Recombo DNA
Recombo DNA is a collection of studio demos and unreleased tracks by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in 2000 by Rhino Entertainment's Rhino Handmade label and limited to 5,000 copies.
Recombo DNA | ||||
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![]() Cover art by KRK Ryden | ||||
Compilation album by | ||||
Released | 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1977–2009 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:32:36 | |||
Label | Rhino | |||
Producer | Devo | |||
Devo chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Unlike the Hardcore Devo compilations, which contained several demos from Devo's pre-record deal era, this collection spans much of their career with Warner Bros. and Enigma.
On August 20, 2016 at the Devo fan gathering, DEVOtional 2016, Delaney Jae of Futurismo Records announced the label would be reissuing Recombo DNA with new art to accompany it. Futurismo released similar CDs in 2014 and 2016, namely the Miracle Witness Hour live album and a reissue of the E-Z Listening Disc, respectively. The reissue of Recombo DNA was released on August 11, 2017 on 4xLP vinyl with additional material.[2] For this LP edition, "Somewhere With Devo" was removed from the main track listing, retitled "The Somewhere Suite" and included on a 3-inch Mini CD, a release which had been originally planned for May 1989.[3]
The illustration on the front cover of the album features Devo's mascot, Booji Boy.
Track listing
2000 Rhino Handmade CD edition
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Recombo DNA (Demo)" | Mark Mothersbaugh | c. 1977 | 2:06 |
2. | "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat (Live)" | 1978[4] | 5:28 | |
3. | "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gary Jackett | c. 1977 | 2:17 |
4. | "Be Stiff (Alternate Mix)" | G. Casale, Bob Lewis | c. 1977 | 2:43 |
5. | "Pink Pussycat (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, R. Mothersbaugh | c. 1977 | 4:08 |
6. | "Goo Goo Itch (Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1977 | 2:25 |
7. | "Strange Pursuit (Demo)" | c. 1979 | 2:31 | |
8. | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1979 | 3:32 |
9. | "Bushwhacked (Prosthetic Version)" | c. 1979 | 4:41 | |
10. | "Girl U Want (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:59 | |
11. | "Turn Around (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:12 | |
12. | "Snowball (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:49 | |
13. | "Luv & Such" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1979 | 2:53 |
14. | "Gates of Steel (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh, G. Casale, Susan Schmidt, Deborah Smith | c. 1979 | 3:29 |
15. | "Planet Earth (Demo Alternate Version)" | G. Casale | c. 1979 | 3:17 |
16. | "Whip It (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:39 | |
17. | "Cold War (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:33 | |
18. | "Time Bomb" | c. 1979 | 3:14 | |
19. | "That's Pep (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1979 | 2:32 |
20. | "Make Me Dance (Labeled 'Make Me Move')" | c. 1979 | 2:16 | |
21. | "Gotta Serve Somebody (Live)" | Bob Dylan | c. 1979 | 6:31 |
22. | "I Saw Jesus" | c. 1981 | 1:31 | |
23. | "Psychology of Desire (Demo)" | c. 1981 | 4:23 | |
24. | "Pity You (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1981 | 2:54 |
- Although "Be Stiff" is labeled as an "alternate mix" of the single version, it is in fact an entirely different recording.
- "Luv & Such" is an early version of "Mr. B's Ballroom" with entirely different lyrics.
- "Psychology of Desire" is an early version of "The Super Thing", also featuring different lyrics.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beautiful World (Demo)" | c. 1981 | 3:41 | |
2. | "Race of Doom (Demo)" | c. 1981 | 3:44 | |
3. | "I Desire (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, G. Casale, John Hinckley | c. 1982 | 3:18 |
4. | "Big Mess (Demo)" | c. 1982 | 2:48 | |
5. | "The 4th Dimension (Alternate Version Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 4:19 | |
6. | "Here to Go (Alternate Version Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 3:18 | |
7. | "Some Things Don't Change (Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 2:55 | |
8. | "Big Adventure (Rough Mix)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1984 | 2:46 |
9. | "No Noise (Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 2:50 | |
10. | "Love Is Stronger Than Dirt" | c. 1984 | 2:11 | |
11. | "Faster and Faster" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1981-1983 | 2:49 |
12. | "Modern Life" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1984 | 3:05 |
13. | "The Only One (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1988 | 4:06 |
14. | "Baby Doll (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 3:37 | |
15. | "Some Things Never Change (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 5:28 | |
16. | "Plain Truth (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 4:00 | |
17. | "Happy Guy (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 3:33 | |
18. | "Somewhere With Devo (Studio Version Demo)" | Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim | c. 1988 | 18:23 |
- "Faster and Faster" has been attributed to three different eras: it originally appeared on the Oh No It's Demos bootleg of material from 1982, then here around Shout material from 1984, and later as a bonus track on the 2010 expanded release of New Traditionalists, recorded 1981.
