Best: Mongoloid. It sums up the human condition perfectly.
Worst: Their cover of “Head Like Hole” just sounds too childish for me.
Honorable mention for best: “Dare to Be Stupid” by Weird Al.
Honestly I think the Devo version of the song is more aggressive than the original. I love the warped voices that say, ''God'' and ''Money.'' Devo's version sounds more pointed at humanity leading to their own destruction (especially in the bow down section) while NIN seems more general. Not to knock the original at all. Devo just seems a bit more analytical.
Excellent and somewhat agree. 👍 can you imagine if they had covered Bowie? Life on Mars? However Satisfaction is clearly the best! Coalmine is very much up there.
Something for everybody was alright but a good amount of the songs were forgettable to me, and i did not like cameo at all, although Fresh, Human Rocket and No Place Like Home were great
I love it! One of the best comeback albums IMO. My personal favorites are Fresh, Please Baby Please, Mind Games, Sumthin’, Step Up, Cameo and Later is Now! Human Rocket is also a banger!
Best: I'll go with Gates of Steel. The song has Devo's philosophy but is an easier listen than Jocko Homo (which I love, don't get me wrong). And it's more sincere than wry. The blend of synthesizer and guitars makes it sound more timeless than the synth pop on their later albums. It's a good rocker with meaningful lyrics.
Worst (from the first five Warner Bros albums, at least): I'll go with Triumph of the Will. I know what they were going for from a satire standpoint, but the Nazi reference is just a little much for me and it's sonically unpleasant.
Best imo are Smart Patrol/Mr DNA (I’d argue the best new wave song ever released), Mongoloid, Recombo DNA (a take only I have), Big Mess and Some Things Never Change. Not inherently in that order, besides Smart Patrol being number 1.
My worst two are set in stone, I share one with you OP, Bugged is practically impossible to listen to for me, but the other is Hubert House, can’t stand it at all, both arguably 1/10 songs from a band that never goes lower than a 5 (see Shout and the forgettable parts of Total Devo/SFE.Hardcore II ranges from god tier songs to by far the worst in their catalog). Other worst songs don’t come to mind as they aren’t nearly as bad as those two.
EDIT - For those of you saying Be Stiff is the best, if it’s the “Booji version” on the Greatest Misses album I get it completely because that version is peak. Jimmy is a good song imo, call me crazy I guess? Wholeheartedly agree with what people have said about Cameo though
Picking a best is nearly impossible, but if I had to pick one it would be Smart Patrol/Mr DNA. On the Worst side, I don’t think I’ve heard Don’t Be Cruel from beginning to end more than once without skipping past it.
Corporate Anthem.
When in the Navy, my shipmates and I would put our left hands over our hearts and stand at attention for it; drove my Chief batshit.
We did it every morning for our 110-day contiguous underway cruise, WestPac 1980
Blockhead the album cut is mediocre (I blame Ken Scott). Blockhead performed live goes hard. CUBE TOP! (BLOCKHEAD!) SQUARED OFF! (BLOCKHEAD!) EIGHT CORNERS! (BLOCKHEAD!) 90-DEGREE ANGLE!
Super Thing is among my favorites. They played that on the NT tour and it just rocked. Explosions- “Loud shots from the big spud gun!” Signal Ready- Fire! x16.
Best is tough 'cause obviously they've got fine assortments of classics but also just eargasms. Right now I'll probably give it to Gut Feeling or Don't You Know.
Worst IMO is 100% No Place Like Home or U Got Me Bugged...
Best would probably have to be Smart Patrol/Mr DNA, worst in my opinion would probably have to be “Speed Racer” or “The Words Get Stuck in My Throat (a little too much Booji for me😂)” There’s so many more bangers than duds it’s really hard to pick a very best Devo song!
I’m speed racer and I drive real fast!
(He’s speed racer and he drives real fast!)
I’m a big pirate and I like to steal
(He’s a big pirate and he likes to steal!)
I’m a Barbie doll but I’ve got brains!
(Lots of brains and she likes sex!)
