Booji Boy's Basement

Greetings, Beautiful Mutants! How may we be of service?

State of the Basement Address 2023-11-02

From the Desk of the Archivist

Hello, potato people! Gee, it’s been a while since the Basement collection got an update, eh? Real life toil has a way of creating that effect, but rest assured, the Basement is in continual operation, and unless a posted update says otherwise, orders will always be filled. There’s a lot to go over, and for the first time, I’m including a bullet point list of all changes and additions made to the Basement’s collection at the bottom of this posting. (2023-11-09 edit: Further minor updates have been made, and those changes are reflected below the original update log for this post.)

While on the topic of website operations, I would like to address an ongoing issue we had been experiencing with the Basement: there was some weirdness going on somewhere that was preventing automated order confirmation emails, both to the spuds requesting the material, and to me directly. Our tireless website guru, Shelby, worked hard to find the goblin deep in the tubes to solve the problem, and the issue should now be resolved. Should anything like this happen again in the future, please be assured that I will be manually checking orders and replying to all who order.

Before getting into the latest non-commercial DEVO material we host here in the Basement, I want to make sure that every good spud is aware of the absolutely unbelievable Art Devo: 1973-1977 release from Futurismo, Inc. This is a release that hardcore fans have been dreaming about for decades. Many tracks that were formerly distributed in the Basement’s compilations of demos and live rarities have now been officially released on this set. Due to the dedicated work of archivist Peter Conheim, the tracks on Art Devo are sourced from their master tapes for the first time ever. The release blows every bootleg version of known tracks out of the water, and introduces us to a wealth of never-before-heard recordings. It is a simply stunning sonic collection. The limited edition vinyl versions have sold out by now, but a CD version (linked above) is due for release in the very near future, and a standard vinyl edition will follow sometime next year. The Basement expects all good spuds to support the band’s work and purchase this incredible set.

That isn’t the only DEVO vinyl release of 2023! Rhino has also released what’s a sort of updated version of 2000’s Pioneers Who Got Scalped, in the form of 50 Years of De-Evolution: 1973-2023. The limited edition deluxe 4LP vinyl box set is still available (for the moment), the CD version contains all the same tracks, the standard black 2LP version distills down to only the best of the best, and the retail exclusive red and blue 2LP version does the same thing while looking nicer. While longtime fans may already own most of the material on this set, perhaps those spuds can use this convenient opportunity to foist the best the band has to offer on their friends and family this holiday season.

In the wake of these releases, many signature Basement Compilations have been overhauled to not only remove recordings that are now commercially available for the first time, but to also upgrade and add more than a handful of tracks. Ultimate Unreleased Demos & Outtakes Collection (1973-2009) and Ultimate Live Rarities Collection (1973-2018) have seen the largest amount of changes, but most other compilations have also been updated. To aid everyone in being able to keep track of these changes, detailed revision histories are now included on the listing pages and in text files included with these releases.

Of course, the biggest update to the collection is in the Live Performances category. Many legendary live recordings from 1977 and 1978 have been newly transferred from their master tapes, and we’re very happy to now host those upgrades. There’s a newly circulating show from 1978-10-09 that includes opening sets by Genral Jackett and The Visitors, and you can head on over to that page to learn why that’s so interesting. (Note: Although the Basement previously had a different recording listed for this date, further inspection revealed it was another recording of the performance from the next evening, 1978-10-10. Apologies for perpetuating incorrect information.) There’s also a couple of newly surfaced recordings from 1990 and a slew of recordings from 2021-2023.

There are also some small but mighty additions to the Interviews, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Specialty categories. And, as always, all the newest additions are marked for easy reference while browsing.

While the world at large continues to shrivel up, DEVO’s 50th anniversary has made 2023 a good time to be a DEVO fan. Spuds have been treated to live performances all around the world, two essential new releases in the forms of Art Devo and 50 Years of De-Evolution, an incredible-as-always DEVOtional event in Cleveland, and a slew of beautiful and mutated merchandise. Duty now for the next 50 years of DE-VO.

Looking forward to the future of Booji Boy’s Basement, I hope to make another update towards the end of the year to add any recordings of DEVO’s upcoming shows in November and December of this year. I also have a few other ideas and curatorial projects that I’d like to tend to before the end of 2023. I won’t make any promises I can’t keep, but I want spuds out there to know that, even when much time passes in between website updates, the gears are always turning to make the archive more complete, and orders are regularly being filled (over 1000 since our relaunch in October 2020!).

March on!
-Alex Brunelle
archivist-in-residence, Booji Boy’s Basement

Update Log 2023-11-02

Live Performances

Compilations

Mark Mothersbaugh

Interviews

Specialties

Update Log 2023-11-09

Live Performances

  • 1978-11-03 – replaced distributed fileset with original fileset of same tape transfer
  • 1981-10-31 – fixed new 2023 files had two tracks misidentified and improperly sequenced (further details on listing page)

Compilations

  • Make Me Dance – updated to v2.2 compiled 2023-11-09: added of “Watch Us Work It” remixes and “Don’t Roof Rack Me, Bro” remix
  • DEVO Goes to Hollywood – updated to v2.1 compiled 2023-11-09: removed “Don’t Roof Rack Me, Bro” remix to Make Me Dance compilation

LOTS of New Shows and Specialties!

Greetings, spuds! The last few months at the Basement have been a flurry of activity. We’ve received almost 400 orders since we launched in October of last year! Today I write to you again to tell you of a bunch of very exciting content added to the catalog.

