Rhino High Fidelity Introduces Audiophile Vinyl Reissues Of Devo’s New Traditionalists And Sparks’ A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing

LOS ANGELES – Two brother bands share center stage today as Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) welcomes new audiophile vinyl editions of Devo’s New Traditionalists and Sparks’ A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing. 

Both albums were cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at Optimal in Germany. Each comes in a glossy gatefold sleeve with new liner notes. The albums are limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively at Rhino.com and select Warner Music Group stores internationally. 

New Traditionalists arrived in August 1981, a year after the mainstream breakthrough of “Whip It” from Freedom Of Choice. Rather than retrace their steps, Devo pushed forward. “Mutate, don’t stagnate!” Gerald Casale writes in the new liner notes. 

To that end, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale, and Alan Myers embraced Roland sequencers and a Linn drum machine, folding new technology into Devo’s funky-punk, robotic sound. Lyrically, the songs reflected a darkening view of the human condition, wrapping sincere observations in Devo’s trademark satire. “Through Being Cool” takes aim at conformity, while “Beautiful World” undercuts its optimistic refrain with the final line: “It’s a beautiful world for you...not me.”

Sparks’ second album, A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing, came out in October 1972 and was the last by the original lineup of Ron and Russell Mael, Earle and Jim Mankey, and Harley Feinstein. Produced by Thaddeus James Lowe, the record veers between hard-driving rock and elaborate piano-and-string arrangements, showcasing Ron’s offbeat songwriting and Russell’s octave-spanning vocal range.

That unpredictability carries into the songs. Bright pop meets dark comedy on “Girl From Germany,” where a young man introduces his girlfriend to parents who haven’t gotten over World War II. Piano and strings provide an unlikely backdrop in “Here Comes Bob,” about a lonely man crashing into cars just to meet other drivers. Soon after, Ron and Russell moved to England, where Sparks broke through in 1974 with Kimono My House.

Rhino High Fidelity continues to tap into Warner Music’s vast catalog, introducing reissues of seminal albums across genres—from rock and pop to jazz, soul, and beyond. Each title pairs uncompromising audio with archival-grade packaging, honoring the album’s original intent in both sound and design.

New Traditionalists (Rhino High Fidelity)

LP Track Listing

Side One

1. “Through Being Cool”
2. “Jerkin’ Back ’n’ Forth”
3. “Pity You”
4. “Soft Things”
5. “Going Under”

Side Two

1. “Race Of Doom”
2. “Love Without Anger”
3. “The Super Thing”
4. “Beautiful World”
5. “Enough Said”

A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing

LP Track Listing

Side One

1. “Girl From Germany”
2. “Beaver O’Lindy”
3. “Nothing Is Sacred”
4. “Here Comes Bob”
5. “Moon Over Kentucky”

Side Two

1. “Do Re Mi”
2. “Angus Desire”
3. “Underground”
4. “The Louvre”
5. “Batteries Not Included”
6. “Whippings And Apologies”