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Hardcore Devo! The albums “Hardcore Devo: Volume 1″ and “Hardcore Devo: Volume 2″ will finally be officially released on vinyl courtesy of the Superior Viaduct label. Originally released by Rykodisc in 1990 and 1991 respectively, the albums were only available on CD and cassette. These collections contain some of the earliest recordings of songs that would become Devo. classics. From the Superior Viaduct site:

“Recorded on various 4-track machines and in tiny studios, basements, and garages between 1974-1977, Hardcore reveals their strikingly clear vision: rock n’ roll stripped bare of its collective cool and jerked back into propaganda fit for post-modern man. It’s no surprise that these transmissions would soon catch the eye and ear of Brian Eno who later produced their landmark 1978 debut album. Noisy synth, strangled guitar chops, and a primitive rhythmic thud power the early DEVO sound. Threaded beneath it all are lyrical themes of post-McCarthy paranoia, middle-class ephemera, and DEVO’s long-running topic of choice: sex, or lack thereof.

Few moments in pop music history can match the grinding, pent-up energy of “Mongoloid” and the spastic bounce and sputter of “Jocko Homo” (two anthems presented in their earlier and superior versions here). Cult favorites like “Mechanical Man” and “Auto-Modown” make Volume 1 essential listening.

Volume 2 digs further into the band’s cranial bunker with the caveman hit “Be Stiff,” the space age surf-blues of “Clockout” and even a demented take on bubblegum pop, “Goo Goo Itch.” This 2xLP set includes four previously unreleased tracks: “Man From The Past,” “Doghouse Doghouse,” “Hubert House,” and “Shimmy Shake.” “

Both albums are currently available to preorder from the label, The single LP Volume 1 is $17, and the double LP of Volume 2 is $23, or order both together. A deluxe version on red vinyl is already sold out. Check out the track “Auto Modown” from Volume 1 below!