, Jay Turnbow | From the film 9½ Weeks, 1986 | 2:29 |
| 21. | "Let's Talk" | M. Mothersbaugh | From the film Fright Night, 1985; recorded 1984 | 2:41 |
| 22. | "Baby Doll" (Devo Single Mix) | Single A-side; original version from Total Devo | 3:28 | |
| 23. | "Some Things Never Change" | Total Devo | 4:10 | |
| 24. | "What We Do" (single edit) | M. Mothersbaugh, G. Casale, Max Liederman | Something for Everybody | 3:09 |
| 25. | "No Place Like Home" | Something for Everybody | 3:19 | |
| 26. | "Watch Us Work It" | M. Mothersbaugh, | Single A-Side, 2007 | 2:14 |
| Total length: | 79:00 | |||
All tracks are marked as "2023 remaster".
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)[6] | 32 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[7] | 47 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[8] | 23 |
References
[edit]- ^ Dillon, Ryan (November 3, 2023). "Devo Launches U.S. Portion of 50 Years of De-Evolution Farewell Tour In Santa Cruz (Recap)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Devo – 50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023 Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (October 26, 2023). "Review: Pop Experimentalists Devo Celebrate 50 Years Together". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (December 2, 2023). "Devo: 50 Years of De-Evolution 1973–2023 Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ "The De-Evolution of Akron's Music", Beacon Journal, September 10, 2000, retrieved December 1, 2009
- ^ "Lista prodaje 16. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). HDU. April 8, 2024. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ "Devo Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2024.