Duty Now for the Future
| Duty Now for the Future | ||||
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| Studio album by Devo | ||||
| Released | July 1979 | |||
| Recorded | September 1978–early 1979 | |||
| Studio | Chateau Recorders, Hollywood, California | |||
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| Length | 38:56 | |||
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| Singles from Duty Now For the Future | ||||
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International cover
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
   link
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| Robert Christgau | B− |
| Rolling Stone | (very negative) link |
| Smash Hits | 6/10 |
Duty Now for the Future was the second studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in July 1979, on the labels Warner Bros. and Virgin. Produced by Ken Scott, the album was recorded between September 1978 and early 1979, at Chateau Recorders, in Hollywood, California. The majority of the songs on the album had been performed in Devo's live set as early as 1976.
The "Devo Corporate Anthem" song and video are 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 demo version of "Secret Agent Man" had been featured in Devo's award-winning 1976 short film The Truth About De-Evolution.
Duty Now for the Future was produced by Ken Scott. Like Brian Eno, who had produced Devo's debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, Scott had also worked with David Bowie, most notably on the records The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and its follow-up, Aladdin Sane. Scott heaped praised on the band, claiming they were "quite professional in the studio" and that he "loved every minute of it."
Scott discussed his role in the recordings and how Devo came to choose him for the album: "I consider my job to put the act across in the best way possible, in the way THEY wish to be perceived. I hate it when I'm part of the final equation. The act was signed for their talent not mine. I just wish the modern A&R people saw things that way. I know they chose me because of the Bowie records I did, but I don't know if it was a direct recommendation from Mr. Jones. Devo always wanted to learn. That's why they worked with each producer only once. Took what they needed and then time to move on."
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Wikipedia