Search - Devo :: Duty Now for the Future

So Strange...Yet So Compelling

Pasko1 | Bergen County, the jewel of NJ | 04/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Understand that when this album was released in 1979, those of us who bought it -- on vinyl, with the "postcard" of the band on the cover perforated for removal -- were surrounded by a sea of slick, ponderous AOR mediocrity. Even the heretofore edgy Blondie released their "manistream" Parallel Lines album in the same year, complete with 'The Disco Song.' The spuds' sophomore effort is substantially more futuristic, warped, and in your face than their first album. Ditties like the odd but fathomable "Space Junk" and "Mongoloid" on 1978's Are We Not Men? have now devolved to songs like "Swelling Itching Brain" and "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize."



This is not to say that the guitars and beats aren't there, as evidenced by their cover of "Secret Agent Man," both the remaster studio version and the bonus live version, but the band is, yes, more devolved. Instead of a standard post-punk rock band with an emphasis on synthesizers, they are now, with this album, becoming one of the first synthesizer bands crossing over into critical and commercial success.



For those who care about such things -- and I suspect the audience for this record fits the description -- the sound of this remaster manages to retain the late 70's/early 80's "sound," but with increased dynamic punch and more natural midrange."

The Future Already Happened.

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 05/21/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DEVO caught a minor case of the sophomore slump after their brilliant debut. "Duty Now For The Future" is a really, really good album that came after a perfect one, and it does shrivel in comparison. The DEVO eyes had turned from the sound of things falling apart to the machinery that made it go. Having used up most of their "conceptual" songs for the debut, we were served up musings on love work and death. "Swelling Itching Brain" and "The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise" are a pair DEVO hall of famers.



This is also the home of one of DEVO's best statement-of-purpose songs, the concert fave "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA." Declaring themselves to be "suburban robots to monitor reality," DEVO make the claim that they are here to protect both man and mutant, only to discover that Mr. DNA deems them fit to "sacrifice themselves so many others may live!" It also rocks harder than anything else DEVO ever recorded for the first part of their career. After this, the slick success of "Whip It" kind of tamed them...if you ever considered DEVO tamable.



And there's something else. I had always been annoyed by the production of the original album, and wondered why the band and producer Ken Scott chose to leave the album in a flat, murky sounding final mix. This re-issue corrects that in a serious way. While there are no indications that the disc was remixed, everything sounds sharper and more distinct. It's raised my original rating of "Duty Now..." to five stars because frankly, this sounds utterly new and exciting all over again."