A double-CD collection of DEVO demos from 1977 to 1987 plus two live songs. It was first released in 2000 as a mail-order-only item from Rhino Handmade in a limited edition of 5000. [1]
The record features several songs that were previously unheard, and a decision was made that the record would not repeat material that had previously been bootlegged. The 2017[2] and 2024 reissues[3] added six previously unheard tracks.
Sequence A (Disc 1)
- Recombo DNA (DEMO) (2:06)
- The Words Get Stuck In My Throat (LIVE) (5:27)
- Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') (DEMO) (2:17)
- Be Stiff (ALTERNATE MIX) (2:43)
- Pink Pussycat (DEMO) (4:08)
- Goo Goo Itch (ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:25)
- Strange Pursuit (DEMO) (2:31)
- The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise (DEMO) (3:32)
- Bushwhacked (4:40)
- Girl U Want (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:59)
- Turn Around (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:12)
- Snowball (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:49)
- Luv & Such (2:53)
- Gates Of Steel (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (3:28)
- Planet Earth (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (3:16)
- Whip It (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:38)
- Cold War (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:33)
- Time Bomb (3:13)
- That's Pep (DEMO ALTERNATE VERSION) (2:31)
- Make Me Dance (LABELED "MAKE ME MOVE") (2:16)
- Gotta Serve Somebody (LIVE) PERFORMED BY DOVE, THE BAND OF LOVE (6:30)
- I Saw Jesus (1:30)
- Psychology Of Desire (DEMO) (4:23)
- Pity You (LABELED "YOU SAY YOU GOT A PROBLEM") (DEMO) (2:54)
Sequence B (Disc 2)
- Beautiful World (DEMO) (3:41)
- Race Of Doom (DEMO) (3:43)
- I Desire (DEMO) (3:18)
- Big Mess (DEMO) (2:48)
- The 4th Dimension (ALTERNATE VERSION ROUGH MIX) (4:19)
- Here To Go (ALTERNATE VERSION ROUGH MIX) (3:18)
- Some Things Don't Change (ROUGH MIX) (2:55)
- Big Adventure (ROUGH MIX) (2:45)
- No Noise (ROUGH MIX) (2:49)
- Love Is Stronger Than Dirt (2:11)
- Faster And Faster (2:49)
- Modern Life (3:04)
- The Only One (DEMO) VOCAL BY TONI BASIL (4:06)
- Baby Doll (DEMO) (3:36)
- Some Things Never Change (DEMO) (5:27)
- Plain Truth (DEMO) (3:59)
- Happy Guy (DEMO) (3:32)
- Somewhere With Devo (STUDIO VERSION DEMO) (18:22)
- Track times from "Recombo DNA" CDs.
Liner Notes
Original Recording Produced By DEVO
Compilation Sources:
DISCOGRAPHICAL ANNOTATION:
All Songs Written By Mothersbaugh/Casale Except:
- Recombo DNA/The Words Get Stuck In My Throat/Goo Goo Itch/The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprize/Luv & Such/That's Pep/Pity You/Big Adventure/Faster And Faster/Modern Life/The Only One Written By Mothersbaugh
- · Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') Written By M Mothersbaugh/R Mothersbaugh/Casale/Jacket
- · Be Stiff Written By Casale/Lewis
- · Pink Pussycat Written By M Mothersbaugh/R Mothersbaugh
- · Gates Of Steel Written By Casale/Mothersbaugh/Schmidt/Smith
- · Planet Earth Written By Casale
- · Gotta Serve Somebody Written By Dylan
- · I Desire Written By Mothersbaugh/Casale/Hinckley
- · Somewhere Written By Bernstein/Sondheim
- Compilation Produced by Roland Worthington Hand
- For More Information About The Works Of Devo You May Also, As Of May 2000, Visit
- http://www.mutato.com/lowband/mmutato5.html
- http://members.tripod.com/electricdimension/devo.htm
- http://www.spudtalk.com/
- http://webhost.telisphere.com/aspattack/devo/default.htm
This Compilation (p) & (c) 2000 Warner Bros Records.
- Rhino Handmade, a genetically altered division of Rhino Entertainment Company,
- 10635 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025-4900. Printed in USA.
Trivia / Info
- Disc 1 contains most of the Freedom of Choice record in demo versions. It lacks the songs "Freedom of Choice", "It's Not Right", "Ton O' Luv" ("Instrumental Demo" included on reissue), and "Don't U Know", but it contains "Turn Around" (the B-side to one version of the "Whip It" single) and Freedom outtakes "Time Bomb" and "Make Me Dance".
- "Luv & Such" and "Psychology Of Desire" are early versions of "Mr. B's Ballroom" and "The Super Thing" with different lyrics.
- "Big Adventure" and "No Noise" are songs set to the same music but with different lyrics. "Big Adventure" is sung by Mark Mothersbaugh, while "No Noise" is sung by Jerry Casale.
- "No Noise" features Jerry Casale's highest documented note without lapsing into falsetto. After the music ends, he can faintly be heard muttering, "I sure as fuck hope it recorded that time."
- "Love is Stronger Than Dirt" and "Modern Life" do not appear to fit the style of Oh, No! It's DEVO or Shout, suggesting a different tone for studio album #6, prior to Devo's acquisition of the Fairlight CMI.
- "Somewhere with Devo" (Studio Version Demo), is Devo's longest released song. It lasts 18:24, which is just over half as long as the entire Shout record.
- Altogether, this compilation album represents Hardcore Devo through to Total Devo, but curiously does not contain any material from Smooth Noodle Maps, nor does the 2017 version, which skips ahead to add Something For Everybody era material. Previously unreleased demos were added to the 2019 Futurisimo Inc. reissue of SMN.
- Recombo DNA contains "a couple tracks" from a bootleg completed just before the Recombo track-list was compiled. [4]
- 17 years after its release, this compilation was still available on Rhino.com yet another website said it was now "out of stock."
- First reissued in 2017, this version adds new packaging, sound clips from Mark and Jerry, as well as tracks including: Ton ‘O Luv (Instrumental Demo), / Satan (Pre-Baby Doll) / Red Alert (Unreleased) / Sad Song (Unreleased Instrumental) / Mind Games (Demo) / Later Is Now (Instrumental)." The studio version demo of the "Somewhere Suite" was released on a mini CD and the track listing was subdivided into six parts.
References
- ↑ Recombo DNA. CD package liner note text and pictures.
- ↑ http://www.futurismoinc.com/tag/recombodna/
- ↑ futurismoinc.com/product/h4-devo-h4-h5-recombo-dna-h5-h6-akron-gold-vinyl-h6 (https://archive.ph/ivdpk#selection-245.0-245.23)
- ↑ NARM! NARM!!! (blog). DEVO - Loud Shots From The Big Spud Gun (Amended) comments by "Dave"