Freedom of Choice
Encyclopedia
Freedom of Choice is the third album by New Wave
musicians Devo
, released on May 16, 1980. It saw the band moving in more of an overt synthpop
direction, even though guitars still played a prominent role.
The album was produced by Robert Margouleff
, famous for his synthesizer work in Tonto's Expanding Head Band
and with Stevie Wonder
.
On the Billboard Music Charts, Freedom of Choice peaked at #22 on the Pop Albums chart. It contains Devo's most well-known song, "Whip It
," which hit #8 and #14 on the Club Play Singles and Pop Singles charts, respectively.
The group later performed an alternate version of "Girl U Want" that appeared on the Tank Girl
soundtrack.
An entire alternate demo version of the album was released in 2000 on the Rhino Handmade two-disc rarities collection Recombo DNA
. The demo version lacks "It's Not Right," "Ton o' Luv," "Don't You Know," and "Freedom of Choice," but it includes demos of the "Whip It" B-side "Turnaround" and three unreleased tracks ("Luv & Such," "Time Bomb," and "Make Me Move").
In 2008, the album was digitally remastered and released as part of the box set This is the Devo Box
in Japan. On September 16, 2009, Warner Brothers and Devo announced a re-release of Freedom of Choice and Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
, with a tour performing both albums.
and Gerald V. Casale
except as noted.
Standard
DEVO-LUX Edition
Source:
To commemorate the release of the album's "deluxe remastered edition" on CD, the album was performed in its entirety on each of these nights and featured the band in their original touring costumes. The encore performances were "Be Stiff
" and "Beautiful World
," the latter of which featured the Devo "mascot" Booji Boy
on vocals.
The opening act for this tour was comedian/performance artist Reggie Watts
, and for certain dates, JP Hasson
(aka JP Incorporated aka Pleaseeasaur).
, Soundgarden
, Chancho en piedra
, Robert Palmer, and Zombie Ghost Train
.
The album's title track has been covered by 16 Volt
, The Aquabats
, A Perfect Circle
, Lagwagon
, Snapcase
, Psychotica
, Big Drill Car
, Fu Manchu
, and the Frustrations. Collide and Face to Face
recorded versions of "Whip It," which has also been performed in concert by numerous musicians including The String Cheese Incident. The song was also covered for the NME 2008 Awards Compilation by the band Does It Offend You, Yeah?
; "Gates of Steel" was covered by The Hex Dispensers, Skankin' Pickle
, Supernova
, Yo La Tengo
, Groovie Ghoulies, Shihad
, Junkyard Dogs, and Snapcase
.
The "Whip It" B-side "Turn Around" was covered by Nirvana
and included on the rarities collection Incesticide
in 1992.
Single
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
musicians Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, released on May 16, 1980. It saw the band moving in more of an overt synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
direction, even though guitars still played a prominent role.
The album was produced by Robert Margouleff
Robert Margouleff
Robert Margouleff is a Grammy Award winning American record producer, recording engineer, electronic music pioneer, audio expert, and film producer....
, famous for his synthesizer work in Tonto's Expanding Head Band
Tonto's Expanding Head Band
Tonto's Expanding Head Band was a British electronic music duo consisting of Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff. Despite releasing only two albums in the early 1970s, the duo were influential because of their session work for other musicians , extensive commercial advertising work and the unique...
and with Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
.
On the Billboard Music Charts, Freedom of Choice peaked at #22 on the Pop Albums chart. It contains Devo's most well-known song, "Whip It
Whip It
"Whip It" is the title of a 1980 single by the American New Wave band Devo. It appears on the album Freedom of Choice. There were two 7" single releases of "Whip It", one backed with a remix of the track "Snowball" and one backed with "Turn Around"...
," which hit #8 and #14 on the Club Play Singles and Pop Singles charts, respectively.
The group later performed an alternate version of "Girl U Want" that appeared on the Tank Girl
Tank Girl (film)
Tank Girl is a 1995 science fiction action film loosely based on the Tank Girl comic book created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and stars Lori Petty as Rebecca Buck, aka the eponymous Tank Girl, who had originally appeared in the UK comic magazine...
soundtrack.
