Smooth Noodle Maps
| Smooth Noodle Maps | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1990 | |||
| Recorded | October 1989 – January 1990 | |||
| Studio | Master Control Studios, Burbank, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:28 | |||
| Label | Enigma | |||
| Producer | Devo | |||
| Devo chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Smooth Noodle Maps | ||||
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Smooth Noodle Maps is the eighth studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in June 1990 and would be their last album released through Enigma. The album was recorded over a period of three months between October 1989 and January 1990, at Master Control Studios, in Burbank, California. Smooth Noodle Maps was Devo's last full-length studio album until the release of Something for Everybody in 2010, as well as the last Devo studio album to feature David Kendrick on drums. The album includes a cover version of Bonnie Dobson's song "Morning Dew," transformed into a dance song.
Despite initial negative reception of the album, "Post Post-Modern Man" hit #7 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for the week of August 11, 1990[1] and #26 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Play chart for the week of September 29, 1990.[2]
In 2019, Futurismo Inc. issued a two-disc deluxe edition of Smooth Noodle Maps, on both CD and vinyl formats. The double CD set comes housed in a digipak[3] while the double LP comes in three vinyl color variations.[4][5][6] Both formats include gatefold sleeves with die-cut windows and changeable covers, a fold-out poster and liner notes from band member Gerald Casale.
Album title
The album title refers to a kind of discrete mathematical system—a noodle map—which may exhibit chaotic behavior, similar to the standard map. The adjective smooth refers to the lack of kinks or discontinuities. This is referenced in the song "Devo Has Feelings Too," which includes the lyric, "snake through the chaos with a smooth noodle map."
Artwork and packaging
The front cover of the record (and the fold-out of the CD version) featured the members of the band emerging from a strange circle. The liner notes from the "Post Post-Modern Man" single revealed that the circle is actually a computer simulation of the planet Jupiter. This image of Jupiter was provided by Philip Marcus and Nicholas Socci.
Smooth Noodle Maps was also issued on limited edition red vinyl by the Dutch East label.[7]
Promotional music video
Two videos were made for the album's second single, "Post Post-Modern Man." The first, which was directed by Devo co-founder and bassist Gerald Casale and was never officially released, saw the band driving a Lincoln Town Car along the desolate Interstate 10 in Southern California. According to Casale, when the finished video was delivered to Enigma, they demanded the video include March 1990's Playboy Playmate of the Month, Deborah Driggs, in order to make it more marketable. After acquiescing to Enigma's demands, MTV then rejected the video because it used the "Macro Post Modern Mix" of the song instead of the "college alternative track" they wanted to market, as featured on the original album. This resulted in a second video directed by Rocky Schenck, which featured Devo in a spoof of the Home Shopping Network, selling various Devo-related merchandise.[8]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Robert Christgau |  [10] |
Similar to Devo's two previous albums, critical reviews of Smooth Noodle Maps were largely negative, with Village Voice critic Robert Christgau even awarding the album a "Dud" rating[11][12], which meant he did not write a review to accompany it. In retrospective reviews, AllMusic's Steve Huey noted that while the album was "inconsistent, especially in terms of subject matter, the band does try some new ideas in its arrangements."[13] Similarly, Mark Prindle noted that the album "features newer synths and an attempt to incorporate dance elements into Devo's late-period faceless boring dance-pop, but it's just as hookless, generic and dated as its two predecessors."[14]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stuck in a Loop" | 3:52 | |
| 2. | "Post Post-Modern Man" | 2:55 | |
| 3. | "When We Do It" | 2:57 | |
| 4. | "Spin the Wheel" | 3:46 | |
| 5. | "Morning Dew" | Bonnie Dobson | 3:01 |
| 6. | "A Change Is Gonna Cum" | 3:10 | |
| 7. | "The Big Picture" | 2:45 | |
| 8. | "Pink Jazz Trancers" | 3:13 | |
| 9. | "Jimmy" | 2:51 | |
| 10. | "Devo Has Feelings Too" | 2:40 | |
| 11. | "Dawghaus" | 3:23 | |
| Total length: | 34:28 | ||
1994 Restless Records CD reissue bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Post Post-Modern Man (Macro Post Modern Mix)" | 3:21 |
| 13. | "Post Post-Modern Man (Neo Post Modern Mix)" | 6:43 |
| 14. | "Post Post-Modern Man (Ultra Post Modern Mix)" | 6:14 |
- The "Post Post-Modern Man" mixes contain samples of "It's More Fun to Compute" by Kraftwerk.
