“Shout”, uscito alla fine del 1984, segna il vero inizio della fine dei Devo. Dopo un quinquennio percorso a velocità folle e portatore all’inizio di vere e proprie gemme del rock contemporaneo i nostri De-voluti steccano clamorosamente con questo scialbo lavoro. A questo punto oramai la devoluzione è completata…proprio come avevano profeticamente e ironicamente profetizzato nel 1978 con il primo imprescindibile album. Laddove negli album immediatamente precedenti come “Oh No, It’s Devo” e “New Traditionalists” le composizioni erano per lo meno compatte e coerenti, qui è tutto dispersivo, chiassoso e mal sviluppato. E’ un album piatto e omogeneo verso il basso e il livello qualitativo precipita inesorabilmente. Infatti anche solo nel più che onesto “Oh no it’s Devo” qualche buona idea c’era ancora, qui invece i nostri hanno esaurito le idee e rimangono solo i synth futuristici...futuristici per l’epoca ovviamente. Non c'è più traccia delle loro origini punk/postpunk. Anche i testi sono privi del lucido e violento sarcasmo dei vecchi tempi.
Una volta nel lettore il disco parte subito con un passo falso, la title-track “Shout”, una marcetta sintetica con tanto di trombe da electro-overture dè nòantri. Sempliciotta e senza arte ne parte. Assolutamente non disprezzabili invece un paio brani successivi: “The Satisfied Mind” è uno stilizzato brano marziale abbastanza coinvolgente e orecchiabile costruito attorno ad un riff monolitico e ripetitivo. Almeno un pizzico della vecchia follia Devo qui si ritrova…non da buttare del tutto. “The 4th Dimension” è una semi-ballata che stavolta scorre abbastanza convincente e soprattutto sobria…almeno la sufficienza abbondante è assicurata. Riesce a ricreare un ritmo dance-ipnotico pur nella orecchiabilità e in più nel mezzo c’è l’ironica citazione di un giro di accordi peso pari pari da “Day Tripper” dei Beatles. Forse il brano migliore dell’album. Purtoppo tutto il buono finisce qui.
“Don't Rescue Me” è un brano dall’atmosfera generale gasata e piena di buone intenzioni ma le linee melodiche sono un po’ “imballate” e tutto ciò che resta sono una serie di effettacci sintetici di grana grossa. Brano gasante alle prime battute ma alla fin fine insulso. Purtroppo il tutto è reso ulteriormente meno riuscito dalle percussioni elettroniche piuttosto fastidiose ed invadenti. “C'mon” è piatta e senza spunti, pur non essendo inascoltabile. Il ritornello ha un qualcosa di cacofonico alle mie orecchie. Questi ultimi due sono brani che generano qualche rimpianto nel senso che potevano essere più riusciti se rifiniti in maniera più sobria e meno smargiassa. Anche “Here to Go” parte anche abbastanza bene nella parte introduttiva per poi perdersi trasformarsi ignobilmente in un inno alla pacchianaggine, con inframezzi di effettini da videogiochi Atari. Da buttare in blocco nella tazza del cesso e tirare lo sciacquone i restanti brani, da “Jurisdiction of Love” (compreso) fino alla fine del Lp. Letteralmente improponibile poi la cover di “R U Experienced?” di Hendrix. Roba da citazione in tribunale. Male reinterpretata e totalmente inutile.
