Hardcore Devo: Volume Two Explained

Hardcore Devo: Volume Two
Type:	Compilation album
Artist:	Devo
Cover:	Hardcore-devo-volume-2-1974-1977-508066d908e87.jpg
Recorded:	April 1974 – December 1977
Label:	Rykodisc
Prev Year:	1990
Next Year:	1992

Hardcore Devo: Volume Two is the last of two collections of demos by the American new wave band Devo, released on August 23, 1991, by Rykodisc.

Background

The Hardcore Devo albums are collections of 4-track basement demos recorded by the band between April 1974 and December 1977.^[1] The early recordings were made using a TEAC 4-track recorder and incorporated guitars, Minimoog, bass guitar and homemade electronic drums, the latter built and performed by Jim Mothersbaugh.^[2]

Some tracks are early versions of songs that Devo would later rerecord for their studio albums, including a few that became some of their best known (e.g. "Jocko Homo", "Mongoloid"). However, the majority of the tracks were never revisited and remained unreleased until the Hardcore Devo compilations.

Hardcore Devo: Volume Two was out of print for years; however, it was re-issued by Superior Viaduct in 2013, both as a vinyl release (May 2013) and a CD containing both volumes and bonus tracks (July 2013).^[3]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes of Superior Viaduct 2013 reissue:^[4]

Devo

• Gerald Casale – lead vocals (2, 4–5, 7–8, 10–12, 16–20, 22–23), backing vocals (3, 9, 13), bass guitar, drums (16), acoustic guitar (23)
• Mark Mothersbaugh – vocals (3, 6, 12–14, 17, 21, 24), synthesizers
• Bob Mothersbaugh – lead vocals (9, 15, 25), background vocals (8), guitar
• Jim Mothersbaugh – drums (1–15, 18)

Additional personnel

• Bob Casale – additional guitar (8, 17, 19–20)
• Alan Myers – drums (17, 19–20)
• Bob Lewis – additional guitar (5, 8)
• Booji Boy – vocals (11)

Technical

Credits adapted from liner notes of original Rykodisc 1991 issue:^[5]

• Devo – engineers, mixing
• Bernie Grundman – mastering
• Barbara Watson – photography
• Lisa Laarman – design

Credits adapted from Devo: The Brand (2018):^[6]

• Devo – photo concept, art direction
• Moshe Brakha – photography

Notes and References

1. . Hardcore . 2013 . CD liner notes . Superior Viaduct . SV026 . San Francisco.
2. Web site: The Synths and Studio Techniques of Devo . DJ Pangburn . . August 13, 2020 . July 17, 2024.
3. Web site: Hardcore DEVO Re-Issued On Vinyl and CD! . Pilmer . Michael . June 19, 2013 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061816/http://www.clubdevo.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4405:hardcore-devo-re-issued-on-12-vinyl&Itemid=27 . March 4, 2016 . November 9, 2022.
4. . Hardcore . 2013 . CD liner notes . Superior Viaduct . SV026 . San Francisco.
5. . Hardcore Devo Vol. 2 1974–1977 . 1991 . CD liner notes . . RCD 20208 . Salem.

6. Book: DEVO: The Brand . Rocket 88 Books . 2018 . . 9781910978016 . 24–25.