Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology

The first of the two CDs on the Rhino compilation Pioneers Who Got Scalped goes down like butter, every song a classic. Two or three more CDs could have easily been culled from these same fertile years between their debut album and 1981's New Traditionalists. The second CD starts to lose the plot a bit as the members of Devo started going in different directions, primarily Mark Mothersbaugh's developing interest in movie soundtracks and scoring. But it does still paint the picture of Devo and where they were during what Jerry Casale, Mothersbaugh's writing partner, refers to as "the enigmatic years."

Until someone steps up and releases the entire Devo recordings and videos together in one big box, this will have to do. And too many great things cannot be said about the 52-page booklet filled to the gills with info and photos. While completists will still be left wanting, this'll keep most spud boys and girls pogo-ing contentedly. --Steve Turner