Devo Album: “Greatest Misses”

The samples on Amazon.com do not do this compilation justice, but then many of the songs are definitely for mature audiences only! Please borrow this from someone before purchasing from this site. I love it though and recommend it to anyone who likes DEVO. They are much more than their pop hits Whip It and Freedom of Choice, that's for sure. They are dark and bizaare with a really energizing electronic sound - I wonder what Mom Mothersbaugh must think of her sons... It's hard to believe they're from Ohio of all places (no offense). They began as a college art project in the 70's in Akron and turned into a cult hit. Their early music was mainly regular instruments like guitar, drums, Moog synthesizer, theremin and then they later became pioneers in electronica. (Check out soundtracks that Mark Mothersbaugh has done since DEVO and you'll be pleased.) This album is a great companion to DEVO's Greatest Hits, which are lyrics actually allowed on the radio, whereas this album would scare the general public. I sure wish I appreciated DEVO when they were still touring!

I love it!

_Greatest_Misses_ is prolly THE best Devo compilation there is...presumably, the album title comes from the fact that none of these songs ever came close to making the Big Time, in spite of the fact that these are actually some of their FINEST work! Unfortunately, most of the hairless protosimians out there are going to take the title out of context (that is to say, _negatively_), and never bother even trying this album out. Well, it's THEIR souls in danger, not mine...

There are many good songs on "Greatest Misses," making this a good purchase for the casual Devo listener. With Devo's irreverent sense of humor, most of these songs will put a smile on your face. In typical erudite fashion, they look down their noses at blockheads and mongoloids. "Hold the pickles / hold the lettuce / all that we ask is that / you let us serve it YOUR way" is their stab at our fast food nation on "Too Much Paranoias." I cannot help but find the misogyny of "Timing X/Space Junk" funny. Typical for Devo's idea of a love song, the girl is a person of reference rather than a person of address. Not so typically, however, the girl this time is killed, though not by murder. Rather, she is hit by "space junk," such as the Sputnik, which fell from the sky. ("Original" is a word that promptly comes to mind when conjuring words to describe Devo.) The "Explicit lyrics advisory" comes from one song, "Penetration in the Centerfold." (Hint: "penetration" does not refer to the staples that were used to bind magazines at that time.) Not quite misses, "Jocko Homo" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" are nonetheless slightly different versions than those appearing on the "Greatest Hits" disc. Devo is a group whose music does not appeal to all tastes, though fans cannot get enough. This is a very good choice for purchase, though a better choice for celebrating geekdom would be to get all their original releases.

I like Robots, feedback, DEVO, and sleeping. Buy this recording

This is where it gets very intriguing, a handful of American and British rarities are included here. The serious collector will already have the original 45s. But having them in one spot is very pleasant, and gives a glimpse of Devo's roots. A copy of this CD fills out your Devo collection with what you may have missed out on. And as the title implies these songs are worth a second look.

The use of the Parental Advisory Label refers to the lyrics and subject matter of the British B side, "Penetration In The Centrefold". Two other songs here that first saw release in England are "Mechanical Man" and "Be Stiff".

Greatest Misses pulls together songs that really represent the spirit and concepts of Devo.