Devo
ListenMongoloid · 1977
Devo — Mongoloid, Booji Boy single version, 2023 remaster. Official audio supplied by Rhino/Warner Records.
Listen on YouTube ↗
1977 · Booji Boy Records
Mongoloid / Jocko Homo
Devo drove to Cincinnati to collect their first single and came home with boxes of records they had paid to make themselves. The foldout sleeve turned those two songs into a portable introduction to the band’s music, images and theory of de-evolution. [1] [2]
| Accession | OMMA-0142 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Devo |
| Release | 1977 · United States |
| Label | Booji Boy Records · 7033-14 |
| Format | 7-inch vinyl single · 45 rpm |
| Issue | First pressing · black printing inside foldout sleeve |
| Runouts | Not documented |
| Recorded grade | NM (visual assessment) · VG+ sleeve |
Release history and significance
Mark Mothersbaugh remembered the journey to Queen City Records as an anxious, exciting one. The band knew little about the record business; receiving perhaps five boxes of 200 singles made their work feel tangible. Issued on their own Booji Boy imprint in 1977, the record preceded their major-label debut. [1] [2]
The band’s ideas grew from the aftermath of the 1970 Kent State shootings, when Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale were students there. De-evolution became their satirical response to a society whose technical progress coexisted with violence and conformity. Songs, costumes and films all carried that argument. [3]
“Jocko Homo” came from Chuck Statler’s film In the Beginning Was the End… (The Truth About De-Evolution). At early shows, Devo screened their film on a sheet using a projector rented from Akron’s library, then performed. The single’s foldout artwork belongs to that same practice of making music inseparable from its visual presentation. [1] [3]
Market context
A US first-press copy with black printing inside its foldout sleeve sold for £40 on 21 February 2018. The seller graded the vinyl M and the sleeve EX+. [4]
Physical Description
Black vinyl in a multi-panel foldout picture sleeve with black printing on the interior and black circular adhesive closures. The sleeve includes photographs, lyrics, credits and Booji Boy imagery. Black interior printing identifies this first sleeve state; later copies use blue printing. [1]
Condition
The disc’s visual grade is NM, with strong gloss, clean labels and no obvious scratches in the photographs. The sleeve is a strong VG+: its surfaces remain vivid and clean, with a localized crush and crease at the upper-left corner and minor edge wear.
Provenance
Acquired through eBay from seller j.brewer on 21 August 2026.
Sources
- Discogs, Devo – Mongoloid / Jocko Homo, release 4185655. Original 1977 US issue with black interior printing; film credit and edition details.
- Steven Rosen, Seeing Clearly. Cincinnati CityBeat, 23 September 2015; Mark Mothersbaugh recalls collecting the first pressing.
- Sound And Vision: DEVO Interviewed. Interview with Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, reproduced on Devo’s official website; Kent State context and early film screenings.
- Popsike, Devo – Mongoloid/Jocko Homo, first-press US single. Black-interior sleeve; M/EX+ copy, £40, 21 February 2018.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.