An entire alternate demo version of the album was released in 2000 on the Rhino Handmade two-disc rarities collection Recombo DNA
Recombo DNA
Recombo DNA is a collection of studio demos and unreleased tracks by the band Devo. It was released in 2000 by Rhino Handmade and limited to 5,000 copies....
. The demo version lacks "It's Not Right," "Ton o' Luv," "Don't You Know," and "Freedom of Choice," but it includes demos of the "Whip It" B-side "Turnaround" and three unreleased tracks ("Luv & Such," "Time Bomb," and "Make Me Move").
In 2008, the album was digitally remastered and released as part of the box set This is the Devo Box
This is the Devo Box
This is the Devo Box is a seven disc Box set, released only in Japan, featuring digitally remastered versions of the first six studio albums by Devo. It also contains an expanded and remastered version of DEV-O Live, identical to the Rhino Handmade release. The albums are packaged in miniature LP...
in Japan. On September 16, 2009, Warner Brothers and Devo announced a re-release of Freedom of Choice and Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Question: Are We Not Men? Answer: We Are Devo!
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is the debut album by the American new wave music band Devo. Produced by Brian Eno, it was recorded primarily in Cologne, Germany and released in the U.S. by Warner Bros. Records company in 1978....
, with a tour performing both albums.
Track listing
On all editions, all songs written by Mark MothersbaughMark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
and Gerald V. Casale
Gerald Casale
Gerald Vincent Casale , often known as Jerry Casale, is a vocalist, bass guitar/synthesizer player, and a founding member of the new wave band Devo...
except as noted.
Standard
- "Girl U WantGirl U Want"Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by the American New Wave band Devo. It was the first single released from the album Freedom of Choice. In 1995, Devo rerecorded the song for the soundtrack to Tank Girl.-Song Information:...
" – 2:55 - "It's Not Right" (Mark Mothersbaugh) – 2:20
- "Whip ItWhip It"Whip It" is the title of a 1980 single by the American New Wave band Devo. It appears on the album Freedom of Choice. There were two 7" single releases of "Whip It", one backed with a remix of the track "Snowball" and one backed with "Turn Around"...
" – 2:37 - "Snowball" – 2:28
- "Ton o' Luv" (Gerald V. Casale) – 2:29
- "Freedom of Choice" – 3:28
- "Gates of Steel" (Gerald V. Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, Sue SchmidtChi-PigChi-Pig was a New Wave power trio hailing from Akron, Ohio. During the 1960s and 1970s, Susan Schmidt and Deborah Smith were active in several area bands, notably The Poor Girls, Cinderella's Revenge, and Friction...
, Debbie SmithChi-PigChi-Pig was a New Wave power trio hailing from Akron, Ohio. During the 1960s and 1970s, Susan Schmidt and Deborah Smith were active in several area bands, notably The Poor Girls, Cinderella's Revenge, and Friction...
) – 3:26 - "Cold War" (Robert MothersbaughBob MothersbaughRobert Leroy "Bob" Mothersbaugh, Jr.,, or "Bob 1", is the lead guitar player and occasional vocalist for Devo and younger brother of lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh...
/Gerald V. Casale) – 2:30 - "Don't You Know" (Mark Mothersbaugh) – 2:14
- "That's Pep!" (Mark Mothersbaugh) – 2:17
- "Mr. B's Ballroom" (Mark Mothersbaugh) – 2:45
- "Planet Earth" (Gerald V. Casale) – 2:45
- The reissue paired this album with Oh, No! It's DevoOh, No! It's DevoOh, No! It's Devo is the fifth studio album by Devo. By the time of its 1982 release, Devo were a full-fledged synth-pop act, with New Wave pushed more towards the background...
and added two bonus tracks: the "Whip It" B-side "Turn Around" and the "Peek-A-Boo!" B-side "Peek-A-Boo! (Dance Velocity)."
- On November 3, 2009, the "deluxe remastered" edition was issued by Warner Brothers and contains the DEV-O LiveDEV-O LiveDEV-O LIVE is a live EP by the New Wave band Devo. It was recorded during the Freedom of Choice tour of 1980, at The Fox Warfield Theatre. Initially only six songs from the show were released on an EP in 1981, intended for airplay use...
EP as bonus tracks.