L’album ricevette critiche negative sin dalla sua uscita. Casale dichiarò in un intervista parecchi anni dopo che il grosso rimpianto fu di lasciare che l’intero progetto fosse monopolizzato in maniera totalizzante dall’elettronica più avanzata; in particolare il loro errore fu di “delegare” completamente il sound del disco al Fairlight, la supertastiera computerizzata allora di gran moda: così invece di suonare le loro idee e il loro disco CON il Fairlight, si fecero trasportare e guidare DAL Fairlight. Io questa la definisco “musica da autoscontro” degli anni 80…avete presente le sagre paesane? Ecco…
In conclusione “Shout” è un pallido simulacro dei loro lavori più riusciti, una scatola vuota addobbata bene esternamente con sonorità elettroniche alla moda ma totalmente mancante di sostanza. Seriamente candidato al peggior album dei Devo assieme ai successivi due. Album per soli completisti che riescono magari a trovarlo a prezzo stracciato. Fine.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Shout (03:16)
SHOUT SHOUT
I'M SHOUTIN' ABOUT THE WORLD OUTSIDE
I'M SHOUTIN' BECAUSE YOU JUST CAN'T HIDE
I'M SHOUTIN' FROM THE PLAIN HONEST TRUTH
I'M SHOUTIN' THERE'S SO MUCH WE COULD DO
SHOUT I'M SHOUTIN' SHOUTIN' SHOUTIN'
I'M SHOUTIN' BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE
I'M SHOUTIN' IT'S SO EASY TO SEE
I'M SHOUTIN' WE'RE WAITIN' FOR A REPLY
I'M SHOUTIN' FOR THE VERY LAST TIME
SHOUT WELL BABY THIS ONE'S FOR YOU
SHOUT FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO
SHOUT UNTIL THE BATTLE IS WON
SHOUT WE'LL LIVE TO FIGHT ON AND ON
AND WHEN YOU ADD IT ALL TOGETHER
AND WHEN YOU ROLL IT IN A BALL
AND WHEN YOU WATCH ANOTHER PYRAMID
AS IT'S ABOUT TO FALL
REMEMBER YOU WERE THERE
REMEMBER IF YOU CARE
ALL THOSE WHO HELD THEIR GROUND
WHEN IT ALL CAME DOWN
SAID SHOUT SHOUT
SHOUT IT OUT
02 The Satisfied Mind (03:07)
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
THAT BIG ICE CREAM CONE IN THE SKY
FLOATS RIGHT ON BY
THE SATISFIED MIND NEVER NEEDS MORE
IT NEVER FORGETS WHATEVER IT'S FOR
BEYOND CONTROL OF HOT AND COLD
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
EACH ONE GOES TOGETHER ALONE
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAT WAVE
AN ICE COLD DRINK IS A MAJOR FIND
IN THE LONG DEAD END OF WINTER
FROZEN LOVERS DREAM OF FIRE
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
LUCKY ONES LEARN THAT LOVE IS BLIND
THEY DON'T DENY
THE SATISFIED MIND NEVER NEEDS MORE
NEVER REGRETS AND NEVER KEEPS SCORE
IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAT WAVE
AN ICE COLD DRINK IS A MAJOR FIND
SIMPLE FACTS YOU CAN DEPEND ON
BITS AND PIECES OF DESIRE
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
THAT BIG ICE CREAM CONE FLOATS ON BY
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
LUCKY ONES LEARN THAT LOVE IS BLIND
WITH A MIND THAT'S SATISFIED
THE SATISFIED MIND IS SATISFIED
03 Don't Rescue Me (03:07)
DON'T RESCUE ME
I DON'T WANT TO BE
LET YOU AND ME BE
OUT OF CONTROL
JUST BECAUSE I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT
JUST BECAUSE I HEAR YOUR VOICE
JUST BECAUSE I SEE YOUR FACE
JUST BECAUSE I WANT YOU
YOU YOU'RE THE ONE
TURN ME INSIDE OUT
YOU YOU'RE THE ONE
MAKE ME SCREAM AND SHOUT
YOU YOU'RE THE ONE
DERAILROADED ME
YOU YOU'RE THE ONE
DON'T RESCUE ME
YOU MAKE ME MOVE
WHERE I NEVER BEEN
LOST IN ORBIT
ALL OVER YOU
DON'T BRING ME BACK
I BEG TO DIFFER IN FACT
YOU CAN QUESTION WHY
BUT WHAT GOOD IS THAT
DON'T RESCUE ME
I WON'T GO BACK NO I...
04 The 4th Dimension (04:24)
I tried and tried
Finally i realized
Why she left this 3d world behind
Go!
