RIP Bob Casale of Devo

Man, this hurts. The second member of the classic lineup to pass, after Alan Myers. From Gerald Casale:

Very sad news to report today.

Bob Casale of Devo. Born: July 14th, 1952 . Deceased: February 17th, 2014

As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.

Gerald Casale, Devo founder.

:(

RIP

oh man, rest in peace

FUCK

RIP Bob 2

No es bueno.

is it just me or have both of Gerald's death announcements now directed some bitterness towards Mark?

RIP

this sucks, RIP

yeah don't know the ins and outs of the devo organization but mothersbaugh "allowing" devo to play sounds a little passive aggressive.

There are definite rumours of assholeism in the Devo camp but this isn't really the time or the place. Celebrate the work, man.

(When did I turn into some touchy death-respecting hippy? Huh.)

yeah that sentence stuck out

sad news, great band, RIP

all time great.

was only on saturday i had a massive Devo session and i had that rush of sheer joy that only certain bands can provide.

rest in peace.

This sucks. RIP.

rip.

R.I.P.... I played the Hardcore re-issues more than anything else last year.

Well, shit.

R.I.P.

aw RIP

can i just say, the remastered edition of q. are we not men .. sounds fucking immense.

best thing i bought when in chicago a few years ago.

i got the remastered edition of new traditionalists as well

.. did they get around to remastered editions of any other albums as the virgin cd editions sound shyte.

ireallylovemusic hq vs devo tonight.

I watched these videos a few months ago and remember thinking what a cool guy he seemed to be
RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te3HYY9sIcE

ok. to answer my question.

seems the other classic era albums have been remastered.

lets see what turns up as its not clear via amazon uk as to what is what.

(i have the original virgin 2-fer-1 issues, but they sound seriously weak - and so i have been wanting a full set of remasters ever since)

http://m.rollingstone.com/music/news/devo-sixties-idealists-or-nazis-and-clowns-19811210

had no idea they were so hated.

as a simple uk'r i had no background, no info.

i just loved the music and the album art.

yeah not being around at the time and hearing the music way after the fact, i had no idea they were so divisive, even among critics.

yeah i mean, so much punk ended up being kinda classic rock in disguise, but devo were such a weird conceptual project that they really didn't fit into that narrative at all.

playing duty now this afternoon in memoriam.

I got to see them live in 2008 and they may have been old but they BROUGHT IT. Ace show I'll always treasure.

As sublimely quirky and new wavey as new wave got:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN32kQUHBK0

I can still hear my friend Peter going on about this in the fall of 1979.

have played so many of the classics tonight ..

but you know, its the live album, now it can be told, that hits the hardest.

starts out all low key and acoustic, and lots of 'takes courage to be a devo fan these days', after which the synths kick in and all classic hell devo breaks loose.

and to think i picked this album by "accident".

(over heard conversation in a trade in store in leeds who did not want it, so i chased the perp down outside the store and bought it direct from him .. )

'wait a minute, do you really want more of this stuff ?'

I cannot find the video of Devo doing "Jocko Homo" on Saturday Night Live in 1978. Which is a shame because it's amazing. This clip is a lot older and almost as amazing - Devo doing an early version of "Private Secretary" in front of empty chairs and confused students at Kent State in 1973!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_M9ZMo5TiU

:( RIP.

The live stuff from Devo is so amazing. I've been amassing bootlegs etc since way back and they are rarely disappointing. That "Now it Can Be Told" album is great and I have a soft spot for it because the tour that they did when it came out was the only times I got to see them live. But the REALLY killer (*official*) live albums are the extended version of Dev-o Live 1980 on Rhino Handmade and the Live in Seattle double album from 1981 which they brought out for Record Store day a couple of years ago. All Devo fans need these discs!

That "Now it Can Be Told" album is great and I have a soft spot for it because the tour that they did when it came out was the only times I got to see them live.

my world !

however, i never got to see them live ..

This was the two gigs at the Town and Country Club in 1990 where they more or less replicated that live album, including the slow version of Joko Homo and the "Somewhere with Devo" medley. Lots of fun.

that was probably the tour i had fix for them up in manchester that they then cancelled ..

fix = tix

I think they did play in Manchester the night after the London dates...not sure though. I still have the t-shirt which has the Manchester date on it. There was an earlier cancelled tour after "Shout" came out. I had tix for the Glasgow show.

no idea .. sorry ..

too much pain to revisit those times.

yeah don't know the ins and outs of the devo organization but mothersbaugh "allowing" devo to play sounds a little passive aggressive.

it's only six months since they last played and 14 since they toured, so probably only a minor frustration being expressed

Don't want to be a dick but reading various tweets and FB posts saying how his guitar playing was such an influence, etc.

Bob2 was mostly a keyboard player and second rhythm guitarist right? Like looking at "Satisfaction" video I think he only does the rhythm on the 2nd verse, unless I'm mistaken.

yeah I think Bob1 was the real distinctive guitar player in the band. I recognize his playing. Honestly I am not too sure what Bob2 did, but this is still really sad news.

I saw Devo on the Oh No It's Devo tour and several times during the recent reunions. I saw them on SNL in '78 and it really was one of those Elvis on Ed Sullivan moments.

Some spud out there put the entire 3-D Devo telecast from 1982 on YouTube. Watch!
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF44094406585C28B

seem to remember reading a story/article a while ago about how Devo used to get taunted and chased by unpleasant sorts who wanted to beat them up. unfortunately for the aggressors, they'd failed to notice that one of the bandmembers (Bob Casale I suspect) was strapping and athletic so they'd sometimes get a taste of their own medicine… (if anyone knows of and can link that article, thanks in advance!)

yeah I think Bob1 was the real distinctive guitar player in the band. I recognize his playing. Honestly I am not too sure what Bob2 did, but this is still really sad news.

― frogbs, Tuesday, February 18, 2014 7:32 PM (54 minutes ago)

Could a Devo expert chime in with Bob2's significant contributions (keyboard/guitar/vox) to the band? I think that would be more of a fitting tribute to me than just general Devo adoration. For example, is that him singing with Mark and Jerry on Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA?

when I saw 'em live that was Bob1.

He was the rhythm guitarist and the primary non-bass keyboardist. A very busy and capable background player, not a mime, and was also very active in the Mutato Muzika soundtracking and commercial work.

RIP Bob

He was involved a lot in the mastering/mixing/production side - on the live albums and the Archive reissues. He wrote or co-wrote a few of the early songs from the 74-78 period. eg. Midget, Baby Talking Bitches and some others. I don't think he sings except for "WE ARE DEVO!" type bits. Bob Mothersbaugh's really the third frontman who does the third verse on Smart Patrol and sings Secret Agent Man. There's a youtube video with the two Bobs discussing their gear. Mothersbaugh has tons of guitars and different effects settings for every song. Casale has I think two guitars and two effects settings.

Thanks TWU and everything for helping fill in the specifics about Bob2. I'm a total casual fan (first 3 major LPs) but they were very present in my adolescent/teen years. I've watched a few more videos and noticed him doing a lot of the melodic keyboard lines in the big hits.