DEVO-LUX Edition
- On December 23, 2009, the "DEVO-LUX" edition was released, which featured the DEV-O LiveDEV-O LiveDEV-O LIVE is a live EP by the New Wave band Devo. It was recorded during the Freedom of Choice tour of 1980, at The Fox Warfield Theatre. Initially only six songs from the show were released on an EP in 1981, intended for airplay use...
EP and the demo versions of "Snowball," "Gates of Steel," and "Time Bomb." The package also featured Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, which was paired with the demo versions of "Uncontrollable Urge," "Social Fools," and "Sloppy."
Source:
Track Commentary
- Contrary to popular myth, the lyrical content of "Whip It" has nothing to do with sadomasochism. According to Jerry Casale's commentary on the Complete Truth About De-evolutionThe Complete Truth About DevolutionThe Complete Truth About De-Evolution was the third home video release by new wave band Devo. It is a collection of Devo's music videos from 1976 to 1990. It was released on Laserdisc in 1993 by Voyager and on DVD by Rhino Records in 2003.-Synopsis:...
laserdisc and DVD, the song was inspired by Norman Vincent PealeNorman Vincent PealeDr. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".-Early life and education:...
's 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking and the "can do philosophy" espoused within. Casale also told Songfacts that the lyrics were written by him "as an imitation of Thomas PynchonThomas PynchonThomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
's parodies in his book Gravity's RainbowGravity's RainbowGravity's Rainbow is a postmodern novel written by Thomas Pynchon and first published on February 28, 1973.The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military, and, in particular, the quest...
." - "Mr. B's Ballroom" is a lyric re-written version of an earlier relationship-focused song called "Luv & Such," which can be heard on the aforementioned rarities collection Recombo DNA.
- "That's Pep"'s lyric is an early 20th century poem by Grace G. Bostwick.
2009 Album Performances
- November 4 - Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood, CA
- November 7 - Grand Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
- November 9 - Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA
- November 13 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
- November 16 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
- November 21 - Irving Plaza, New York, NY
- November 24 - Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON
To commemorate the release of the album's "deluxe remastered edition" on CD, the album was performed in its entirety on each of these nights and featured the band in their original touring costumes. The encore performances were "Be Stiff
Be Stiff
"Be Stiff" is the third single by New Wave group Devo, released in 1977. The song was taken from the sessions for Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! that were being produced by Brian Eno at the time....
" and "Beautiful World
New Traditionalists
New Traditionalists is the fourth studio album by the New Wave rock band Devo, released in 1981. It features the minor hits "Through Being Cool" and "Beautiful World." The sound continued in the vein of the previous album Freedom of Choice, with synthesizers moved to the forefront and guitars more...
," the latter of which featured the Devo "mascot" Booji Boy
Booji Boy
Booji Boy is a character created in the early 1970s by American New Wave band Devo. The name is pronounced "Boogie Boy"—the strange spelling "Booji" resulted when the band was using letraset to produce captions for a film, and ran out of the letter "g"...
on vocals.
The opening act for this tour was comedian/performance artist Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts is a Seattle-based comedian and musician. His shows are mostly improvised and consist of stream of consciousness stand-up in various shifting personae, mixed with loop pedal-based a cappella compositions. He also performs regularly on television, radio, and in live theater...
, and for certain dates, JP Hasson
JP Hasson
JP Hasson is a musician, comedian and writer, best known for his musical/comedy acts JP Incorporated and Pleaseeasaur. Hasson also composes music for film and television and performed in several avant-garde rock bands...
(aka JP Incorporated aka Pleaseeasaur).
Covers
Several songs from Freedom of Choice have been covered by other musicians, most notably "Girl U Want," which has been recorded by SuperchunkSuperchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Chancho en piedra
Chancho en Piedra
Chancho en Piedra is a Chilean Funk-Rock band, considered influential in the popularization of alternative rock in Latin America. They are commonly described as similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but are also known for their unique sound and goofy style...
, Robert Palmer, and Zombie Ghost Train
Zombie Ghost Train
Zombie Ghost Train was an Australian psychobilly and gothabilly band located in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The band formed with Stu Arkoff , Azzy T , and Captain Reckless . In 2007, Azzy T left to pursue other musical ventures and was replaced by JM...
.
