Greatest Hits; Greatest Misses (1990)

Unless the titles refer to artistic achievement, not sales, this matched pair of retrospectives ignores a basic fact of devolution: As measured by the charts, Akron, Ohio's ingenious futurists have had precious few hits. With no clear commercial dividing line between them, the records are too haphazardly programmed to offer a proper history of this inimitable group. Greatest Hits contains Devo's most familiar tracks (two of which, ''Whip It'' and ''Working in the Coal Mine,'' were actually big singles), disputable selections from their best albums, and the few worthwhile items from the rest of the catalog. Greatest Misses focuses on the band's first two records, adding a handful of rarities that won't impress real fans. Rather than settling for these compilations, stick with the original albums. Hits: B- Misses: B-

You Might Also Like

• Music Commentary The latest in reissues | Michael Flaherty
• Music Review Now It Can Be Told: Devo at the Palace 12/9/88 | Daneet Steffens
• Music Commentary Jack Black's top five albums | Dan Snierson
• Music News The evolution of rock bands | Leah Greenblatt