Freedom of Choice (album)
Freedom of Choice is the third studio album by the American new wave band Devo, released in May 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The album contained their biggest hit, "Whip It", which hit No. 8 and No. 14 on the Billboard Club Play Singles and Pop Singles charts, respectively. Freedom of Choice peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
Freedom of Choice
Composition[edit]
According to the band's commentary on The Complete Truth About De-Evolution DVD, the lyrics of "Whip It" began as a tongue-in-cheek anthem for then-president Jimmy Carter, and were also inspired by Norman Vincent Peale's 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking and the "can do philosophy" espoused within.[5] Devo co-songwriter and bass guitarist Gerald Casale also told Songfacts that the lyrics were written by him "as an imitation of Thomas Pynchon's parodies in his book Gravity's Rainbow".[6] The lyric of "That's Pep!" is based on an early 20th-century poem by Grace G. Bostwick.[7]
Music historian Andy Zax later observed that, "Beneath the shiny surface of Freedom of Choice, the band's ability to dissect the de-evolving world around it remained as incisive as ever."[1]
Production[edit]
Freedom of Choice was recorded between October 1979 and early 1980, at the Record Plant in Hollywood, California. The album was co-produced by Robert Margouleff, notable for his synthesizer work in Tonto's Expanding Head Band and with Stevie Wonder.[1] Zax noted that, on Freedom of Choice, "synthesizers had now been upgraded to a starring role, while an increasingly sophisticated pop sensibility infiltrated the group's new songs."[1]
The album was demoed at Modern Music Recording Studio in 1980 and these tracks were later released on the compilation album Recombo DNA in 2000.[8] This 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 "Turn Around" and three unreleased tracks ("Luv & Such", "Time Bomb" and "Make Me Move").[9][8] The lyrics of "Luv & Such" were later rewritten and the song became "Mr. B's Ballroom".[8]
In 2009, another demo titled "Red Shark" surfaced, an early version of "It's Not Right" with alternate lyrics that was offered as a download-only track for fans who purchased tickets to the Freedom of Choice album concerts.[10]
Promotion[edit]
Devo produced three music videos for the album. "Whip It" was based on a 1962 issue of Dude magazine that lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh had found in an antique store, which contained a story about a dude ranch where the owner would whip his wife's clothes off. The video also played on the popular misconception that the song was about sadomasochism.[5] It was shot in Devo's rehearsal studio for $15,000.[6] "Girl U Want" saw the band performing on a television set in front of a live audience. The colors of the video were heavily saturated. In "Freedom of Choice", the band appeared as aliens. This video also featured professional skateboarders of the day.
The popularity of "Whip It" garnered the band several television appearances, including The Merv Griffin Show, American Bandstand and two appearances on the sketch comedy and variety show Fridays. A planned appearance on The Midnight Special was canceled when host Lily Tomlin saw the video for "Whip It" and objected to the content.[5]
Legacy[edit]
On September 16, 2009, Warner Bros. and Devo announced vinyl and deluxe CD re-releases of both Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice, as well as a tour in which they would perform both albums on back-to-back nights in selected cities.[26] On December 22, 2009, the Ultra Devo-Lux Ltd. Edition box set was released, which featured the remastered versions of Q: Are We Not Men? and Freedom of Choice with bonus tracks, a DVD of the 2009 Q: Are We Not Men? HMV Forum concert, a DVD of music videos, a 7-inch single and a poster.[27][28]
1993 Virgin Freedom of Choice/Oh, No! It's Devo CD bonus tracks:
2009 Warner Bros. CD bonus tracks:
2009 Ultra Devo-lux Ltd. Ed. CD bonus tracks:
Credits adapted from Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology CD liner notes.[30]
Devo
Credits adapted from the original album's liner notes:[31]
Technical