It was one of those, Wait, am I hearing Devo? moments. And over the P.A.? At Daytona International Speedway? (I know, like I died and went to heaven.)
But not "Whip It." Not "Girl U Want." Not even "Through Being Cool."
It was the opening to "Gut Feeling" but, sadly, they cut away just before the vocals come in.
That song has my favorite opening line of all time
"Something about the way you taste makes me wanna clear my throat"
Trent said:That song has my favorite opening line of all time
"Something about the way you taste makes me wanna clear my throat"
I LOVE THAT LINE!!!
In reply to David S. Wallens :
How the song concludes with what almost feels like hardcore punk.
My Buddy sent me a vid of football game last week where the cutaway song was Primus' Damn Blue Collered Tweekers. My response was..."Hey, that's Primus!" And then, "Uh...did you guys actually LISTEN to that song?"
Devo is so criminally underrated. Everyone goes to Whip It. Honestly, not one of their strongest tunes.
If I ever got to plan out a Devo set list, Gut Feeling is definitely making the cut. See also: Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Gates of Steel and Through Being Cool for me. The lyrics resonate.
Half a goon and half a god
Appleseed said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
Gates of Steel and Through Being Cool for me. The lyrics resonate.
Half a goon and half a god
I'd second that emotion.
When we saw them live a few years back (co-headlining with Blondie), Devo offered CDs ripped right from the board. So of course we bought it. Terrific set list with Gates of Steel second from the end.
And sitting here in my office.
#IYKYK
Not very long ago (I think it was just after Fred Willard died), NBC reran an SNL episode from 1977 or 78, and Devo was the musical guest. I was just a little kid at the time and had never seen it before. They came out in the yellow suits and played Satisfaction.
Looking back now as an adult, that performance must have absolutely sent mainstream America into shock that night. It was such a mind bending departure from everything else that was going on in the musical world at the time. I can picture the people at home staring at their TVs in shock, just like the scene from Back to the Future when Marty improvises at the end of Johnny B. Goode.
Wait, there are other songs besides Whip it?
I kid, I kid!
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
People often damn the mid '70s as far as music goes, but out of those ashes we got some terrific stuff: Devo, Joy Division, the Cure, the Ramones, the Police, etc.
David S. Wallens said:In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
People often damn the mid '70s as far as music goes, but out of those ashes we got some terrific stuff: Devo, Joy Division, the Cure, the Ramones, the Police, etc.
Looking back as a kid who grew up in the era, that SNL performance in October of 1978 may have been the day that the 70s ended.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Totally.
Just look at Devo's discography from the late '70s and early '80s. ("Freedom of Choice" is older than you think, right?)
I remember how happy I was when I bought that album. It was the first one I ever saw that had that grey granite colour. It was so cool.
Then a few weeks later I had forgotten to take it out of my car and it warped a bit. It still played fine and the warping just made it more fun to play.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Again, I was a kid and I never saw the SNL episode until years later (past my bedtime, pre-VCR...), but I specifically remember another kid, who happened to be a year younger than me, going on and on about Devo on the school bus the following Monday morning.
Change was clearly afoot.
David S. Wallens said:In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Totally.
Just look at Devo's discography from the late '70s and early '80s. ("Freedom of Choice" is older than you think, right?)
8-track, for God's sake!!!
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
I noticed that! 8-track Devo for your Camaro.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
You could feel tectonic plates shifting during that performance.
Trent said:That song has my favorite opening line of all time
"Something about the way you taste makes me wanna clear my throat"
Maybe bettered by the next line: "There's a magic to your movements that really gets my goat."
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:Not very long ago (I think it was just after Fred Willard died), NBC reran an SNL episode from 1977 or 78, and Devo was the musical guest. I was just a little kid at the time and had never seen it before. They came out in the yellow suits and played Satisfaction.
Looking back now as an adult, that performance must have absolutely sent mainstream America into shock that night. It was such a mind bending departure from everything else that was going on in the musical world at the time. I can picture the people at home staring at their TVs in shock, just like the scene from Back to the Future when Marty improvises at the end of Johnny B. Goode.
Can confirm. In 1978 I was a sophomore in high school, where each week's SNL episode was pretty much all anyone talked about on Monday morning. The Monday following that Devo performance, the talk was not Rosanne Rosannadanna, it was all Devo, all day. Which was a good change, because a high school full of kids doing puppet-like Devo moves is way more pleasing than one full of people imitating Rosannadanna's grating voice (sorry, Gilda). It also felt like the kids were finally taking over from the grownups. It felt... gooood.
Margie
In reply to Marjorie Suddard :
America, 1978:
"Goshdarnit...
...What The Living Berk Did I Just See??!!!!"
I have watched their 1979 film "The men who make the music" more times than I have ever seen anything else combined. It is footage from their 1978 tour interspersed with their anti-corporate music oddities. Crucial viewing for any Devo nut. I have had a copy of it since 1990 be it on VHS, DVD or some streaming service.
Looks like it is here on pluto for free
I can't find a clip on youtube of the part I am thinking of but it is at the end of the video around when they play "Red eye express" that the drummer just goes full animal. There is a good 30 seconds of just drums and him playing so hard the drums begin to be drowned out by the creaking and squeaking of the stage and drum hardware. It is amazing. Alan Meyers is so underrated and was the metronome to which the entire Devo machine based their odd time signature madness on.
Anyway, here is the amazing live version of red eye express from that 1978 tour. Devo at their most hardcore with Boojie Boy on vocals
I've always thought Devo's cover of "Satisfaction" brought the emotional-train wreck message of the song out perfectly.
The thing about music from any long past decade is that in most cases, the crap fades away, and the good stuff continues on.
"Gut Feeling" is the one I play for folks who still say they were a novelty act. Y'know..when I can't stand it no more.
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