DESCRIPTION:
From '' Grunt! ''
Label: Moon Ska ‎– MR053
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1995

Tracklist
01. Goin' Off
02. Buds For Brains
03. Alcohol
04. Aloha Steve & Danno
05. Woman
06. Bush Turkey
07. Cool McCool
08. Mongoloid
09. California Sun (Big Kahuna Mix)
10. Des's Humble Pies (The Cake Mix)
11. Earthquakin'

Vocals, Producer – Pete Cooper
Trumpet, Keyboards – David Kelly
Baritone Saxophone – Kim Pink

Engineer – Mark Tinson
Mastered By – Steve Smart

Artwork – Steve Dixon

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"Mongoloid" is the first single released by Devo in 1977, on the Booji Boy Records label.
It was backed with the song "Jocko Homo." "Mongoloid" also had one of the first music videos made using collage. "Mongoloid" would later be re-recorded by Devo and appeared on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in 1978. It is also a staple of Devo's live shows.

Song description

"Mongoloid," like many of Devo's early songs, was built on a motorik beat.
The song opens with a 4/4 electric bass line, which is then joined by drums, and electric guitar.
Over this, a swooping synthesizer line is played on Minimoog, using the pitch bend to create a spooky effect. The synth is not used as a lead instrument during the song, but only the opening and closing.
The doubled vocals are sung simultaneously by both Gerald V. Casale and "Bob 1" (Bob Mothersbaugh). On the original single, the vocals are deliberately sung in a nasal fashion.

Other versions

For Devo's debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, "Mongoloid" was re-recorded.
This version contains much more involved synthesizer playing throughout the song rather than during the opening and closing.
An "E-Z Listening" version of "Mongoloid" was made for playing before concerts and appears on the 1987 E-Z Listening Disc.
In 2002, Devo performed a techno version of "Mongoloid" at a special show for the writers and producers of the cartoon Rugrats (for which Mark Mothersbaugh composed the theme song). It has more recently been sampled by electronic outfit Layo & Bushwacka for the track "Love Story," which was rather successful in Europe and Australia.

Covers

Zvoncekova Bilježnica, a Serbian hardcore/postpunk band covered this song for their 1992 album Inžinjeri ljudskih duša in Serbian language with different lyrics.
Demented Are Go, a Welsh psychobilly band, covered it on their 1993 album Tangenital Madness on a Pleasant Side of Hell.
Australian ska band The Porkers covered this song for their 1994 album, Grunt!
Thrash metal group Demolition Hammer covers the song on their 1994 album Timebomb.
Sepultura covered the song on their 2002 Revolusongs EP.
A slightly altered version of the chorus serves as the theme music of the Androsynth race in the Star Control computer games.
In 2007, Datarock performed an acoustic version of the song for Like A Version, a segment on the national Australian radio station, Triple J.
Possum Dixon performed a Spanish cover, "El Mongoloido", on We Are Not Devo, the Devo tribute album released in 1997.
The Belgian rock band The Assassinators plays a cover version of the song.
Additionally, in the Flemish film Ex Drummer, the main character's band The Feminists do a version of "Mongoloid" in rehearsals and in concert. This version was recorded by Belgian band Millionaire.
There is a bluegrass version of the song, recorded in Cleveland, Ohio, by the Hotfoot Quartet in 1980 and released as a 45 rpm single on the Black Snake label.
A choral version of the song, both a cappella and with instrumental accompaniment, was released by the German band Popchor Berlin in 2002 on their EP-1" album.
Rummelsnuff, a German industrial/punk band, covered "Mongoloid" on their first record Halt Durch! in 2008.
"Mongoloid" was also covered by an early incarnation of the band October Rising, when they were known as the "Star Spangled Bastards".
The Chilean band Los Mox covered this song on their album Con Cover.
The Sky Fades Away, a Russian post-punk band covered this song.