LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

The final piece of the recorded Devo puzzle is finally in place. Eighteen years after its first vinyl appearance on these shores, Devo's DEV-O Live is finally available on a homegrown compact disc. This expanded version of DEV-O Live adds, depending on how you choose to count these things, either ten or sixteen additional tracks, all in a clear plastic sleeve that replicates the packaging of the original Warner Bros mini album release.Several months after the release of Devo’s Freedom Of Choice, Warner Bros pressed up a promotional radio-station-only album which had been recorded live at The Fox Warfield Theatre for initial use as a King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcast. This superbly-performed, wonderfully-recorded, almost-complete (at least one additional track, "Pink Pussycat", was performed that night but, sadly, no longer exists) concert was promotionally released under the "Warner Bros Music Show" banner as WBMS-115.Basked in the warm glow of the success of the Freedom Of Choice album and baked by the fire of a hit single in "Whip It", Devo's 1980 tour was outstanding, and the Warfield performance shows why. There was that then-previously-unreleased "Freedom Of Choice Theme Song" attached to "Whip It" to start things off and their stunning version of "Come Back Jonee" to finish. And in-between were thirteen vital, often re-interpreted versions (such as the quirkily re-worked "Be Stiff") of Devo favorites from their first three albums.The reaction to this promotional album was so enthusiastic that a second promotional disc was issued and later a commercial release from these tapes, the six-track mini-album DEV-O Live. Our Rhino Handmade DEV-O Live expanded compact disc contains the complete 6-track MINI 3548 commercial 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 version from beginning to end without interruption, we have edited the ends of the original Side Ones to the beginnings of the original Side Twos. (for those of you who are fussy about such things, we removed 15 seconds of the announcer's voice from the beginning of the Fox Warfield show). The 6-track commercial DEV-O Live mini-album has never before been on compact disc in the US and the complete promotional "Warner Bros Music Show" disc has never before been on compact disc anywhere. It's been made loud to be played loud with the fervent hope that you will finally begin the process of indoctrinating your neighbors.Devo Live is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 5,000 copies.
TRACK LISTING Freedom Of Choice Theme Song (2:46 ) Whip It (2:41 ) Girl U Want (2:56 ) Gates Of Steel (3:17 ) Be Stiff (2:50 ) Planet Earth (2:32 ) Freedom Of Choice Theme Song (2:46 ) Whip It (2:41 ) Snowball (2:42) It's Not Right (2:20 ) irl U Want (2:56 ) Planet Earth (2:32 ) S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain) (4:06 ) Secret Agent Man (3:17 ) Blockhead (3:25 ) Uncontrollable Urge (3:08 ) Mongoloid (2:50 ) Be Stiff (2:50 ) Gates Of Steel (3:17 ) Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA (4:08 ) Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy) (4:12 ) Come Back Jonee (3:19 )