Shout (Devo album)
Encyclopedia
Shout is a 1984 album by the New Wave
rock band Devo
. It was their sixth album for Warner Bros. Records
and retained the synth-pop sound of their previous records with a heavy focus on the (then) new Fairlight CMI
computer synthesizer. Despite the popularity of synth-pop in 1984, the album was a critical and commercial failure and ultimately led to Warner Bros. Records dropping the band. Following its release, the band went on hiatus for four years.
One of Shouts best-known tracks is "Are U Experienced?", a Jimi Hendrix
cover that carried on the Devo tradition of 'mutating' famous songs which began with their 1978 cover of the Rolling Stones classic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
". Ironically, the cover was marginally more accessible and danceable than the heavily experimental Hendrix track. Many believe this to be a smart move on the band's part, considering the trouble they were having with Warner Bros. Records at the time (Are You Experienced?
being a 'sacred cow
' of the WB catalog). Additionally, the chorus melody of Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun" is transformed into a guitar solo partway through the track. The track "The 4th Dimension" also incorporates the guitar hook
from The Beatles
' song "Day Tripper
", "Jurisdiction Of Love" has a few notes from "Love Machine" by The Miracles, and "Here to Go" quotes a bit of the Wilson Pickett
hit "Land Of 1,000 Dances."
The album was Devo's first, and last, to use the Fairlight CMI
computer to create songs. This approach further pushed the sound of the guitar into the background of their music. Drummer Alan Myers left the band shortly after the album's release, citing feeling creatively deprived, partially from the band's use of drum machines and the Fairlight.
and Gerald V. Casale
except as noted.
collections.
In 2004, Collectables Records
re-released Shout without bonus tracks. This version is currently in print, but the first printing misspelled Gerald Casale's last name as "Casle". This mistake was corrected in subsequent printings.
In 2008, the album was digitally remastered and released as part of the box set This is the Devo Box
in Japan.
of the Church of the SubGenius
. Its many highlights include Devo as floating blobs of 'wax' in a lava lamp
(a definite '60s image) and Hendrix (played by an impersonator) stepping out of his coffin to play a solo. Despite being one of Devo's most visually impressive (and expensive) videos, it wasn't included on the 2003 DVD-format video retrospective The Complete Truth About De-Evolution
(although it had been included on the Laserdisc of the same name issued in 1993). This is explained below in an extract from an interview with Gerry Casale for Earcandymag.com:
tour of 1982.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
rock band Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
. It was their sixth album for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and retained the synth-pop sound of their previous records with a heavy focus on the (then) new Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
computer synthesizer. Despite the popularity of synth-pop in 1984, the album was a critical and commercial failure and ultimately led to Warner Bros. Records dropping the band. Following its release, the band went on hiatus for four years.
One of Shouts best-known tracks is "Are U Experienced?", a Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
cover that carried on the Devo tradition of 'mutating' famous songs which began with their 1978 cover of the Rolling Stones classic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
". Ironically, the cover was marginally more accessible and danceable than the heavily experimental Hendrix track. Many believe this to be a smart move on the band's part, considering the trouble they were having with Warner Bros. Records at the time (Are You Experienced?
Are You Experienced (album)
Are You Experienced is the debut album by English/American rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, it was the first LP for Track Records...
being a 'sacred cow
Sacred cow
Cattle are considered sacred in various world religions, most notably Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism as well as the religions of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. In some regions, especially India, the slaughter of cattle may be prohibited and their meat may be...
' of the WB catalog). Additionally, the chorus melody of Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun" is transformed into a guitar solo partway through the track. The track "The 4th Dimension" also incorporates the guitar hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
from The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song "Day Tripper
Day Tripper
"Day Tripper" is a song by The Beatles, released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out". Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album...
", "Jurisdiction Of Love" has a few notes from "Love Machine" by The Miracles, and "Here to Go" quotes a bit of the Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
hit "Land Of 1,000 Dances."
The album was Devo's first, and last, to use the Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
computer to create songs. This approach further pushed the sound of the guitar into the background of their music. Drummer Alan Myers left the band shortly after the album's release, citing feeling creatively deprived, partially from the band's use of drum machines and the Fairlight.
Track listing
All songs written by Mark MothersbaughMark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
and Gerald V. Casale
Gerald Casale
Gerald Vincent Casale , often known as Jerry Casale, is a vocalist, bass guitar/synthesizer player, and a founding member of the new wave band Devo...
except as noted.
- "Shout" – 3:15
- "The Satisfied Mind" – 3:07
- "Don't Rescue Me" (M. Mothersbaugh) – 3:07
- "The 4th Dimension" – 4:24
- "C'mon" – 3:15
- "Here to Go" – 3:18
- "Jurisdiction of Love" (M. Mothersbaugh) – 3:00
- "Puppet Boy" – 3:10
- "Please Please" – 3:04
- "Are U Experienced?" (Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) – 3:08
Rereleases
In 1997, Shout was released on Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings, and included two bonus tracks: "Growing Pains" (a B-Side to "Are U Experienced?"), and "Shout (Hello Kitty)", a version of the title track from Devo's E-Z Listening MusicE-Z Listening Disc
E-Z Listening Disc is a 1987 compilation album released by American New Wave band Devo. It is a disc of instrumental versions of classic Devo songs performed in the style of easy listening Muzak or New Age music...
collections.