2019 Futurismo Inc. "Deluxe Edition" bonus disc[3][15]
Tracks 8–14 previously unreleased.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stuck in a Loop" (7 Inch Version) | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Stuck in a Loop" (Club Mix) | 7:05 |
| 3. | "Stuck in a Loop" (Electro Mix) | 6:05 |
| 4. | "Stuck in a Loop" (Loop Mix) | 6:54 |
| 5. | "Post-Post Modern Man" (Neo Post Post-Modern Mix) | 6:43 |
| 6. | "Post-Post Modern Man" (Pre Post Post-Modern Instrumental) | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Post-Post Modern Man" (Ultra Post Post-Modern Mix) | 6:13 |
| 8. | "Post-Post Modern Man" (Demo) | 2:51 |
| 9. | "Pink Jazz Trancers" (Demo) | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Listen Little Man" (Instrumental Demo) | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Morning Dew" (Demo) | 2:59 |
| 12. | "Devo Has Feelings Too" (Instrumental Demo) | 2:49 |
| 13. | "When We Do It" (Demo) | 3:01 |
| 14. | "On the Road With Hercules" (Instrumental Demo) | 2:21 |
Tour
Like the Total Devo tour before it, the Smooth Noodle Maps tour saw Devo scaling things back and presenting a very basic set with no complex visuals. The band wore plain white Tyvek shirts and shorts with the Jupiter image from Smooth Noodle Maps on the left breast of the shirt. As in earlier tours, Devo removed their shirts later in the set to reveal solid black T-shirts emblazoned with the band name on the front.[16] The three songs performed from the album were "When We Do It," "Post Post-Modern Man" and "A Change Is Gonna Cum". Prior to the Smooth Noodle Maps tour, Devo had performed "Post Post-Modern Man" and "A Change Is Gonna Cum" as early as October 1989 during the Total Devo tour.
Due to poor ticket sales and the bankruptcy and dissolution of Enigma, who was responsible for organizing and financing the tour, the Smooth Noodle Maps tour had to be cancelled part way through. The final concert of the tour took place at Perkins Palace in Pasadena, California on March 23, 1991. The concert featured a different setlist than other shows on the tour, omitting "Going Under," "Happy Guy," "Post Post-Modern Man," "A Change Is Gonna Cum" and "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" and adding "Here to Go" from 1984's Shout (the only time the song was ever played live), as well as older songs "Midget," "Blockhead" and "Be Stiff." This gig also marked the last time Devo played "Midget" until the "Hardcore Devo" tour in 2014, "Be Stiff" until the 2009 Freedom of Choice re-release tour as well as the final performances of "When We Do It" and "Somewhere with Devo". The concert saw Devo don a new look, eschewing the aforementioned white Tyvek shirts and shorts and replacing them with multi-colored leisure suits (as seen in the artwork for the album) as well as red pompadours for the encore.[17]
In an interview for their 1996 computer game Adventures of the Smart Patrol, Mark Mothersbaugh stated, "Around '88, '89, '90 maybe, we did our last tour in Europe, and it was kind of at that point, we were watching This Is Spinal Tap on the bus and said, 'Oh my God, that's our life.' And we just said, 'Things have to change.' So we kind of agreed from there that we wouldn't do live shows anymore." Devo would not perform again until a reunion gig at the Sundance Film Festival of 1996.