- "Some Things Don't Change", "Big Adventure" and "No Noise" were outtakes from the Shout sessions. "Some Things Don't Change" was played as a one-off performance in 1988 at Club Bene during the Total Devo tour.
2017 Futurismo LP edition
The bonus tracks for this release appear in italics.
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "A Necessary Response with Jerry Casale" | c. 1981 | 0:17 | |
2. | "Recombo DNA (Demo)" | Mark Mothersbaugh | c. 1977 | 2:06 |
3. | "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat (Live)" | 1978[5] | 5:28 | |
4. | "Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gary Jackett | c. 1977 | 2:17 |
5. | "Be Stiff (Alternate Mix)" | G. Casale, Bob Lewis | c. 1977 | 2:43 |
6. | "Pink Pussycat (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, R. Mothersbaugh | c. 1977 | 4:08 |
7. | "Goo Goo Itch (Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1977 | 2:25 |
8. | "Strange Pursuit (Demo)" | c. 1979 | 2:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1979 | 3:32 |
2. | "Bushwhacked (Prosthetic Version)" | c. 1979 | 4:41 | |
3. | "Girl U Want (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:59 | |
4. | "Turn Around (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:12 | |
5. | "Snowball (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:49 | |
6. | "Luv & Such" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1979 | 2:53 |
7. | "Conscious Mutation with Mark Mothersbaugh" | c. 1980 | 0:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Gates of Steel (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh, G. Casale, Susan Schmidt, Deborah Smith | c. 1979 | 3:29 |
2. | "Planet Earth (Demo Alternate Version)" | G. Casale | c. 1979 | 3:17 |
3. | "Whip It (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:39 | |
4. | "Cold War (Demo Alternate Version)" | c. 1979 | 2:33 | |
5. | "Time Bomb" | c. 1979 | 3:14 | |
6. | "That's Pep (Demo Alternate Version)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1979 | 2:32 |
7. | "Mental Warfare with Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh" | c. 1981 | 0:37 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ton O' Luv (Instrumental Demo)" | c. 1979 | 2:56 | |
2. | "Make Me Dance (Labeled 'Make Me Move')" | c. 1979 | 2:16 | |
3. | "Gotta Serve Somebody (Live)" | Bob Dylan | c. 1979 | 6:31 |
4. | "I Saw Jesus" | c. 1981 | 1:31 | |
5. | "Psychology of Desire (Demo)" | c. 1981 | 4:23 | |
6. | "Pity You (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1981 | 2:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beautiful World (Demo)" | c. 1981 | 3:41 | |
2. | "Race of Doom (Demo)" | c. 1981 | 3:44 | |
3. | "I Desire (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh, G. Casale, John Hinckley | c. 1982 | 3:18 |
4. | "Big Mess (Demo)" | c. 1982 | 2:48 | |
5. | "The 4th Dimension (Alternate Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 4:19 | |
6. | "Here to Go (Alternate Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 3:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Some Things Don't Change (Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 2:55 | |
2. | "Big Adventure (Rough Mix)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1984 | 2:46 |
3. | "No Noise (Rough Mix)" | c. 1984 | 2:50 | |
4. | "Love Is Stronger Than Dirt" | c. 1984 | 2:11 | |
5. | "Faster and Faster" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1981-1983 | 2:49 |
6. | "Modern Life" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1984 | 3:05 |
7. | "We Are Unique with Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh" | c. 1981 | 0:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Only One (Demo)" | M. Mothersbaugh | c. 1988 | 4:06 |
2. | "Baby Doll (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 3:37 | |
3. | "Some Things Never Change (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 5:28 | |
4. | "Plain Truth (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 4:00 | |
5. | "Happy Guy (Demo)" | c. 1988 | 3:33 |
No. | Title | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Before Baby Doll There Was Satan with Mark Mothersbaugh" | c. 1988 | 0:49 |
2. | "Satan" | c. 1987 | 3:48 |
3. | "Red Alert (Unreleased)" | c. 2008 | 2:58 |
4. | "Sad Song (Unreleased Instrumental)" | c. 2008 | 3:37 |
5. | "Mind Games (Demo)" | c. 2008 | 2:27 |
6. | "Later Is Now (Instrumental)" | c. 2008 | 3:56 |
7. | "It's Not Nuclear Bombs You Must Fear with Booji Boy" | c. 1980-81 | 0:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Somewhere Suite (Studio Version Demo)" | Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim | c. 1988 | 18:23 |
Personnel
- Bill Inglot – remastering
- Dan Hersch – remastering
References
- Badgley, Aaron. "Devo – Recombo DNA". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- Sebastian, Matt. "Devo rarities 'Recombo DNA!' to be reissued as 4LP/mini-CD set with unreleased tracks". Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- https://img.discogs.com/t51_ZaWitIiWD6U2gmi1vPCSNec=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-10728407-1530291655-6364.jpeg.jpg
- "DEVO Live Guide - 1978". huboon.com. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- "DEVO Live Guide - 1978". huboon.com. Retrieved 2020-01-18.