"Shout" was the first of two Devo albums to use the Fairlight CMI, the other being 1988's "Total Devo". These approaches further pushed the sound of the guitar into the background of their music. "Shout" was the final album by the 1976–1985 line-up of Devo, with their third and most prominent drummer, Alan Myers, leaving the band shortly after the album's release. According to the book "We Are Devo", Myers cited a lack of creative fulfillment as his reason for leaving the band, something that he had felt since Devo's move to Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Devo's increased use of drum machines and electronics through the years had greatly reduced Myers' role in the band, although Gerald Casale has said that he begged Myers not to leave.