The countdown toward the next phase of "De-evolution" is under way. Devo has a new deal with Warner Brothers Records that will bring to the world a brand new Devo studio album and a world tour next year. The sonic subversion begins in March, according to the record label.
Devo's been around for 35 years and the innovations they brought to the stage and studio have been copied by generations to follow. But Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerry and Bob Casale are not planning "De-evolution 2010" as a nostalgia tour. In fact, they'll get that out of the way this month with shows in seven cities.
In each city - starting tonight in Los Angeles - Devo will play back-to-back nights. The first night, they will perform their 1978 album "Are We Not Men?" The second night, it's the 1980 breakthrough LP "Freedom of Choice." The other cities: San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York and Toronto. (Except for the addition of drummer Josh Freese, who joined them about 15 years ago, the current Devo is the original Devo.)
Warner Brothers - the band's label for six LPs between 1978 and 1984 - will reissue CD and limited-edition colored vinyl version's of "Are We Not Men?" and "Freedom of Choice" this week. I suspect the four other Devo albums in the company's archives will soon follow. It's a good reason for fans to search their local thrift stores for a turntable. There's nothing like the warm sound of a diamond needle sliding along the vinyl groove on a Devo record.
For those who think Devo's new look will feature the color gray (as in hair), you only need to read the reviews from last March, when the group played the South By Southwest festival. Billboard's reviewer said the old songs sounded "revitalized" while the new music "freshened the experience."
Let the De-evolution begin!