Devo may have become synonymous with the crass commercialism of 80s new wave, but many of their inspirations and guiding principles are firmly rooted in the idealism of the 60s. They took a willfully non-traditional approach to the surprisingly conservative world of rock music, seeking inspiration instead from Dada and Pop Art, comic books and homemade electronics, and in the process becoming a sort of musical Zelig, crossing paths with everything from late 60s psychedelia to punk, krautrock to new wave. Their idiosyncratic philosophy may not always have been consistent, but it served as a deep well of inspiration, and led to them working with such legendary characters as art-rock pioneer Brian Eno and Beatles/Bowie engineer Ken Scott. Published to coincide with the groups 40th anniversary in 2013, Recombo DNA is the first book to evaluate in the proper context the innovations and accomplishments of this truly groundbreaking band. Beginning in 1970, with the transformative effects of the Kent State University shootings which the band-members witness firsthand, and ending a decade later with Devo on the cusp of superstardom (with "Whip It"), it traces the sounds and ideas that the group absorbed and in turn brought to prominence as unlikely rock stars. For anyone who has ever wondered where the band who fell to earth came from, here it the answer. "The hidden history of 20th century America. Places Devo in the correct historical and artistic perspective, doing for the midwest mutants what Lipstick Traces did for the Sex Pistols." -Richard Metzger, Dangerous Minds.net "Kevin C. Smith's rigorously researched book digs deep into the cultural and historical context behind Devo and its genesis, providing the most detailed account of this influential band yet. Beginning against the backdrop of late '60s Kent State, Recombo DNA deftly probes the links between urban industrial history, avant-garde art, dada, experimental film, punk, krautrock, instrument technology, and pop culture ephemera that spawned the Devo aesthetic. Smith's impressive book is as much a history of the 70s as it is a biography of Devo, an illuminating chronicle of that decade's dramatic transformations, and the emergence of the new wave movement." -Theo Cateforis, author of Are We Not New Wave? Modern Pop at the Turn of the 80s and The Rock History Reader "Kevin C Smith's excellent, diligent book represents the first fully committed acknowledgement that Devo's other-worldview was always too conceptually knotty to be compressed into a mere soundbite." - Record Collector "Another angle, borne out by Kevin Smith's catalouging of Casale's and Mothersbuagh's offbeat obsessions in Recombo DNA, is that in actively seeking out wrong-ness, these young spuds were equally seeking to appal themselves, shock themselves out of the American Dream ... a probing analysis." - The Wire "This book is almost as out of this world as 'the band who fell to earth'. Almost. An in-depth look at a seminal band's evolution in one of music's most important decades ever." - Vive Le Rock " For Smith, the Devo story is mainly what led up to their recording career, rather than what came after. ... Since Devo are anything but your typical rock band, a book about them should not be your typical rock book. ... My advice is to simply read the book, it is excellent." - Blinded by Sound Kevin C. Smith has written for numerous websites and publications including PopMatters , Perfect Sound Forever , Tape Op , Synthmuseum , and the Storyscape Journal . This is his first book. Used Book in Good Condition