Hardcore Live! [LP]

In order to honor their "fallen comrade," their late guitarist and family member Robert "Bob 2" Casale, veteran new wave band Devo hit the road in 2014 playing music from their formative years. Nothing written outside 1974-1977 was allowed into the set list, but as this live document -- captured at the Fox Theater in Oakland California -- displays, the band don't limit themselves to "period instruments" or the clunkiness heard on the archival studio sets Hardcore Devo, Vol. 1 and 2. Instead, forgotten favorites like "Midget," "Baby Talkin' Bitches," and "Stop Look and Listen" come with a punch that reflects the current gear and a sharpness that comes from a veteran band. Mixed in are early numbers that later became standards ("Satisfaction," "Uncontrollable Urge," and "Jocko Homo") plus others that became B-sides or otherwise deep cuts ("Soo Bawls," "Be Stiff," and "Clockout"). ~ David Jeffries