She got tired of the same old story
She had a mind that would not quit
She'd insist a plot must exist
With an ending that she could not guess
She tried hard to convince me
Then she took off like a bright idea
She believed there just had to be
A movie that she'd never seen
I watched as her fingers drew
A perfect line in space
I watched as she looked on through
Into another place
She found out what she'd been missing
She decided she could change her luck
She was right life's not black and white
It's something more than meets the eye
I watched as her fingers drew
A perfect line in space
I watched as she walked straight through
Into another place
She parted with convention
Now she's living in the 4th dimension
Without me
I tried and tried
And still i don't know why
She left me no address
Or a way to guess
Now she's somewhere in the 4th dimension
She's living in 4d
She found herself a new direction there
She's living without me
08 Puppet Boy (03:10)
WAKE UP PUPPET BOY!
GET UP PUPPET BOY
YOU GOT A JOB TO DO
EVEN SO YOU'RE FREE TO GO
WHERE YOUR MASTER TELLS YOU TO
LISTEN PUPPET BOY
BEFORE YOU DISOBEY
CONSIDER THAT THE STRINGS ATTACHED
COULD MAKE A BIG CHANGE IN YOUR WAYS
PUPPET BOY
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT
LITTLE PROBLEMS LITTLE MINDS
LITTLE POINTS OF VIEW
PUPPET BOY
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS ADD UP
GETTING BIGGER PULL THE TRIGGER
LITTLE THINGS LIKE YOU
STAND UP PUPPET BOY
TIME TO START THE SHOW
YOU'D BETTER DO SOME BRAND NEW MOVES
THEY PAID A LOT TO WATCH YOU GO
NO!
WHAT'S THAT PUPPET BOY
DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO
WHAT'S THAT PUPPET BOY
I'M NOT A FREAK LIKE YOU
WHAT'S THAT PUPPET BOY
I'LL MOVE WHEN I WANT TO
I CAN'T HEAR YOU PUPPET BOY
NOW DANCE DANCE DANCE
STAY OUT OF BED
UNLESS YOU WANNA GET WET
I'M A BOY NOT A TOY
AND I'M NOT THROUGH YET
STAY OUT OF BED
UNLESS YOU WANNA GET WET
NOW WAKE UP PUPPET BOY
LISTEN PUPPET BOY
YOU'RE NOT A ROBOT SLAVE
CONSIDER THAT NO STRINGS ATTACHED
COULD EVER MAKE YOU MISBEHAVE
PUPPET BOY
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE
LITTLE PROBLEMS LITTLE MINDS
LITTLE POINTS OF VIEW
PUPPET BOY
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT
GETTING BIGGER PULL THE TRIGGER
LITTLE THINGS LIKE YOU
NOW WAKE UP PUPPET BOY!
09 Please Please (03:04)
LOVE COMES IN SPURTS
AND LOVE IS ALL AROUND US
LOVE IS WHAT IT DOES
SOMETIMES IT HURTS
DOES THAT STRIKE YOU RATHER STRANGELY
DOES IT EVER LOVE?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
NO NEED TO BE SO CRUEL
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A FOOL
LOVE COMES IN SPURTS
SOMETIMES IT GETS TO BE TOO MUCH
TO RISE ABOVE
IF YOU LOVE ME
YOU WOULD LEAVE ME
LEAVE ME TIME TO BE ALONE
PLEASE BELIEVE ME
THAT WOULD LEAVE ME
TIME TO LOVE YOU
DOES THAT STRIKE YOU FUNNY LOVE
BE-BOP-A-LUA
BE-BOP-A-LUA SHE'S MY BABY
WHEN IT'S OVER
PROMISE ME THAT YOU'LL GO
WHEN IT'S OVER
PROMISE YOU'LL LET ME KNOW
WHEN IT'S OVER
PROMISE ME THAT YOU'LL GO
JUST BECAUSE
WHAT IT WAS BECOMES
ANOTHER EMPTY CUP OF MEMORIES
10 Are You Experienced? (03:09)
If you could just get your mind togetherThen come along with meHold hands and watch the sunriseFrom the bottom of the seaBut first are you experienced?Well have you ever been experienced?Well I have I haveI know I knowYou'll probably scream and cryYour little world won't let you goBut who in your worldAre you trying to proveThat you're made out of goldAnd can't be soldLet me prove it to youBeautiful mutants I can hear in the distanceI think they're callin' our nameMaybe you can't hear them but you willIf you'll take hold of my handOh not necessarily beautifulBut mutated
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