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verification. (November 2022) |
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 a semi-official EP by new wave musicians Devo, released in 1978. It includes four 4-track basement demos by the band, recorded before they were signed to a record contract with Warner 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] Devo webmaster and archivist Michael Pilmer states that it was produced by Virgin Records and included with some copies of the band's debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in the United Kingdom. [1] Devo member Gerald Casale later stated 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 an unlisted track: "Space Girl Blues".[ citation needed]
The tracks "Mechanical Man" and "Auto-Modown" were recorded in 1975, when the band was a quartet and Jim Mothersbaugh was their drummer. [3] "Blackout" was recorded in 1976, when Bob Casale had joined and Alan Myers had replaced Jim. [4]
In 2023, Electronic Sound magazine repressed a limited edition of the Mechanical 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. [5]
Side one
Side two
Instrumental credits adapted from liner notes of 2013 Superior Viaduct reissues of Hardcore Devo: Volume One (1990) [3] and Hardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991). [4] Credits for "Blockhead" cannot be confirmed.
Devo
Technical