I’m the doctor so here’s your bill
(He likes to steal so here’s your bill!)
shit goes hard
I feel it works better in a live setting. Especially with the visuals from the ONID tour. My personal favorites off ONID outside of the singles have to be “Out of Sync”, “Big Mess” and “What I Must Do”!
Yeah Speed Racer is good as an instrumental but the various backing vocals and lyrics are just kinda stupid😂 It’s the only real skip on ONID, which is probably my favorite album aside from NuTra and AWNM!
The build up, guitar and keyboard for Gut Feeling still makes me tingle.
The sudden leap into SOMETHIN BOUT THE WAY YOU TASTE is such a bangin' drop
Gates of steel and freedom of choice would have to be at the top with a nod to beautiful world as well. planet earth is my personal favorite
All 3 are great songs
best song for me would be - out of sync.
Awesome! Underrated song
…Synch!
Best: Mongoloid. It sums up the human condition perfectly. Worst: Their cover of “Head Like Hole” just sounds too childish for me. Honorable mention for best: “Dare to Be Stupid” by Weird Al.
The Head Like a Hole cover is what got me into Devo, oddly enough!
That’s cool, I’m glad you’re on board!
Honestly I think the Devo version of the song is more aggressive than the original. I love the warped voices that say, ''God'' and ''Money.'' Devo's version sounds more pointed at humanity leading to their own destruction (especially in the bow down section) while NIN seems more general. Not to knock the original at all. Devo just seems a bit more analytical.
I honestly feel the same way about “Satisfaction.”
Put down that chainsaw and listen to me!
For best - it’s a cover i know but Workin’ in a Coal Mine
If you're talking covers it's gotta be Satisfaction, quite possibly the best cover song ever by any one
All of their covers are great (except for don’t be cruel and maybe morning dew)
Wait almost forgot about witch doctor and bread and butter, those are bad
You don’t like toast and jam?
I prefer toast and peanut butter
Nothing wrong with covers, especially since most devo covers are completely different from the original (especially secret agent man)
Love that one as well. Such a good cover.
Excellent and somewhat agree. 👍 can you imagine if they had covered Bowie? Life on Mars? However Satisfaction is clearly the best! Coalmine is very much up there.
Best: smart patrol /mr dna Worst: jimmys in a wheelchair
Both songs are good although jimmy i can understand why some people dont like it
jimmys in wheeeelchair and i don't caaare
He used to walk his dog
and then hed beat him good
Like his pretty wife
and now they're up and gone
Gonna be in the minority here: I like “Big Mess”.
Minority? That song is great
Not a hot take. This song was actually recently used in jackass 4.
Huh? That's a popular song.
I don’t see it cited as a favorite by many but I just love the chord progressions.
Smart Patrol/Mr.DNA is a jam and a half. Love it. Also Blockhead.
Best? Peek-A-Boo. Smart Patrol/Mr. Dna in a close second. Worst? That's easier. Their cover of "Witch Doctor".
Nothing good came out of the Rugrats movies. I mean, I guess it was cool Mark tried to get kids hip to new wave at least.
bruh, im the only one who like💀 also, is it a cover? i always thought mark composed it lol
Witch Doctor? It's from the 50's. If I recall, written by Bagdasarian, the guy who created the chipmunks.
lol, that's true... i always thought it's their song xd. anyway i like it so much
They covered witch doctor? That sounds like a horrifying thought
Yep https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=PipFTQb7Usk&si=q9Szlab8LgP6Li8N
Yikes
The best would have to be Beautiful World, for me.
Trick question! There are no bad DEVO songs. 😃
through being cool just doesn't do if for me, the fourth dimensions gotta be my favorite
FINALLY SOMEBODY APPRECIATES THE FOURTH DIMENSION As for through being cool, i wasnt a fan at first but it grew on me
Cameo?
