Devo “Oh, No! It’s Devo” 1982. Today, August 11th, is Devo guitarist and co-founder Bob Mothersbaugh’s 70th birthday (b. 1952). Oh, No! It’s Devo is Devo’s fifth LP; it went to # 47 in the US. Our copy has the original cutout stand on the back so it can be propped up like a frame but it doesn’t work particularly well (due more to design flaws than age – it will be 40 years old in October).

Oh, No! It’s Devo is quirky and almost exclusively synthpop. The record is catchy and super-fun, as is Devo’s MO. My favorite song is the single “That’s Good” which sort of charted: it went to #104 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart but did hit #6 on the Dance chart. The video for the track was slated for censorship by MTV and the story behind that is pretty hilarious. From Wiki via the Devo book Devo’s Freedom of Choice: “We got this call from [MTV co-founder] Les Garland, He was like, ‘Look, we know what you’re trying to do here.’ I go, What do you mean? He goes, ‘Ya know, when that cartoon French fry glides through that cartoon donut and then it’s with the girl looking happy. You can have the French fry, or you can have the donut, but you can’t have the French fry and the donut, Otherwise, you can’t cut to the girl.’ And I go, ‘But what about when the French fry hits the donut and breaks in half and she’s sad?’ And he goes ‘Alright you little smart ass.’ It was horrible. Then I go, ‘What about that Billy Idol video you have and the girls are in skin-tight pants and their asses are full on in the screen and his head is between her legs and then somebody slaps her ass? What about that?’ He goes, ‘we’re talking about you, we’re not talking about them.”

Another track that brought controversy to the band is “I Desire,” the lyrics to which are credited to Reagan would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr. I also like the other single from Oh, No! It’s Devo, “Peek-A-Boo!” which, like “That’s Good,” got only onto the Bubbling Under chart (at #6) and the Dance chart (#13). The weirdest song goes to “Speed Racer” – the lyrics and their delivery are just bonkers.