Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled "DEVO" or "DEV-O") is an American New Wave music group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1973. They are best known for their 1980 hit "Whip It", which made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their style has been variously classified as punk, art rock and post-punk, but they are most often remembered for their late 1970s and early 1980s New Wave sound which, along with others (such as Gary Numan, Peter Gabriel, and The B-52's) ushered in the synth pop sound of the 1980s.
Devo's music and stage show mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary via sometimes-discordant pop songs that often feature unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures, and their work has proved hugely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly New Wave and alternative rock artists.
Devo was also a pioneer of the music video, creating many memorable clips that were popular in the early days of MTV, although their use of the video medium dates right back to their very first appearance on stage at Kent State University in 1973, which was recorded with an early black-and-white portable video system.
Some years ago, I'd just had lunch with one of my female business contacts and we'd returned to my car. When I turned on the ignition the CD started playing the B-52s. She said, "The B-52s; I used to go to parties with them." Obviously, I asked how that would come about. Apparently, when she lived in the US she had dated one of the members of Devo. I then asked what they were like. She said that she started with plastic hair, smiled and walked to her car. I never did find out.
Whip It Good
Beautiful World
Freedom Of Choice
(Nothing Follows)
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