Devo - Girl U Want

Today's Hump Day Retro Closet track is dedicated to my buddy Gene because next week he is actually going to see Devo. How cool is that!

Devo formed in Akron, Ohio in 1973. The early band was very fluid changing members and size several times. The band took their name from the the term 'de-evolution' which is the idea that instead of evolving, mankind has actually regressed, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society.

They gained some fame in 1976 when their short film "The Truth About De-Evolution" won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. The same year, they released their first single, Mongoloid, followed by an odd electronic version of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".

It was 1980's, Freedom of Choice, that catapulted Devo to the limelight. The single, Whip It peaked at #14 and Devo's mastery of the new medium, Music Video, kept them in the spotlight. Although subsequent releases, New Traditionalists in 1981, Oh, No! It's Devo in 1982 and Shout in 1984 lacked the success of Freedon of Choice, they remained a very success live band.

More unsuccessful releases followed and the band "broke up" in 1991. In January 1996, Devo performed a reunion concert at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and went on join the Lollapalooza tour. The members also did many side projects, releasing a multimedia CD-ROM adventure game, The Adventures of the Smart Patrol, recording a number of songs for various films, including a cover of the Nine Inch Nails hit, "Head Like a Hole" for the film Supercop and a remake of Girl U Want for the film "Tankgirl", forming a surf band called The Wipeouters.

Most recently, in December 2007, Devo released their first new single since 1990, "Watch Us Work It" and in September of this year, Warner Brothers and Devo announced a re-release of Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice, with a tour performing both albums. And current rumors are the band is working on a new album.

Girl U Want is off the eternally classic 1980 release, Freedom of Choice.

XTC - Senses Working Overtime

Today's Hump Day Retro-Closet track is from XTC, a smart witty British band. They came onto the scene in the 70's during the punk era and their sound was a mix of funk, punk, ska, reggae, and art rock. They were never a huge success, save a few hits, but were always favorites of the critics.

The band had many personnel changes over the years and singer Andy Partridge early on took over the songwriting and singing. In the early 80's they became a studio only band (with occasional radio performances) after a Andy Partridge's breakdown in 1982 at a concert in Paris. Partridge's wife threw out his supply of Valium, which Partridge had been using since his was a teenager to help cope with his parent's divorce.

The band settled into a trio of Partridge, Dave Gregory and Colin Moulding for the rest of 80's and 90's, with first Gregory leaving in the late 90's then the duo breaking up in 2005 after Moulding lost interest in music.

Sense's Working Overtime off the excellent release, 1982's English Settlement, was on of XTC's early hits.

B-52's - Private Idaho

This week's Hump Day Retro Closet track is from The B-52's. I still vividly remember the first time I heard them. I was playing basketball with some friends and someone put on the self-titled first album (cassette tape, actually) on a big boom-box. I had to stop playing and ask who it was, because I had never heard anything like it. I was floored.

Their second release, Wild Planet, from 1980 is a perfect extension of their first release. It's hard to remember which album a specific track is on. Today track, Private Idaho, embodied everything that is the B-52's.

Blondie - Rapture

Blondie is this week's Hump Day Retro Closet tune. A pioneer in new wave, they were able to use many styles like disco, pop and reggae but still retain some punk rock edge and create a string of hit singles. Debbie Harry fronted the band and her voice is a signature of the band (how many teen age boys were in love with her in the early 80's).

Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is currently touring with Pat Benatar and The Donnas. Rapture is off their 1980 release, Autoamerican, which also included the #1 hit The Tide is High, a cover of the Paragon's classic.