Mechanical Man is an EP by the American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Elevator Records. It includes four 4-track basement demos by the band, recorded before they were signed to a record contract with Warner Bros. Records.

Background

The EP was a 7-inch single housed in a plain sleeve that came in a variety of colors including pink, blue, red, yellow and green. Most EP sleeves were numbered on the back, although the exact number of EPs pressed is unknown. Opinions differ as to the legitimacy of the EP, with some sources considering it a bootleg. In a Trouser Press article on the band dating from January 1979, Cole Springer refers to it as a bootleg of British origin. However, Devo webmaster and archivist Michael Pilmer later stated that it was produced by Virgin Records and included with some copies of the band's 1978 debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in the United Kingdom. In 2023, Devo member Gerald Casale said that the songs were "the five tracks we were most excited about at the time". "Blackout" was later known as "Clockout" and "Auto-Modown" includes the unlisted track "Space Girl Blues".

Recording

The tracks "Mechanical Man" and "Auto-Modown" were recorded in 1975, when the band was a quartet and Jim Mothersbaugh was their drummer. "Blackout" was recorded in 1976, when Bob Casale had joined and Alan Myers had replaced Jim.

Reissue

In 2023, Electronic Sound magazine repressed a limited edition of the Mechanical Man EP on yellow 7-inch vinyl and offered it as a bundle with issue 103, a 100-page celebration of Devo's 50th anniversary. The bundle became their fastest-selling issue ever, quickly selling out on the website, and the magazine later made a poster of the cover available for sale.

Track listing

Side one Side two

Personnel

Instrumental credits adapted from liner notes of 2013 Superior Viaduct reissues of Hardcore Devo: Volume One (1990) and Hardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991). Credits for "Blockhead" cannot be confirmed. Devo Technical