99% Invisible: 328- Devolutionary Design

November 10, 2018 5:00 PM

It's hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one's experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of the album cover created a first impression of what was to come. Album art was certainly important to reporter Sean Cole, one particular album by one particular band: Devo. This is the story of Devo's first record and the fight over the arresting image of a flashy, handsome golf legend on the cover. Plus, Katie Mingle gets the backstory of the Langley Schools Music Project LP, a haunting and uplifting outsider artist masterpiece.
posted by eotvos (1 comment total)

Chi Chi Rodriguez is a doll. But, the second act is the really exciting part for me. I had no idea that every single children's chorus recording I've ever heard in whole or sampled and actually liked came from a single album recorded in the 70s in BC. (Except, perhaps, that Particle Man track. That was okay too.) The whole album is delightful. I'm happy to have learned about it.

As usual, I find listening to people talk about Devo a lot more interesting than actually listening to the music of Devo. But, that's okay. Enough people love the music that I get to hear people talk about it, which makes us all happy.
posted by eotvos at 6:13 PM on November 10, 2018