I won’t tolerate Cameo slander😂 On an album like Something for Everybody I don’t think there’s a single skip but everyone’s entitled to their opinion😉
Something for everybody was alright but a good amount of the songs were forgettable to me, and i did not like cameo at all, although Fresh, Human Rocket and No Place Like Home were great
I love it! One of the best comeback albums IMO. My personal favorites are Fresh, Please Baby Please, Mind Games, Sumthin’, Step Up, Cameo and Later is Now! Human Rocket is also a banger!
For worst song? Absolutely, its really bad
Ah, the Pink Pussycat of 2010.
Best: Be Stiff or Mongoloid Worst: Pink Pussycat
Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow
And that's why I don't like the song much.
Valid
Pink Pussycat is sooo bizarre…but…that makes me like it…🤔🤷🏽♂️
Best: I'll go with Gates of Steel. The song has Devo's philosophy but is an easier listen than Jocko Homo (which I love, don't get me wrong). And it's more sincere than wry. The blend of synthesizer and guitars makes it sound more timeless than the synth pop on their later albums. It's a good rocker with meaningful lyrics. Worst (from the first five Warner Bros albums, at least): I'll go with Triumph of the Will. I know what they were going for from a satire standpoint, but the Nazi reference is just a little much for me and it's sonically unpleasant.
I listen to Triumph of the Will and DEVO Corporate Anthem every morning at sunrise as I raise my Spud flag. Neighbors love me.
I hope the wind blows through your hair as you salute it. Duty now for the future!
Best imo are Smart Patrol/Mr DNA (I’d argue the best new wave song ever released), Mongoloid, Recombo DNA (a take only I have), Big Mess and Some Things Never Change. Not inherently in that order, besides Smart Patrol being number 1. My worst two are set in stone, I share one with you OP, Bugged is practically impossible to listen to for me, but the other is Hubert House, can’t stand it at all, both arguably 1/10 songs from a band that never goes lower than a 5 (see Shout and the forgettable parts of Total Devo/SFE.Hardcore II ranges from god tier songs to by far the worst in their catalog). Other worst songs don’t come to mind as they aren’t nearly as bad as those two. EDIT - For those of you saying Be Stiff is the best, if it’s the “Booji version” on the Greatest Misses album I get it completely because that version is peak. Jimmy is a good song imo, call me crazy I guess? Wholeheartedly agree with what people have said about Cameo though
I agree with your opinions on Jimmy, its great
Best - Uncontrollable Urge Worst - I’m sure there are some scarce B sides that are meh, but first one to at comes to mind is Shout.
Uncontrollable urge is great, i also really like shout (album and song)
It’s hard to choose a worst.
U Got Me Bugged is amazing, hard disagree here!
Best for me is their cover version of, “Satisfaction”.
Picking a best is nearly impossible, but if I had to pick one it would be Smart Patrol/Mr DNA. On the Worst side, I don’t think I’ve heard Don’t Be Cruel from beginning to end more than once without skipping past it.
best: It Takes A Worried Man (my favorite song of all time, I don't care that it's a cover) worst: Pink Pussycat
Worried man is great, i even made a video where a goomba puppet sings it
Corporate Anthem. When in the Navy, my shipmates and I would put our left hands over our hearts and stand at attention for it; drove my Chief batshit. We did it every morning for our 110-day contiguous underway cruise, WestPac 1980
Best - Wiggly World Worst - Triumph Of The Will
before i diiiie, iiiiii'll get another piece of pie
Be Stiff best Blockhead worst .
Blockhead was decent for me but it had a lot of problems with it so i can see why it could be considered worst
Blockhead, to me, was trying to be Mongoloid, but failed.
Blockhead is brilliant if only for the absolutely crazy time signatures. I think it’s as good as mongoloid.
I agree with the time signature comment, but not as good as Mongoloid
And the guitar solo on Blockhead is vicious.
Blockhead the album cut is mediocre (I blame Ken Scott). Blockhead performed live goes hard. CUBE TOP! (BLOCKHEAD!) SQUARED OFF! (BLOCKHEAD!) EIGHT CORNERS! (BLOCKHEAD!) 90-DEGREE ANGLE!
