Devo Duty Now For The Future CD

While the most obvious flaw of Devo's Duty Now for the Future is that the material simply isn't as good as on their debut, their second album also captures the group in the midst of a significant stylistic shift. On their first album, for all their herky-jerky rhythms and electronic accents, Devo were pretty much a standard guitars/bass/drums rock band, albeit one with more than their share of eccentricities. Duty Now for the Future found them bringing the keyboards that were used as punctuation on their earlier material into the forefront, adding a new level of irony to their "little minds through big technology" philosophy. While Devo would later learn to use electronics with confidence and wit, they were still learning how to integrate them into their sound on Duty Now, and the results lacked the strength and coherence of their debut. Of course, it also helped that the first album had better songs; the two instrumentals on side one are merely filler, "Pink Pussycat" and "Clockout" are jokes that just aren't funny, and "Triumph of the Will" embraces fascism as a satirical target without bothering to make it sound as if they disapprove. But "Secret Agent Man" is a wittier devolved cover than "Satisfaction," the band rarely sounded as cheerfully creepy as on "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize," and the side two rave up, "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" is superbly potent (for all their progressive trappings, Devo were formalists enough to know you make a big rock move near the end of side two.) Duty Now for the Future is hardly a bad album, but it isn't as strong as what Devo had already brought to the table -- or would offer later on. ~ Mark Deming
Although not quite as stellar as its predecessor, 1979's 'DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE' is a solid second release by those loveable spuds from Ohio. With hindsight, DUTY helped bridge the gap between the quirky weirdness of their debut and their more accessible third album, FREEDOM OF CHOICE, which would prove to be their breakthrough commercial success (achieving gold status and spawning the classic new wave hit "Whip It"). Replacing Brian Eno as producer is another Bowie disciple, Ken Scott (ZIGGY STARDUST, HUNKY DORY), who helps guide the band towards a more "rock" sound.
Devo tackled the Stones' "Satisfaction" on their debut, and on DUTY they cover the '60s surf/spy hit "Secret Agent Man." Other highlights include the epic "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA," which twists and turns for six paranoia-filled minutes, the fast and spastic early concert favorite "Red Eye Express," and "The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprize." You'll also find two instrumentals--the humorous "Devo Corporate Anthem" and the hyperactive "Timing X," as well as the full-throttle "Wiggly World" and the more moderately paced "Blockhead." DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE is a prime slice of early Devo.