Now, many years on, Devo are somewhat thought of as a novelty act.  But in 1978, the spuds of Devo were every bit as subversive musically as the Sex Pistols and the Clash.  They put together a truly unique philosophical and artistic pose that revolutionized music.  The fact that they were actually pretty good songwriters and singers sometimes got obscured by the uniquely robotic musical tones of the band.

This two disk anthology finally gives the band it's proper place in musical history.  Early songs like "Jocko Homo" and their tres ironic take on the Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" were the building blocks to '80's new wave music. 

The early eighties were an amazingly fertile period for the band, putting together a breathtaking series of singles. "Whip It" was as perfect a representation of the year 1980 as you can find.  After that they deconstructed Gene Chandler's "Working In A Coal Mine," rewrote musical rules with "That's Good" and even put together a good theme song for an awful Dan Aykroyd movie called "Dr. Detroit."  

Unfortunately, by the middle of the decade the world had caught up and Devo's highs became fewer and farther between.  The end of disk two does get to be a little much filler material, though slipped in is a got-to-hear-it-to-believe-it good cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like A Hole."  Despite this slow finish, Pioneers Who Got Scalped is a very worthy look at a groundbreaking band.   (5/00)