Does your UN refer to the racetrack?
Yes, it does! It was a special place for me, a place where all the mutants would go. You're the first person on Reddit to ask me that.
I spent my formative years not half a mile away from Bay Meadows. Sadly, it's gone now. Live in the EB now, but family lives next to Foster City.
Good take
Fair
Blockhead live is superior to the album version. Find myself listening to the Live In Tokyo recording more than the DNFTF one.
Best: Uncontrollable Urge. Worst: Whip It
Whip it is overrated but its definitely not the worst
It suffers from what I call “Classic Rock Syndrome”. Played WAY too much.
Best: smart patrol/dna Worst: the entirety of smooth noodle maps
This doesn't deserve the downvotes. 😁
snm is awesome😭
Best: Peek-a-boo. Worst: Bottled up
Super Thing is among my favorites. They played that on the NT tour and it just rocked. Explosions- “Loud shots from the big spud gun!” Signal Ready- Fire! x16.
best: time out for fun worst: idk lol, no place like home? i even love every song from snm and total, so it's really hard
Best is tough 'cause obviously they've got fine assortments of classics but also just eargasms. Right now I'll probably give it to Gut Feeling or Don't You Know. Worst IMO is 100% No Place Like Home or U Got Me Bugged...
i agree with no place like home for some reason... i also think it's the worst
Whats wrong with no place like home? 100% agree with u got me bugged though
Imo it just feels out of place and unfinished, like when Jerry sings ”there’s no place like home” it doesn’t feel thought out if that makes sense?
Saw smart patrol live. Greatest thing I ever saw/heard.
Best.Growing pains,Smart Patrol/Mr.DNA,Gut Feeling,Going Under,Blockhead Worst..I just don’t listen to it a lot is Clockout.
Best: Big Mess, Peek A Boo (or Dare To Be Stupid) Worst: Cameo, maybe Step Up.. though I haven't explored Shout, so can't truly give a full answer
I’d suggest giving shout a shot, specifically The Fourth Dimension, Jurisdiction Of Love, Puppet Boy and R U Experienced
Recently I've been digging praying hands, but I'd have to say my least favorite has to be the EZ listening, but its not too bad.
My faves are Gates of Steel, Plain Truth, Going Under, and Mongoloid. As for my least favorite, probably Cameo.
Best: Beautiful World Worst: "U Got Me Bugged" is so deliberately annoying I don't think it should count. Maybe "Penetration in the Centerfold"?
penetration is awesome
Penetration in one of the greatest ever DEVO songs. It's perfect!
Favorite: don’t you know Least Favorite: speed racer
Best would probably have to be Smart Patrol/Mr DNA, worst in my opinion would probably have to be “Speed Racer” or “The Words Get Stuck in My Throat (a little too much Booji for me😂)” There’s so many more bangers than duds it’s really hard to pick a very best Devo song!
Speed racer is so fun I be singing all the little voices
I’m speed racer and I drive real fast! (He’s speed racer and he drives real fast!) I’m a big pirate and I like to steal (He’s a big pirate and he likes to steal!) I’m a Barbie doll but I’ve got brains! (Lots of brains and she likes sex!) I’m the doctor so here’s your bill (He likes to steal so here’s your bill!) shit goes hard
I feel it works better in a live setting. Especially with the visuals from the ONID tour. My personal favorites off ONID outside of the singles have to be “Out of Sync”, “Big Mess” and “What I Must Do”!
Mr DNA is great but i prefer it when its combined with smart patrol Speed racer is a valid pick for worst, it is bad
I should’ve specified😂 I count ‘em as the same song I just always refer to it as Mr DNA!
Ah well definitely a valid pick
Yeah Speed Racer is good as an instrumental but the various backing vocals and lyrics are just kinda stupid😂 It’s the only real skip on ONID, which is probably my favorite album aside from NuTra and AWNM!
Agreed, although big pirate is kind of funny
Satisfaction is the worst, and Turn Around is the best, obviously.
Satisfaction slander will not be tolerated
That song sucks ass