Artist: Devo
Song: Gotta Serve Somebody
Album: Recombo DNA
Year: Recorded 1979. Released 2000
Bassist: Jerry Casale
Tabber: Alex Casale and Patrick Jensen


Notes: This is a very obscure one. It's Devo's cover of the Bob Dylan classic "Gotta
Serve Somebody". It's got a killer bassline and it's very simple. It consists almost
entirely of a main riff and a chorus played over and over again. The only version of
it is on Recombo DNA and is a live track recorded 12/31/1979 Long Beach, CA

The actual song starts at 1:12 after some banter from Booji Boy and Jerry Casale
(keep in mind this is a live recording). Then the guitar plays the main riff 5 times
until the bass comes in at 1:26. I'm absolutely positive this is correct.



Main riff
G——————————————————————————
D———————————5——————————————         (x12)
A—7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—————————————5—7—————0————





Chorus
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——————————————————————————————————————————
A————————————————————————————————————————7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5———
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————


G—————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————5——————————————
A————————————————————7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—7————————————5—————————————————5—7—————0————





After the chorus it's back to the main riff.
G——————————————————————————
D———————————5——————————————         (x9)
A—7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—————————————5—7—————0————





Then back to the chorus
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——————————————————————————————————————————
A————————————————————————————————————————7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5———
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G—————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————5——————————————
A————————————————————7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—7————————————5—————————————————5—7—————0————





And then back to the main riff again
G——————————————————————————
D———————————5——————————————          (9x)
A—7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—————————————5—7—————0————





And then play the chorus again
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——————————————————————————————————————————
A————————————————————————————————————————7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5———
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G—————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————5——————————————
A————————————————————7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—7————————————5—————————————————5—7—————0————





This is the part at about 3:40 where they keep saying "Serve Somebody" and Booji
solos.
G—————————————————————
D—————————————————————      (x8)
A—————————————6———————
E—5——6——7——8—————3————





At 4:43, after the synth solo, you start up the main riff again.
G——————————————————————————
D———————————5——————————————          (x13)
A—7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—————————————5—7—————0————





And then it's back to the chorus again
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——————————————————————————————————————————
A————————————————————————————————————————7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5——7——7—5———
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G—————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————5——————————————
A————————————————————7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—7————————————5—————————————————5—7—————0————





And back to the main riff one last time to end the song.
G——————————————————————————
D———————————5——————————————          (x8)
A—7—5—7—5—7———————5—7——————
E—————————————5—7—————0————


And there are a few end notes Jerry tremolo picks just to wrap it up. I got lazy and
didn't figure those out. If you have them send them to me at [email protected]



 bigbasstabs.

About Devo

[{{{2}}}]a. These are/were the most prominent members of the band.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
A|---3---------------|
E|-------------------|
            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5h7---------|
            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------7p5---------|
            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5/7---------|
            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Devo — Gotta Serve Somebody bass tabs