Search - Jihad Jerry & Evildoers :: Mine Is Not a Holy War

Jihad Jerry comes through! Thank you my brother.

S. Williams | Planet Earth | 09/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not for the weak of heart or the feeble mind. Put this in the wrong person's CD player and you could see it flung out an open window! Not because it lacks anything in particular. This CD is packed full of empowering rhythms, creative keyboard manipulation and manifestations, amazingly aggressive guitar playing, thought provoking lyrics and musical punch! Some people will not like this CD because they are just not ready to hear the truth! And when they do, they cannot handle it. Jihad Jerry released 3 of these songs a few months back as MP3's which I immediately jumped on and found quite intriguing being the avid DEVO fan that I am. I got the CD delivered to my door, just today. Popped it in my CD player and was VERY MUCH IMPRESSED and happy to find that not only were the tunes I'd downloaded a little while back sounding even better than the MP3 mixes of a few months ago, but also that Jerry had indeed only given us small taste of what was yet to come! If you are a spud, if you like Jerry's work with DEVO and can appreciate some truly righteous bass guitar and Josh Freese's amazing talent to work a drum kit like no one else, then you can't go wrong with this new CD! It has nearly everything you'd expect and more coming from Mr. Casale and crew. Jihad Jerry totally reworks a couple of classic DEVO tunes only a true spud will even be able to discern amongst the mix of truly all powerhouse tunage found on this disc. And as awesome as the originals were back in the day, the new renditions definitely fit the bill and don't fall short in the least as far as how sometimes remakes can get watered down or have the life energy drained out of them when revisited years later by the aging artist. No, not in this case! Jerry adds multiple new dimensions to the DEVO classics he chose to include on this landmark project. They totally fit and round off the album perfectly. And I must say, this entire disc is GREAT STUFF and I couldn't be more pleased with the purchase! Very listenable from start to finish. Of course, the other original members of DEVO are lurking in the background here, and they still have what it takes - and then some. Don't know what I'm talking about? Go Find Out -- for yourself."

Jerry Stays the Course

Lawrence Waldron | Queens, NY United States | 11/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, so if you're an old Devo fan whose Mom threw out your Energy Dome a couple years after you moved out, now you are restored to polito-geek greatness!



(Jihad) Jerry Casale was always one of the two pumping ventricles at the electric heart of Devo, but by the time Whip It came out, Mark was the perceived frontman. Yet, it's a turbaned Casale, dressed like a Dutch cartoon on the CD cover, that has at once invoked the Devo manifesto while taking the sound in a fundamentally/radically new direction.



The post-Moog/Roland Bluesyness is new, some of the songs (and I guess that backup singer concept) are reincarnated, and the sardonic politics is as edgy as ever. Hey "What happens in Abu Ghraib, stays in Abu Ghraib" says Sgt. Suzi from New Orleans! There is also an unabashed salaciousness in some of these tracks that was always part of Devo, but was not part of their 80's marketing. This aint Square Pegs (or Devo 2.0) baby! Are we not grown men?"

De-Evolution is STILL real!...and here is the sonic proof!

Mal Rorrer | 10/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a hardcore devo fan, I recommend this new CD highly.



This album rocks and goes back to Jerry's early confrontational roots with plenty of political and cultural commentary with Rock and Blues at the forefront, along with some danceable synth pop Mid 80's trademark Devo finishing touches that you might expect. Most tracks feature female backup singers...a idea tried once before by Devo on a few songs off of their "Total Devo" Album - but it works much better here. It really adds to the overall rock-meets-blue-sy, soulful feel with a full beef injection of punk rock, an occasional touch of rockabilly and some hardcore de-evolution. Old Devo fans may be a little shocked to find *gasp*... harmonica, along with conventional real organ and guitars as part of j.j.'s sonic arsenal on this audio offering.



This album is chock full of obscure hardcore DEVO rarities such as "I Been Refused", "I Need a Chick" and the ultra-rare, "Beehive." "Find Out" is also a welcome addition to the CD, a non-Devo album released cover of a track from the "Oh No!it's Devo! era. Each one of these classic standards is re-invented and fresh and shows Casale at his best. There are plenty of new tracks as well, to name a few. "Danger" is excellent, my favorite track, and is about every man's sex fantasy of 2 women coming true...the good and the bad of it. "Army Girls Gone Wild" also,... great, with a groove that does not quit...Full of political and cultural commentary. The second to last song on the disc is a Yardbirds cover: "He's always there." Honestly, one I had never heard before...Still don't know what I think about this one.



After listening to the CD, one is reminded that in the early days of DEVO Jerry was the in-your-face frontman. Eminem may rap about "God sent me here to piss the world off" but Jerry does it all the way, albeit in a humerous, more subversive manner...with style.



I have played this CD for southern rock, heavy metal, and yes, even redneck type people who have not heard of DEVO except for "whip it" (if they had even heard of "whip it") and they were shocked and loved it. As you read the CD liner notes: you realize that while there are some great guest musicians on here, Many of the new tracks have parts contributed by Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob "2" Casale, and Bob "1" Mothersbaugh, along with great(in-recent years DEVO live only) drummer Josh Freese...making this in a way, "the best new DEVO album never made."



If you failed to see the humor and irony in the DEV2.0 Disney and DEVO collaboration,

and it left a bad taste in your mouth, then "mIne is not a holy war is the perfect cure. I for one, am thankful that Jerry did not wait on Mothersbaugh to make a new Devo album. You owe it to yourself to check out this album. It is your genetic imperative!"