Mechanical Man (EP)
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.
| Mechanical Man EP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | April 1974 – July 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 13:48 | |||
| Label | Elevator Records | |||
| Producer | Devo | |||
| Devo chronology | ||||
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Opinions differ as to the legitimacy of the EP, with some sources considering it a bootleg. Devo webmaster and archivist Michael Pilmer states that it was a "fake bootleg" 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]
The EP was a 7" 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.
Availability
Although the Mechanical Man EP has never had a proper CD release, all but one track ("Blockhead") were re-released on the Rykodisc compilations Hardcore Devo: Volume One and Volume Two. "Mechanical Man" is an edited version starting at 1:01 of the released version, "Clockout" is labeled as "Blackout" and "Auto-Modown" includes "Space Girl Blues".
Track listing
Side one
- "Mechanical Man" (Mark Mothersbaugh) – 3:27
- "Blockhead" (Bob Mothersbaugh/Mark Mothersbaugh) – 3:08
Side two
- "Blackout" (Gerald V. Casale) – 3:11
- "Auto-Modown" (Gerald V. Casale) – 3:51
Personnel
- Bob Casale – rhythm guitar, additional keyboards, occasional backing vocals
- Gerald V. Casale – bass guitar, additional keyboards, lead vocals
- Bob Mothersbaugh – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Mothersbaugh – electronic drums
- Mark Mothersbaugh – keyboards, occasional guitar, lead vocals
- Alan Myers – drums
Production
- Producers: Devo (as "Mechanical Man")