The album's title track has been covered by 16 Volt
16 Volt
16Volt is an industrial rock band featuring Eric Powell and Mike Peoples with various other performers added for live shows.-History:Powell became interested in music early on, and formed 16Volt in 1988. While shopping his demos several years later, he met up with a college-radio music director who...
, The Aquabats
The Aquabats
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. They have released five full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. They are best known for their mythology, in which they claim to be superheroes on a quest to save the world from evil through music...
, A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
, Lagwagon
Lagwagon
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, just outside Santa Barbara, California. They formed in 1990 and went on hiatus and reunited several times over the years...
, Snapcase
Snapcase
Snapcase is a hardcore punk band from Buffalo, New York. Their records have been released on the Chicago record label, Victory Records. Through the course of the band's initial run of fourteen years, they released six studio albums before disbanding in 2005....
, Psychotica
Psychotica
Psychotica, formed in 1994 by Pat Briggs and Paul "ENA" Kostabi, were a seminal influence in Industrial Goth, releasing 3 albums to mixed reviews and varied success....
, Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car was a pop punk/melodic hardcore group from Huntington Beach, California, who were active from the late 1980s to mid-1990s and briefly again in the mid-2000s...
, Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu (band)
Fu Manchu is a Southern Californian stoner rock band, who released their debut single "Kept Between Trees" in 1990. They have been featured on compilations put together by Tony Hawk and ESPN's X Games, and invited to perform on the US television program Monster Garage...
, and the Frustrations. Collide and Face to Face
Face to Face (punk band)
Face to Face is an American pop punk band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith. Originally known as "Zero Tolerance", Keith had been the only constant member of the band during their years of touring and recording albums. The group was initially signed by Dr. Strange...
recorded versions of "Whip It," which has also been performed in concert by numerous musicians including The String Cheese Incident. The song was also covered for the NME 2008 Awards Compilation by the band Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Does It Offend You, Yeah? are a British electronic rock band from Reading, Berkshire.-History:Does It Offend You, Yeah? were formed in 2006 in Reading, UK by James Rushent and Dan Coop and soon joined by Rob Bloomfield and Morgan Quaintance....
; "Gates of Steel" was covered by The Hex Dispensers, Skankin' Pickle
Skankin' Pickle
Skankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1996.-Biography:Skankin' Pickle first formed in December 1988, made up of students from Westmont High School and Los Gatos High School. The band played their first show on April 28, 1989,...
, Supernova
Supernova (band)
Supernova is an American pop punk band formed in Costa Mesa, California in 1989. The band has released three full-length albums, numerous singles and EPs and were part of the original 1995 Vans Warped Tour line-up...
, Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
, Groovie Ghoulies, Shihad
Shihad
Shihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
, Junkyard Dogs, and Snapcase
Snapcase
Snapcase is a hardcore punk band from Buffalo, New York. Their records have been released on the Chicago record label, Victory Records. Through the course of the band's initial run of fourteen years, they released six studio albums before disbanding in 2005....
.
The "Whip It" B-side "Turn Around" was covered by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and included on the rarities collection Incesticide
Incesticide
-Personnel:All sessions:*Kurt Cobain – vocals, guitar*Krist Novoselic – bass guitarSeattle, WA: Reciprocal Recording Studios Nirvana's first studio demo tape...
in 1992.
Personnel
- Mark MothersbaughMark MothersbaughMark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Gerald V. CasaleGerald CasaleGerald Vincent Casale , often known as Jerry Casale, is a vocalist, bass guitar/synthesizer player, and a founding member of the new wave band Devo...
– bass guitar, keyboards, vocals - Bob Casale – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Bob MothersbaughBob MothersbaughRobert Leroy "Bob" Mothersbaugh, Jr.,, or "Bob 1", is the lead guitar player and occasional vocalist for Devo and younger brother of lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh...
– guitar, vocals - Alan Myers – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Karat Faye - engineer
Singles
- "Whip It" / "Turn Around"
- "Girl U Want" / "Turn Around"
- "Freedom of Choice" / "Snowball (remix)"
- "Gates of Steel" / "Mr B.'s Ballroom" / "Whip It"
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums (U.S. |
22 |
| 1980 | UK Album Charts | 47 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Whip It"/"Gates of Steel"/"Freedom of Choice" | Billboard Club Play Singles | 22 |
| 1980 | "Whip It" | Billboard Pop Singles | 14 |