1978 EP by Devo
Mechanical Man is a semi-official EP by new wave musicians Devo, released in 1978. It includes four 4-track basement demos by the band, recorded before they were signed to a record contract with Warner Bros. Records.
Background
The EP was a 7-inch single housed in a plain sleeve that came in a variety of colors including pink, blue, red, yellow and green. Most EP sleeves were numbered on the back, although the exact number of EPs pressed is unknown.[1]
Opinions differ as to the legitimacy of the EP, with some sources considering it a bootleg.[2] Devo webmaster and archivist Michael Pilmer states that it was produced by Virgin Records and included with some copies of the band's debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in the United Kingdom.[1] Devo member Gerald Casale later stated that the songs were "the five tracks we were most excited about at the time".[2]
"Blackout" was later known as "Clockout" and "Auto-Modown" includes an unlisted track: "Space Girl Blues".[citation needed]
Recording
The tracks "Mechanical Man" and "Auto-Modown" were recorded in 1975, when the band was a quartet and Jim Mothersbaugh was their drummer.[3] "Blackout" was recorded in 1976, when Bob Casale had joined and Alan Myers had replaced Jim.[4]
Reissue
In 2023, Electronic Sound magazine repressed a limited edition of the Mechanical Man EP on yellow 7-inch vinyl and offered it as a bundle with issue 103, a 100-page celebration of Devo's 50th anniversary.[2] The bundle became their fastest-selling issue ever, quickly selling out on the website, and the magazine later made a poster of the cover available for sale.[5]
Personnel
Instrumental credits adapted from liner notes of 2013 Superior Viaduct reissues of Hardcore Devo: Volume One (1990)[3] and Hardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991).[4] Credits for "Blockhead" cannot be confirmed.
Devo
Technical
- Devo (as "Mechanical Man") – producers