Tour setlist
| First Leg (1990) | Second Leg (1991) |
|---|---|
| 1. "Going Under" | 1.Here To Go |
| 2. "Happy Guy" | |
| 3. "That's Good" | 2. "That's Good" |
| 4. "Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth" | 3. "Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth" |
| 5. "When We Do It" | 4. "When We Do It" |
| 6. "Girl U Want" | 5. "Girl U Want" |
| 7. "Whip It" | 6. "Whip It" |
| 8. "Post-Post Modern Man" | 7. "Blockhead" |
| 9. "A Change Is Gonna Cum" | |
| 10. "Satisfaction" | 8. "Be Stiff" |
| 11. "Uncontrollable Urge" | 9. "Uncontrollable Urge" |
| 12. "Mongoloid" | 10. "Mongoloid" |
| 13. "Gates Of Steel" | 11. "Gates Of Steel" |
| 14. "Jocko Homo" | |
| 15. "Smart Patrol" | |
| 16. "Mr. DNA" | |
| 17. "Gut Feeling" | 17. "Gut Feeling" |
| 18. "Slap Your Mammy" | |
| Encore | |
| 18. "Shout" | 19. "Shout" |
| 19. "Something" | 20. "Somewhere" |
| 20. "Disco Dancer" | 21. "Disco Dancer" |
| After Show Party | End BGM(March 23, 1991) |
| 21. "I Need A Chick" | 昴 谷村新司 |
| Date | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| September 15, 1990 | Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands | |
| September 16, 1990 | Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium | |
| September 18, 1990 | Élysée Montmartre, Paris, France | |
| September 20, 1990 | The Voice, Oslo, Norway | |
| September 21, 1990 | XL Diskotek, Gothenburg, Sweden | |
| September 22, 1990 | Daily's Melody, Stockholm, Sweden | Significantly shorter setlist "Post-Post Modern Man" and "A Change Is Gonna Cum" not performed, as well as last 6 songs of the regular set. |
| September 23, 1990 | Västmanlands-Dala Nation, Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, Sweden | Regular setlist performed. |
| Barowiak, Uppsala, Sweden | Short performance, playing "I Need A Chick" from Hardcore Devo, Devo joined by Swedish tribute band the Smart Patrol[19] | |
| September 25, 1990 | Saga, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| September 27, 1990 | Docks, Hamburg, Germany | |
| September 28, 1990 | Tor 3, Düsseldorf, Germany | |
| September 30, 1990 | Metropol, Berlin, Germany | |
| October 1, 1990 | Volksbildungsheim, Frankfurt, Germany | |
| October 2, 1990 | Theaterfabrik, Munich, Germany | |
| October 3, 1990 | Volkshaus, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| October 6, 1990 | Arena Auditorium Valencia, Valencia, Spain | |
| October 7, 1990 | Universal Sur, Centro Comercial Parquesur, Madrid, Spain | |
| October 10, 1990 | Albert Hall, Modena, Italy | |
| October 11, 1990 | Rolling Stone Theatre, Milan, Italy | |
| October 14, 1990 | L'Aeronef, Lille, France | |
| October 15, 1990 | Town and Country Club, London, United Kingdom | |
| October 16, 1990 | ||
| October 17, 1990 | Manchester Academy, Manchester, United Kingdom | |
| December 31, 1990 | Pleasure Island, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL | The Village People opened. |
| Second Leg (1991) | ||
| February 15, 1991 | L.A.C.E. Benefit, Hollywood, CA | Ethyl Meatplow opened. The second leg of the tour features an almost entirely new setlist. |
| March 15, 1991 | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA | |
| March 16, 1991 | ||
| March 19, 1991 | The Strand, Redondo Beach, CA | |
| March 20, 1991 | ||
| March 21, 1991 | Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA | |
| March 23, 1991 | Raymond Theatre, Pasadena, CA | Devo's last concert for the next 5 years. |
Personnel
- Devo
- Mark Mothersbaugh – lead and background vocals; keyboards; guitar; digital editing
- Gerald Casale – lead and background vocals; bass guitar; bass synthesizer; keyboards
- Bob Casale – guitar; keyboards; mixer; sampling; backing vocals
- Bob Mothersbaugh – guitar; backing vocals
- David Kendrick – drums; percussion; drum machines
- Production team
References
- ^ "Alternative Songs: Top Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard.
- ^ "Devo Post Post-Modern Man (If I Had A Hammer) Chart History". Billboard.
- ^ a b "DEVO 'Smooth Noodle Maps' 2xCD Digipak". FUTURISMO.
- ^ "DEVO 'Smooth Noodle Maps' 2xLP Donut Glaze". FUTURISMO.
- ^ "DEVO 'Smooth Noodle Maps' 2xLP Postmodern Chaos". FUTURISMO.
- ^ "DEVO 'Smooth Noodle Maps' 2xLP Brain Drain". FUTURISMO.
- ^ "Devo - Smooth Noodle Maps". Discogs.
- ^ Devo (2003). The Complete Truth About De-evolution (DVD). Rhino Home Video.
- ^ Huey, Steve. Review: Smooth Noodle Maps Allmusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Devo". Robert Christgau.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: devo". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "Smooth Noodle Maps - Devo | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "Devo". www.markprindle.com.
- ^ "Devo - Smooth Noodle Maps". Discogs.
- ^ "DEVO 1990 snm tour uk PART1" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "DEVO - Perkins Palace, Pasadena, California - March 23rd, 1991" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "DEVO Live Guide - 1989 to 1991". huboon.com. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
- ^ "Booji Boy's Basement - The Devolved Archives". boojiboysbasement.com. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
External links
- Smooth Noodle Maps at Discogs (list of releases)