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“Pop music needs a good shake-up.” With this guiding principle, which co-founder, bassist, and singer Gerald Casale announced to the press, Devo created the album “Duty Now For The Future.” Although the album was unfairly labeled by some as a typical example of the so-called “sophomore slump” (a dip in performance on the second album), it sparked the band’s interest in electronic instruments, deepened their penchant for biting social satire, and featured another groundbreaking cover song in “Secret Agent Man.” Above all, however, the 1979 release proved that the pranksters from Ohio were anything but a laughingstock – even if they had to wait another year for their mainstream breakthrough. “Duty Now For The Future” spent 10 weeks on the Billboard charts. In Canada, the album reached No. 87 on the LP charts.
It’s worth noting that much of the material comes from the same collection of songs Devo had already written before Warner Bros. offered the band a record deal. The album serves as the crowning achievement of the first phase of a career that began in 1973. And just like many of the band’s performances from that era, “Duty Now For The Future” remains as famous today for the scorn it drew from critics as it is for the music itself. The songs have lost none of their power and seem more relevant than ever in an age where artificial intelligence and giant corporations are being given ever more leeway. To highlight an interesting piece of history that makes “Duty Now For The Future” all the more fascinating: More than half of the tracks were selected for “Greatest Misses” – a 1990 anthology that celebrates lesser-known songs and serves as a counterpart to a hit compilation released that same year. Indeed, some of the tracks may lack the catchy appeal and overall coherence of what followed on the band’s third and most commercially successful album, “Freedom of Choice.” But to get there – to “regress,” so to speak – the band needed the colorful smorgasbord that is “Duty Now For The Future.”
MFSL now presents “Duty Now For The Future” for the first time in audiophile reference quality! Mastered from the original tapes at MoFi Studio in California by Rob LoVerde, this numbered Hybrid SACD offers the best sound quality the album has ever had. This collectible reissue is housed in a mini-LP-style gatefold packaging and sets new standards in terms of depth, transparency, and dynamics. The strengths of Ken Scott’s production stand out more clearly than ever and serve as a roadmap for Devo’s evolution before the band fully embraced keyboards as their primary instrument. The guitars possess power and bite and, together with the crisp arrangements, are honed with a sense of precision and vitality. All of this lends “Duty Now For The Future” a unique, direct immediacy!
1. Devo Corporate Anthem2. Clockout3. Timing X4. Wiggly World5. Blockhead6. Strange Pursuit7. S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)8. Triumph Of The Will9. The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprize10. Pink Pussycat11. Secret Agent Man12. Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA13. Red Eye