Primarily, there is a whole gaggle of new show recordings in the archive, ranging from 1974 to 1981! Did I say 1974? YES! There is now a circulating recording of DEVO’s second ever performance! The significance of this find cannot be understated, and it must be heard to be believed. That’s not the only milestone we’ve been able to add to the collection. We now also have an amazing tape of DEVO’s first ever performance in Los Angeles!  And as mentioned, there are more new or upgraded tapes from 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981. As always, all the newest additions are marked for easy reference while browsing.

There has also been a slew of material added to the Specialties section. There is a truly bizarre artifact in the form of the Doctor Detroit Audio Press Kit. But moreover, many tribute compilations have been added! We now host the remaining out of print volumes of the Not Necessarily Beautiful But Mutated series compiled by Rev. Toth Wilder in conjunction with DEVOtional events. Toth still has certain volumes available for sale, and you can use our pages to learn how to order directly from Toth! There are also a few other fan projects from around the dawn of the millennium now preserved here before they become lost to the sands of time.

But that’s not all! There are a handful of newly added Mark Mothersbaugh scores, and one solo performance.

And finally, at the suggestion of a spud named Tim, I’ve put together a checklist spreadsheet that lists the entire Basement catalog. If you’re an obsessive collector, you can use this to keep track! Check out the spreadsheet for tips on its use, and please send in any feedback you might have to make this a better implemented feature of the Basement.

Stay tuned to the Basement site for more updates in the very near future. Soon, we will be offering up an incredible show from August 23, 1977, where the band opens the set with “Recombo DNA”! You can preview the show on YouTube right now courtesy of Mike Ziegler.

That’s all for now, potato people!

Duty now for the future!
-Alex Brunelle
archivist-in-residence, Booji Boy’s Basement

Two new shows, bug fixes, and a new feature!

Wow! What a first week of operation! We’ve had 100 requests in just about 10 days! Everyone at the Basement is loving the response, and we’re so happy to be able to distribute this amazing material to so many interested spuds, and all for free.

First up today is, have two new additions to the Live Performances category: There’s a fantastic soundboard recording from Napa in 2012 with a complete SFE-era setlist, and a complete recording of the already-classic Burger Boogaloo 2018 performance, featuring Fred Armisen on drums! Both of these awesome shows come to us courtesy of uber-spud BeAuTiFuL MuTaNt (Aaron Williams-Matthews). Aaron is a longtime hardcore fan. Some spuds may know him for his fanzine De-Evolved from the early 90s, and excellent interviews with the band. Others may know him as an ultra-obsessive collector. He has contributed a number of key recordings to the Basement archive, and has some more goodies coming to us in the future.

In site operations news, spuds now have the option to leave a comment when sending in requests. If you have any questions, or just wanted to say hi, feel free to write some words in the comment box!

And lastly, we did have some growing pains in the first few days of operation. The email addresses we had set up using the @booji.fredflash.com domain mostly caused emails to be massively delayed or lost in the aether, and the form on the Contact page may or may not have worked. Thanks to the continually excellent work of our webmaster Shelby Gonzales, all of this has been ironed out (and Shelby added that comment box while she was at it!). So, if anyone tried to get in touch with us via the Contact page, maybe try again?

Until next time. Duty now for the future!

-Alex, archivist in residence

Booji Boy’s Basement re-launches!

Welcome (or welcome back) to Booji Boy’s Basement!

Booji Boy’s Basement is a not-for-profit distribution service for non-commercial DEVO and DEVO-related recordings. Nothing is ever for sale. Our goal is to allow every spud and spudess around the world to explore the history of Akron’s de-evolution band. First launched in 2004, and never fully out of service, we’re ecstatic to re-launch in 2020.

If you’ve been here before, the first thing you may notice is a major facelift! The website has been entirely redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up. The changes and updates that have been implemented are things we have been wanting to do for the service for many years now, and will keep us running strong for years to come. 100% of this is thanks to Shelby Gonzales, freelance web designer and DEVOtee, who built the site you are browsing now.

There’s a bunch of new content to check out around the archive, too! You can easily see what’s been added since the last update at the old site as you browse around the audio collections.

A new Compilations section has been added, which features newly curated, comprehensive sets of demos, live rarities, TV appearances, and more. These are entirely new compilations of this material, featuring a plethora of additional tracks and upgrades to what was previously offered through the Basement. Even if you think you have all of the stuff in these sets, you should take a gander.

Another new feature is the addition of Booji Boy’s Basement Curated Collections. These collections have been hand-picked to give you the best of what the Basement has to offer in a few different areas. If you don’t want to go digging through lists, wondering what show to get, or worrying that you’re missing something brilliant, you’ll wanna take a peek at these “one-click” collections. The listing pages also include extensive commentary on the material contained therein.

Many Live Performances have been added to the archive since the last time the old website was updated. There are a smattering of wonderful-sounding recordings, some which are just beginning to circulate, and some upgrades and updates made to previously available material. Additionally, there have been many corrections to various dates and locations of recordings throughout the archive, cross-referenced with the DEVO Live Guide. There are also new goodies in the Specialties and Mark Mothersbaugh sections.

One aspect about the Live Performances section that we want to highlight is the addition of “revisions” by xMetalMarkx for many analog-era recordings. xMMx has painstakingly gone through many, many shows in the collection to correct speed, tape drops, and other imperfections to make for the smoothest listening experience possible. It was a huge amount of work performed over many years, and we’re happy to host them here. These versions are selectable on shows they’re available for.

And of course, stay tuned to this space for further updates to the collection. We’re just getting started!

The sidebar on the left will navigate you to the main areas of the site. Check out the How To section for the rundown of how all this works. Go ahead and dive into the pile!