| Mechanical Man EP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 13:48 | |||
| Label | Elevator Records | |||
| Producer | Devo | |||
| Devo chronology | ||||
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Mechanical Man is anEP by the Americannew wave bandDevo, released in 1978 by Elevator Records. It includes four 4-track basement demos by the band, recorded before they were signed to a record contract withWarner Bros. Records.
The EP was a 7-inch single housed in a plain sleeve that came in a variety of colors including pink, blue, red, yellow and green. Most EP sleeves were numbered on the back, although the exact number of EPs pressed is unknown.[1]
Opinions differ as to the legitimacy of the EP, with some sources considering it a bootleg.[2] In aTrouser Press article on the band dating from January 1979, Cole Springer refers to it as a bootleg of British origin.[3] However, Devo webmaster and archivist Michael Pilmer later stated that it was produced byVirgin Records and included with some copies of the band's 1978 debut albumQ: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in theUnited Kingdom.[1] In 2023, Devo memberGerald Casale said that the songs were "the five tracks we were most excited about at the time".[2]
"Blackout" was later known as "Clockout" and "Auto-Modown" includes the unlisted track "Space Girl Blues".[citation needed]
The tracks "Mechanical Man" and "Auto-Modown" were recorded in 1975, when the band was a quartet andJim Mothersbaugh was their drummer.[4] "Blackout" was recorded in 1976, whenBob Casale had joined andAlan Myers had replaced Jim.[5]
In 2023,Electronic Sound magazine repressed a limited edition of theMechanical Man EP on yellow 7-inch vinyl and offered it as a bundle with issue 103, a 100-page celebration of Devo's 50th anniversary.[2] The bundle became their fastest-selling issue ever, quickly selling out on the website, and the magazine later made a poster of the cover available for sale.[6]
Side one
Side two
Instrumental credits adapted from liner notes of 2013 Superior Viaduct reissues ofHardcore Devo: Volume One (1990)[4] andHardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991).[5] Credits for "Blockhead" cannot be confirmed.
Devo
Technical
