Album of the Day

Devo tapped Ken Scott to produce DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE; while the ZIGGY STARDUST helmer may be better known for guitar-driven music, this 1979 Warner Bros. collection went a long way toward establishing the synthesizer as New Wave's favorite instrument. The UPC-festooned cover of their second album hints that the spudboys would gladly bite the hand that feeds them to skewer corporate fascism, and the music confirms it. “The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize” and a terrific reinvention of the Johnny Rivers classic “Secret Agent Man” were the singles, but the quintet hits bullseye after satirical bullseye here. The Deluxe Edition of DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE adds 5 bonus tracks to the original 13, and we'll cue it up now to wish the band's Mark Mothersbaugh a happy 70th birthday.