Devo

Do we really need another budget-priced Devo collection, which includes much (if not all) of the same material covered on other similarly assembled, budget-priced collections? Well, whether ya like it or not, they just keep on appearing, the 2003 entry being Whip It & Other Hits. As with the other And Other Hits entries of the ongoing series by Rhino Flashback, the Devo edition sticks mostly to the group's best-known tracks, spanning 1978 though 1982. Included is (of course) their best-known track, "Whip It," as well as such other new wave classics as "Freedom of Choice," "Peek-A-Boo!," "Girl U Want," and "Through Being Cool." Also, you'll find such lesser-known selections as "Snowball" and "Gates of Steel," as well as such early tracks as "Mongoloid" and "Uncontrollable Urge," from when Devo was known primarily as a punk band. If it's an affordable Devo taster you're looking for, Whip It & Other Hits is adequate. But be advised -- there are oodles of other just-as-deserving tracks that didn't make the cut here, which can be found on other comps. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide