Devo

With their upside-down flowerpot hats — sorry, energy domes — turbo-nerd cool, and irresistible herky-jerky hooks, Devo was the personification of new wave; everything about them screamed, "Wherever rock's been, it ain't going back!" They gleefully dismembered classic rock's sacred cows with their hectic, hiccupping assault on the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." They created their own brand of sci-fi B-movie mythology, with the chant of "Are we not men? We are Devo!" ("Jocko Homo"), inviting everyone who ever felt like some kind of alien to come and join their quirky crew. And when they broke through to the big time with the subversive pop smash "Whip It," the whole world became part of the band's grand experiment in "Devolution." Enter electronic Eden with Devo, in Next Steps.

From their rocking-robot stage moves to their lab-assistant look, Devo proclaimed their Duty Now for the Future, swinging the electronic axes of a new era. They were forward-looking soldiers of synth-pop, banging out booming electro basslines and brassy Moog blasts on "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth." Even decades later, when head Devolutionist Mark Mothersbaugh became a soundtrack-composing king, he was still turning out bursts of synthesized splendor like "Ping Island / Lightning Strike Rescue Op" from The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. But Devo's 2007 comeback single, "Watch Us Work It," showed they never forgot how to steer a six-string to geek-rock glory either. In Deep Cuts, Devo blazes an electro-rock trail for future disciples to follow.

The daring adventurers of Devo were so far ahead of their time, the rest of the world is still just catching up to them. Listening to the synth bleeps and man-machine beats of 1981 track "Going Under," you can hear the buzzing, humming seeds of everything from techno to electroclash. DJ duo Black Light Odyssey's 21st-century dance remix of "Girl U Want" shows that the future really was out there waiting for Devo all along. But that doesn't mean that Akron's favorite sons couldn't kick out the jams onstage — check out their hard-charging, twist-and-bop live version of the same song for the proof.

When the guys from Weezer were still learning to tie their shoes, Devo was giving the rock world its first glimpse of geek chic, complete with industrial-yellow Hazmat suits, Coke-bottle glasses, and funky-android moves. A gang of art-school eccentrics from Akron, Ohio, they took the world by storm, arriving on the cutting edge of everything, from new wave to electro-pop. With pop smarts and potent hooks, they even managed to make themselves bona fide rock stars. Their weird and wondrous journey is full of curious corners, from hurtling hits like "Freedom of Choice" to the skewed social satire of "Through Being Cool," and we've plotted a path that captures the crucial points in Devolution. So don your energy dome and get set to whip it good.