Duty Now For The Future

***Duty Now for the Future*** is the second studio album by American new wave/rock band Devo, released in July 1979 by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ken Scott, the album was recorded between September 1978 and early 1979 at Chateau Recorders in Hollywood.

The majority of the songs on the album had been performed in Devo's live set as early as 1976. "Devo Corporate Anthem" is a nod to the 1975 film *Rollerball*, in which games are preceded by players and audience standing solemnly while listening to a regional "corporate hymn." "Secret Agent Man" is a cover (with modified lyrics) of the song by P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri and performed by Johnny Rivers in 1965. An early version of the song had featured in Devo's short film *The Truth About De-Evolution* in 1976.

## Background

### Writing (1974 - 1979)

As with the previous album '*Q: Are We Not Men?*', *Duty Now For The Future* has it's origins dating back to the group's earliest days in 1974, when they were a quartet featuring Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Bob Mothersbaugh, and original drummer Jim Mothersbaugh.

The album was written over the course of five years between 1974 and 1979 by Gerald Casale and Mark Motherbaugh, with additional material by Bob 'Bob1' Mothersbaugh. The earliest track, '*Smart Patrol*', was written by Gerald Casale in late 1974 whilst the group were living in Kent, Ohio, shortly after the song was written it became a staple of the group's live shows. About a year afterwards, Mark Mothersbaugh composed his re-arranged version of P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri's 1964 ht '*Secret Agent Man*' for their short film *The Truth About Devolution*. In 1976, DEVO relocated to Akron, Ohio, and Alan Myers and Bob 'Bob2' Casale joined the group. Alan Myers was a more than competent drummer, and Bob Casale was a talaneted mutli-instrumentalists, both of whom allowed Mark, Jerry, and Bob1 to write more complex arrangemts. The first of these featured on the album include 'Devo Corporate Anthem', 'Clockout', 'Timing X' & 'Blockhead', all from 1976.

In May of 1977, a period which produced most of their first album, Mark and Jerry wrote '*Mr. DNA*', the second part to Smart Patrol. After this, the group relocated to California, where they began recording their first album in August. Later on in December, they wrote '*Pink Pussycat*' and '*Wiggly World*', which would be featured as the setlist openers to the *Are We Not Men world tour*.

### Recording (1978 - 1979)

As soon as Q: Are We Not Men was released in August of 1978, Warner Brothers Records paid for studio time at Chateau Recorders, in Hollywood with Ken Scott acting as producer., Califonria, where the group were living. Similarly to their first album, DEVO set out to record the best tracks they'd been writing since 1974. Unlike with their first album, they were contempt to write new material. In October, prior to the Are We Not Men world tour, Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale wrote '*Red Eye*', the first song on a DEVO record to be sung by *Booji Boy*. When DEVO returend to Califonria in mid January of 1979, they recorded several newly written, more keyboard based, songs '*Strange Pursuit*', '*Swelling Itching Brain*', '*Triumph of The Will*' and '*The Day My Baby Gave Me A Suprise*'. It was completed in April of 1979, and released in July.

## Track listing

***Side One (18:00)***

1. Devo Corporate Anthem (M.Mothersbaugh) (1:14)
2. Clockout (G.Casale) (2:45)
3. Timing X (M.Mothersbaugh) (1:11)
4. Wiggly World (G.Casale/B.Mothersbaugh) (2:42)
5. Blockhead (M./B.Mothersbaugh) (2:58)
6. Strange Pursuit (M.Mothersbaugh/G.Casale) (2:42)
7. S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain) (M.Mothersbaugh) (4:28)

***Side Two (20:33)***

8. Triumph of the Will (M.Mothersbaugh/G.Casale) (2:16)
9. The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize (M.Mothersbaugh) (2:41)
10. Pink Pussycat (M./B.Mothersbaugh) (3:08)
11. Secret Agent Man (M. Mothersbaugh/Sloan/Barri) (3:35)
12. Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA (M. Mothersbaugh/G.Casale) (6:02)
13. Red Eye (M. Mothersbaugh/G.Casale) (2:51)

## Credits

*Credited adapted from filmed live concerts between 1977 - 1980. Bob2 plays bass on Clockout, as stated in Hardcore DEVO Live.*

* Gerald Casale:
	+ Bass Guitar on all tracks except 'DEVO Corporate Anthem', 'Clockout', 'SIB' & 'The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surpsie'
	+ Lead Vocals on 'Clockout', 'Triumph of The Will', & 'Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA'
	+ Backing Vocals on 'Wiggly World', 'SIB', 'Pink Pussycat' & 'Red Eye'
	+ Keyboards on 'SIB' & 'The Day My Baby Gave Me A Suprise'
* Mark Mothersbaugh:
	+ Keyboards on all tracks except 'SIB' & 'The Day My Baby Gave Me A Suprise'
	+ Lead Vocals on all tracks except 'Devo Corporate Antehm', 'Clockout', 'Timing X', 'Triumph of The Will', & 'Secret Agent Man'
	+ Backing Vocals on 'Secret Agent Man'
* Bob Mothersbaugh:
	+ Lead Guitar on all tracks except 'Devo Corporate Anthem'
	+ Backing Vocals on 'Wiggly World', 'Blockhead' & 'SIB', 'Pink Pussycat',
	+ Lead Vocals on 'Secret Agent Man' & 'Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA'
* Bob Casale:
	+ Rythmn Guitar on 'Timing X', 'Wiggly World', 'Blockhead', 'Pink Pussycat', 'Secret Agent Man', 'Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA'
	+ Bass Guitar on 'Clockout'
	+ Backing Vocals on 'Wiggly World' & 'Blockhead'
	+ Keyboards on 'SIB', 'The Day My Baby Gave Me A Suprise' & 'Red Eye'
* Alan Myers:
	+ Drums on all tracks

## References

1. ↑ http://huboon.com/1973\_76.html
2. ↑ http://huboon.com/1977.html
3. ↑ http://huboon.com/1978.html
4. ↑ Hardcore DEVO Live, 2014

## External links

* *Duty Now for the Future* at Wikipedia
* *Duty Now for the Future* on Discogs