Devo: This Is The DEVO Box Vinyl 6LP Boxset

I've been the hardest of hardcore Devo fanatics since their first album was released in 1978, and I never dreamed that it would be possible for their glorious work to sound this fine. Our Japanese friends at Phantom Sound and Vision have done right by the Fab Five and gone further than the most fanatical sense of duty and devotion might demand. I've heard these albums endlessly, but now I'm hearing elements and nuances which I have never caught before (and I'm not an audiophile with a golden ear; the sound of these discs is dramatically improved in ways which even the most casual listeners will notice immediately).And I commend you to the level of insane detail given to the packaging:With the original issue of the first album, the inner sleeve (with photos and lyrics) was printed on a glossy stock. That same grade of paper is used for reproducing the inner sleeve of the corresponding CD. The inner sleeve of the second album, again with images and lyrics, used a rougher stock, so Phantom Sound and Vision went to the trouble to seek out that exact same paper to make their reproduction. This applies to all of the sleeves, jackets and inserts in the box (Devo's first seven albums, comprising their entire career at Warner Brothers). The result is as if mint copies of those seven albums had been miniaturized by the shrinking technology of Fantastic Voyage; it's absolutely breathtaking and unlike anything I've ever seen. I don't think the artists had anything to do with choosing the grade and paper stock of their album sleeves and inserts, but even this trivial detail was enough to warrant the needed attention, effort and expense which Phantom Sound and Vision knew fans would marvel over.The jackets of Duty Now for the Future and Oh, No! It's Devo originally had perforations (around the image of the band on the front of the former and allowing the buyer to fold out a standing leg on the back of the latter), and you'll find the same in miniature here. Freedom of Choice and New Traditionalists originally had wall posters as inserts, and at last they have them again (now 14 1/4" x 10", and bright and clear). New Traditionalists had a sticker in its lower right corner bearing the image of Nutra and promoting the inserted poster and 45 rpm single of Working in the Coalmine, and Shout had one in its upper left listing the song titles. Even those stickers are back, not printed as part of the jacket image, but actually remade as tiny stickers and affixed to the jackets in the same locations as the originals -- absolutely unreal.The two sided card stock insert and the red generic "Warner Bros. Music Show" jacket from Dev-o Live are exactly as you remember them, and the disc contains the entire 22 track show from the Rhino Handmade reissue, not the paltry six we had to live with back in 1980.Remember that 45 rpm of Working in the Coalmine? When you see how it was fed through the Fantastic Voyage miniaturizer you are simply not going to believe it (I'm holding it in the attached photo).And this rave has just been about the paper, but wait until you hear the music! Isao Kikuchi deserves an award for his digital remastering of these astonishing albums (the review here by SpudOz is absolutely correct in every particular). Hear Devo as you have never heard Devo before, as they have always deserved, and marvel.Printed lyrics for all seven albums are included.Thank you, Phantom Sound and Vision, Isao Kikuchi, and Devo.

Previous reviewers stated that the sound was better than the regular releases...yeah they were kind of right on that...I will confirm the sound isn't only better it's beyond belief...I bought this with the doubt that it can't be, but to put it in words they don't claim to have these in SHM format which is standard for japan releases that's something like HDCD for us but this set sounds better than mobile fidelity-gold. What i'm hearing is loudness without distortion, but i don't want to say DEVO gets that loud...you do get nice channeling of the vocals, the keyboard you can hear seperation and distance,the drums never obtrusive but you can hear them, guitars are great...everything was mixed perfectly if not phanatically correct (although not saying it was remixed because it's ilegal for a label to do so, unless granted permission)...the artwork is just like the Vinyl LPs only smaller so it was nice relive that experience again...I wouldn't recommend Japan releases for every artist only the one's your very close to because how many times will one listen to a CD in general...unless it's the special one's and 3 of DEVO's are more personal mantra's for my essence...now probably all 7 will become my mantra...but if you love DEVO and were holding back because the sound couldn't be good enough as they say, right now the only thing left to stop you from buying the set is the price and it will always be steep, the only thing you have to decide is if you want to pay that amount out and it comes down to how often will you listen to DEVO and i assure you it won't be because of the sound not good enough, that's the one thing i can assure you of...if only we can pack some of this up when we die i'd really hate to leave this behind when i enter the after world...i'm going to try and take it that's how good it is...i'm taking this box set under my arm when i go!!

I believe DEVO was, and still is a truly groundbreaking band, Their themes of corporate control, their sound that was robotic but incredibly rythmic, and the pioneering was of video, made to look like corporate training videos. Still waiting for a remastered collection of their videos. They used to play them during their shows. And then there's Boogie Boy. Their first two albums redefined rock music. They lost a lot of their edge after that. Most people know the band from WHIP IT. but the music they made prior to that is simply amazing, and has not dated one bit. I echo what everyone has said about this box. My only disappointment is that it took me so long to find out it even existed. Up until now I've been content with my 2009 remasters of ARE WE NOT MEN, and DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE. Though they were a big improvement on the original issue cds, they don't hold a candle to these Japanese cds. My only qualm is the lack of both HARDCORE DEVO cds, though the music on those discs is pretty raw sound wise, which is as it should be. Load DUTY into your car stereo, play WIGGLY WORLD, and prepare to hear real rock music.