FREEDOM OF CHOICE
1980’s Freedom of Choice, the third album, may not be their greatest but deserves inclusion for several reasons. Its cultural impact was immense, as their iconic plantpot “energy dome” headgear collided with a content-starved fledgling MTV. Devo had been honing video as an artform since the early 70s, so the timing couldn’t have been better. The single, ‘Whip It’ dominated the channel with its quirky visual style, as their contemporaries were clumsily trying to get to grips with the medium. It made them a household name, albeit a strange one. ‘Whip It’ aside, there is much to love here like the superlative ‘Girl U Want’ and the anthemic ‘Gates of Steel’. Concert footage from this era also displays a band lightyears ahead of the competition in terms of tightness and audio-visual mastery.
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