First Released: 1999
- Tracks: 22 - 16 Original, 1 Tweaked (see: '"Girl U Want" Tweaked'), 5 Duplicates
- Recorded: August 16, 1980 at The Fox Warfield in San Francisco, CA.
- Label: Rhino Handmade (Limited Edition 5000 CD Pressing)
Background (taken from the CD liner notes)[]
- About four months after the release of DEVO's "Freedom of Choice" Warner Brothers pressed up a promotional radio-station-only album which had been recorded at The Fox Warfield Theater for initial use as a King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcast. It was a 16 track, wonderfully-recorded, almost-complete (at least one additional track, "Pink Pussycat" was performed that night, but sadly no longer exists, if it ever did, in the Warner Brothers archive) concert which was packaged under the "Warner Brothers Music Show" banner as WBMS-115.
- The reaction to this promotional album was so enthusiastically devolved that it was decided to fashion a second promotional disc, and later, a commercial release from these tapes.Three re-made, re-modeled versions of polyvinylchloride were created.
- The first was a promotional 12-inch EP version of four tracks from this concert. PRO-A-928, released to radio in November 1980, contained the instrumental "Freedom of Choice Theme Song" attached to "Whip It" as a medley as well as the splendidly re-arranged version of "Be Stiff" and that awesome version of "Gates of Steel".
- It was renamed "DEV-O Live" and all spiffed up with new artwork and encased in a clear plastic sleeve. The commercial version of this, a mini album appropriately named MINI 3548 released on 25 March, 1981 added two additional tracks using the same packaging in the same, at least initially, plastic sleeves. And, on the same day a single, WMS-49715 containing individual edits of "Gates of Steel" and "Be Stiff", was also released.
- This disc contains the complete 6-track MINI 3548 12-inch mini-album and the complete 16-track WBMS-115 promotional album. Each is in their original running order. So that this compact disc will play each without interruption, we have edited the ends of the original Side Ones to the beginnings of the original Side Twos. And, for the sake of completists who like to stay fully informed, we have removed 15 seconds of the announcer's voice from the beginning of The Fox Warfield show.
"Girl U Want" Tweaked[]
- An unexplained mystery surrounds the release of this disc. According to the liner notes "Girl U Want", like "Whip It" "The Freedom of Choice Theme Song", "Gates of Steel", "Be Stiff", and "Planet Earth" were included as duplicate versions taken from the same show at The Fox Warfield.
- However, upon listening to the 16-track version of "Girl U Want", one immediately notices that this version is similar and yet substantially different from the 6-track version.
- The mix is different. The vocals appear to be identical on both versions. But the end of Bob Mothersbaugh's guitar solo on the 16-track version trails off into feedback but does not trail off into feedback in the 6-track version.
- Additionally, the pitch of the 16-track version is different from the 6-track version and the keyboards are more pronounced on the 16-track version than the 6-track version. Even the tempo of the 16-track version appears different from the 6-track version; the latter appearing to be slightly faster. This suggests that one of these versions is the original version and the other is a remixed, overdubbed, or otherwise tweaked version.
- There is no way to know which is the original and which is the adjusted version.
- One possibility is that the 6-track is the original version, in which case the 16-track version has been overdubbed and/or remixed. The other possibility is that the 16-track version is the original recording, in which case the 6-track has been remixed.
- Upon release of this disc from Rhino Handmade, an inquiry was sent by the original author of this Wiki page to the band via the Mutato Muzika website noting this discrepancy and asking for an explanation.
- The only reply received was that the band was unaware of this development, was unaware of any "knob twiddling" at the time, but couldn't discount it occurring, and that they would investigate the matter. But no further communication regarding this was received.
- A second inquiry was sent to Rhino Handmade which yielded similar results. It is the opinion of the original author of this Wiki page that the 6-track version is the original and the 16-track version is an overdub because the 16-track version sounds clearer and it would make no sense to fuzz up a better version prior to releasing it.
Track Listing[]
- Freedom of Choice Theme Song
- Whip It
- Girl U Want
- Gates of Steel
- Whip It
- Planet Earth
- Freedom of Choice Theme Song
- Whip It
- Snowball
- It's Not Right
- Girl U Want
- Planet Earth
- S.I.B. (Swelling Itchy Brain)
- Secret Agent Man
- Blockhead
- Uncontrollable Urge
- Mongoloid
- Be Stiff
- Gates of Steel
- Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA
- Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy
- Come Back Jonee
Personnel[]
- Bob Casale - rhythm guitar, additional keyboards, occasional backing vocals
- Gerald V. Casale - bass guitar, additional keyboards, lead vocals
- Bob Mothersbaugh - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Mark Mothersbaugh - keyboards, occasional guitar, lead vocals
- Alan Myers - drums
Production[]
- DEVO - producer
- Biff Dawes - live engineer
- Robert Kaminsky - live producer
- Ken Perry - mastering
- Lisa Barillier - front cover photography
- David Peters - back cover photography