Freedom of Choice

Among the '80s most unlikely success stories was the ascendancy of Mark Mothersbaugh's and Jerry Casale's obstinately quirky Devo to the upper reaches of the mainstream pop charts courtesy of this album's "Whip It," a snarky/kinky slice of '80 synth-pop verve that remains one of the New Wave era's most iconic performances. If Freedom also marks the completion of the band's evolution from pioneering college art-rock experimentalists (Casale and Mothersbaugh had formed the nucleus of Devo at Kent State as far back as 1972) to full-fledged pop stars, it was a transformation that only seemed to offer Devo a wider forum for its ever-subversive intent. The secondary hit "Girl U Want" may tackle unrequited romance with the band's typical sense of left-field anxiety, but the equally infectious title track and "Planet Earth" wrap their spare, nervous rhythms around genuine social concerns.