In 2004, Collectables Records
Collectables Records
Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
re-released Shout without bonus tracks. This version is currently in print, but the first printing misspelled Gerald Casale's last name as "Casle". This mistake was corrected in subsequent printings.
In 2008, the album was digitally remastered and released as part of the box set This is the Devo Box
This is the Devo Box
This is the Devo Box is a seven disc Box set, released only in Japan, featuring digitally remastered versions of the first six studio albums by Devo. It also contains an expanded and remastered version of DEV-O Live, identical to the Rhino Handmade release. The albums are packaged in miniature LP...
in Japan.
Music videos
A lavish video for "Are U Experienced?" was produced by the band and Ivan StangIvan Stang
Rev. Ivan Stang, born Douglass St. Clair Smith August 21, 1953 in Washington, D.C., raised in Fort Worth, Texas, and attended the St. Mark's School of Texas. He is best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius...
of the Church of the SubGenius
Church of the SubGenius
The Church of the SubGenius is a "parody religion" organization that satirizes religion, conspiracy theories, unidentified flying objects, and popular culture. Originally based in Dallas, Texas, the Church of the SubGenius gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and maintains an active presence on...
. Its many highlights include Devo as floating blobs of 'wax' in a lava lamp
Lava lamp
A lava lamp is a decorative novelty item that contains blobs of colored wax inside a glass vessel filled with clear liquid; the wax rises and falls as its density changes due to heating from a incandescent light bulb underneath the vessel. The appearance of the wax is suggestive of pāhoehoe lava,...
(a definite '60s image) and Hendrix (played by an impersonator) stepping out of his coffin to play a solo. Despite being one of Devo's most visually impressive (and expensive) videos, it wasn't included on the 2003 DVD-format video retrospective The Complete Truth About De-Evolution
The Complete Truth About Devolution
The Complete Truth About De-Evolution was the third home video release by new wave band Devo. It is a collection of Devo's music videos from 1976 to 1990. It was released on Laserdisc in 1993 by Voyager and on DVD by Rhino Records in 2003.-Synopsis:...
(although it had been included on the Laserdisc of the same name issued in 1993). This is explained below in an extract from an interview with Gerry Casale for Earcandymag.com:
E.C.: Speaking of de-evolution, why didn’t the Hendrix estate give you permission to put the “Are U Experienced” video on the DVD?
Gerald Casale: Further de-evolution. You understand that the consortium of people that now represent the Hendrix estate are basically run by lawyers; the lawyer mentality. Lawyers always posit the worst-case scenarios. Though that video was loved for years by anybody who saw it including the man who commissioned it—Chuck Arroff—a luminary in the music business who still claims to this day that it was one of his five most favorite videos ever; they [the lawyers] didn’t get it and assumed we were making fun of Jimi. That’s like saying “Whip It
Whip It"Whip It" is the title of a 1980 single by the American New Wave band Devo. It appears on the album Freedom of Choice. There were two 7" single releases of "Whip It", one backed with a remix of the track "Snowball" and one backed with "Turn Around"...
” makes fun of cowboys. This is so stupid it’s unbelievable."
Tour
As the band were dropped by their record label and went on hiatus following Shouts release, there was no tour to promote it. They had apparently planned a show with a video projection backdrop similar to the Oh, No! It's DevoOh, No! It's Devo
Oh, No! It's Devo is the fifth studio album by Devo. By the time of its 1982 release, Devo were a full-fledged synth-pop act, with New Wave pushed more towards the background...
tour of 1982.
Personnel
- Bob Casale
- Gerald CasaleGerald CasaleGerald Vincent Casale , often known as Jerry Casale, is a vocalist, bass guitar/synthesizer player, and a founding member of the new wave band Devo...
- Bob MothersbaughBob MothersbaughRobert Leroy "Bob" Mothersbaugh, Jr.,, or "Bob 1", is the lead guitar player and occasional vocalist for Devo and younger brother of lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh...
- Mark MothersbaughMark MothersbaughMark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
- Alan Myers
- Mike Shipley—mixing
- Jim Mothersbaugh—technical assistance
- Will Alexander—programming consultation
- Al Horvath and Bill Wolfer—additional Emulator programs
- DEVO—graphic concept
- Vigon Seireeni—art direction
- Karen Filter—photography
- Effective Graphics—computer graphics
- Zachary Chase (boy), Alex Mothersbaugh (girl) -- cover kids
- Clacton and Frinton—DEVO's Chinese-American Friendship Suits
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Pop Albums | 83 |