Devo Produced the Punkest Elevator Music Ever

Image: Robert Matheu

You’re at a 1980 Devo show. They’ve just hit the big time with “Whip It’”, and the crowd is packed with old fans and new. The excitement level is going nuts as the band ready to take stage, but instead of pump-up tracks, the venue PA is blasting weird easy listening jams.

Weirdly familiar jams.

Gradually you realise where you recognise that chord progression – it’s “Whip It”. And the next song is a mournful, new age “Mongoloid”. The next a plodding elevator music style “Jocko Homo”.

In perhaps what is one of the most Devo moves that Devo ever pulled, the band recorded entirely new, rearranged versions of their songs in an easy listening and elevator music style. At first it was only heard as pre-concert mood setters, but fan interest and bootlegging eventually resulted in the songs being officially released on two cassettes available exclusively from the Club Devo fan club service.

These cassettes, EZ Listening Muzak and EZ Listening Muzak Volume 2, were sold exclusively via mail order alongside Devo 3D glasses, Devo fake plastic hair and red Devo Energy Dome hats. The two cassettes were eventually reissued together on CD in the late 80s but have been out of print since.

Thankfully, the complete EZ Listening recordings are set to be reissued by Futurismo Inc (the same label that bought us the fantastic Suburban Lawns reissue).

The tracks will finally be given the presentation that they deserve in a deluxe double LP or double CD box set that also includes a Devo Swizzle Stick cocktail stirrer, a Devo election pin, a poster, cocktail recipes, and new liner notes by Devo founding member Gerald “Jerry” V. Casale.

The band have even recorded a brand new EZ Listening version of the track “Human Rocket” from 2010’s Something For Everybody LP exclusively for the new reissue.

In anticipation of this release, we spoke to Casale about the creation of the original EZ Listening tracks.

Noisey: What were the recording sessions for the original EZ Listening tapes like?
Gerald V. Casale: In the early period of “EZ” Listening we would play together at rehearsal for recording sessions for the album we were about to record in the studio. Most of those songs were recorded on a TEAC 4-track recorder. Later Mark [Mothersbaugh] would often bring a recording he had made at home in his bedroom, again on a 4-track recorder and we would listen and make some changes and overdubs or suggest trying some alternative lounge music style.

It was originally made as pre-concert music for the live Devo show – did you guys always intend to actually release them at some point?
There was no intent to make the music available for purchase. That happened due to fan demand.

A lot of the arrangements are wildly different from their originals, what records/culture/art were you looking towards as inspiration for these new arrangements?
We grew up exposed to soporific lounge music and elevator music. The styles usually skewed toward 50’s “Tiki” music, 60’s “mod” music and lots of country music influenced abominations. Whichever styles made us laugh the most are what we gravitated towards.

Were they a collaborative process?
In the beginning they were very collaborative. By the time of the Oh No It’s Devo LP they were more guarded and Mark preferred to record them alone.

They were originally released as cassettes only available from Club Devo, which also offered things like Devo Energy Dome hats, fake hair and 3D glasses. How involved were you guys in Club Devo?
Mark and I were completely in charge of what we offered within the limits of manufacturing processes and limited budgets. Merchandisers were not interested in any of our custom designs and ideas. They fell outside the narrow perimeters of what these companies would manufacture – namely 8×10 images on round neck t-shirts, or small posters. It cost us so much to make and ship our original designs that we were lucky to break even. I would write parody sales copy for all the items we sold.

Pre-orders for Devo’s EZ Listening Muzak reissue (CD and LP) are available now through Futurismo Inc.