Mongoloid / Jocko Homo

***Mongoloid / Jocko Homo*** is the debut singe by New Wave band *Devo*. It features two songs written and recorded by the band.

## Background

The single's B-Side, Jocko Homo, was written in 1974, three years prior to the singles release, whilst Mongoloid, was likely written that very same year. The single acts as sort of promotion for the *Truth About Devolution* short film, with the liner notes boasting that it's B-Side is part of the soundtrack of the group's film.

The sessions were recorded and mixed at The Cleveland Recording Company, and were engineered by Michael Bishop and Devo. The versions of the songs featured on this single are largely different from that of the album versions.

The single was released on March 12th, 1977, through Devo's own *Booji Boy Records* label. In early 1978, *Stiff Records* obtained the rights to release the band's material in U.K and as such, re-released the single there in May of 1978, although swapping the more popular Jocko Homo to the A-Side. The single managed to chart in the U.K, where it was released as the follow up to Satisfaction. It peaked at #62 and charted for 3 weeks. The single was also released in Belgium through Barclay Records.

This release uniquely features no credits to the individual members of Devo, like in later releases.

Both tracks from the single later appeared on the 2000 *Pioneers Who Got Scalped* CD complication, and was most recently re-issued in 2009, by Warner Brothers Records, although this version rather egregiously uses the 1978 re-recordings from Q: Are We Not Men?

***Live Performances***

Following the release of the single, the band began to expand their reach outside of Ohio. Beforehand, they had only played in clubs in their home state, but now they had booked a short tour that took the band to Minneapolis, New York, and eventually, California, where the band would re-locate to in July.

From as early as May of 1977, the single's two songs have been performed back to back in live concerts, with the pair becoming somewhat of a staple of Devo performances.

## Track Listing

1. Mongoloid (3:30)
2. Jocko Homo (3:15)

## Credits

*As featured on the first pressing*

* All Words & Music By: Devo
* Cover Design: Devo
* Photography & Layout: Jeff Seibert
* Photography: Greg Kaiser

*Additional Credits from later pressings*

* Engineer: MB (2nd Pressing)
* Produced By: Devo (Stiff Pressings)
* 'Jocko Homo' Written by: Mark Mothersbaugh (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* 'Mongoloid' Written by: Gerald V. Casale (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* Engineered by: Devo (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar: Mark Mothersbaugh: (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* Vocals, Bass: Gerald V. Casale: V (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* Lead Guitar, Vocals: Bob Mothersbaugh (BobI) (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* Rhythm Guitar: Bob Casale (BobII): (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)
* Drums: Alan Myers (Pioneers Who Got Scalped)

## Quotes on the Subject

> When we started out we released a self-pressed single through independent record stores and used our live shows to spread the word about the band. Before we even got signed we'd already successfully distributed and marketed ourselves. That was considered weird at the time – like we weren't really rock'n'roll because we didn't follow the usual cliche of the wasted musician who is basically an attention-seeking fucked-up child. Now all bands are having to do what we did. At least they used to give you big advances back then. Now unless you're Beyoncé or Fiddy labels can't do much for you. The music business has imploded and the old models are gone and there's no new paradigm to replace the old one. There are no rules.
> - Gerald Casale, 2009
>
>

## References

1. ↑ Pioneers Who Got Scalped Track Credits, 2000
2. ↑ http://huboon.com/1977.html