Search - Devo :: Q: Are We Not Men

Double the fun!

garyfc | 06/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fabulous debut album! From "Uncontrolable Urge" to "Shrivel Up", this is an exciting musical journey. The "Live" performance of the album is such a treat. I was very pleased and surprised that 30 years after the release of the album, these guys still sound wonderful and play with so much energy. If you don't have this album...get it!!"

One of the best albums in the history of rock. PERIOD.

S. Bunche | Brooklyn, NY | 06/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was but a callow youth of thirteen I first saw Devo on their now legendary appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, where they performed "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Jocko Homo" and my young mind completely reeled. I was a black kid living in lily-white Westport, CT and all I had to listen to was awful disco-era pop music on the radio and the admittedly better hand-me-downs from the elder siblings of my friends (we called such stuff "legacy music"), so when Devo came from out of nowhere to offer a completely different sound as well as concepts that stimulated the mind, I embraced them like a man marooned on a desert island would have welcomed a refrigerated case of Poland Spring and a bucket of Colonel. By the time "Whipit" rolled around I was ready to sample whole albums-worth of Devo, so I asked for the first three albums on cassette tape for Christmas (1980), and when I got them I played them until they wore out, thus necessitating buying a decent stereo and the same albums on vinyl. I have been a staunch supporter and follower of the band ever since, and while some of their later projects are more miss than hit, this first album remains an indelible landmark of excellence, intelligence and flat-out ass-kicking rock.



That said, I have bought this album on tape, two or three copies on vinyl and one on CD, so I felt no need to buy this remastered version...until I found out that it contained the incredible live show from London's the Forum that I traveled to England to see. It was the best of the many Devo shows I've seen since 1982 and the "Oh No! It's Devo!" tour, so I had to have it. The recording of it is crystal clear and quite fun, but it cannot duplicate the experience of seeing it live. For a full report on that show, with photos, go to [...] and try to put yourself in my shoes. Few live albums by any band can capture that feeling, so that is in no way a slight. If you are not familiar with Devo, especially this album in particular, I cannot urge you enough to give it a chance. If you like what you hear, bear in mind that they move from being guitar-driven to being a pop act as of the third album -- "Freedom of Choice," which contains "Whipit" and made them a commercially viable act -- and after that they are still mostly worth your time, but they are not at all stylistically similar to what they did with their first two efforts. Oh, and the only album of theirs to flat out avoid is the execrable "Total Devo," the only album of theirs that I listened all the way through only to once when it was first released and have since let it gather moss on my shelf (it has one good song, namely "I'd Cry If You Died," but other than that you can give it a miss).



Anyway, add this classic to your collection immediately. JOCKO HOMO!!!





"

Great Album, Great Vinyl

Hunter Tinsley | USA | 07/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fantastic Album, definitely Devo's Punkiest release. The album is great, no question. I specifically want to review the Vinyl LP. It feels great! This re release is on a thick 140gram clear/yellow vinyl. The sound quality is incredible and the record feels very sturdy. The packaging is the same as it was when the album was released and looks as good as it did 25 years ago. The insert is pretty standard, covered with interesting pictures and lyrics.



Excellent release!"