Romeo Void
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Romeo Void was a New Wave band in San Francisco, California from 1979 to 1985.
They are best known for the songs "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)," which were minor hits. Their popularity was primarily in alternative and college radio, and as a dynamic performing act. They recorded for 415/Columbia Records. The original band members met at the San Francisco Art Institute. Most of the band members were also visual artists and did their own album art.
After the demise of Romeo Void, Debora Iyall, the lead singer and lyricist, put together and sang in the groups Knife in Water and Lower East Venus. John Haines played drums for Pearl Harbour and the Explosions.
"Never Say Never" was a favorite on early MTV. The song is driven by a throbbing, funky bassline and punctuated by jagged guitar; the brief, squealing saxophone solo is worthy of Albert Ayler. One critic claimed that "it's Debora Iyall's teasing, existential musings — which predated and predicted the aloof yet frank sexuality of early- and mid-'90s artists such as Elastica and Liz Phair — that elevate 'Never Say Never' from a mere post-punk relic into a subversive, influential classic." [citation needed] The song's repreated refrain of "I might like you better if we slept together" has been called "one of rock's all-time greatest lines," but beyond mere titillation, a "careful listen to the verses, with their intimations of incest, murder, homelessness, and other dark subjects, makes plain that singer/lyricist Debora Iyall has more on her mind than simple salaciousness." [1] The song was featured in the 2002 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and was covered by Queens of the Stone Age as a bonus track on their album Rated R.
The band was reunited briefly in 2003 for a one-off concert by VH-1's Bands Reunited, although Benjamin Bossi was unable to perform due to hearing loss. The band wrote and recorded four demo tracks in October 1993 (If I Was Your Cat, Stormy Eyes, Two Rivers, and Safe Place), which were sent to Sony Music but never released.
Contents |
Personnel
- Debora Iyall: vocals
- Benjamin Bossi: saxophone
- Peter Woods: guitar
- Frank Zincavage: bass
- John Haines: drums (It's a Condition)
- Larry Carter: drums (Never Say Never (EP) and Benefactor)
- Aaron Smith: drums (Instincts)
Discography
Studio albums
- It's a Condition, March 1981 (never issued on CD; however, five of its ten tracks are on the Warm, in Your Coat compilation (indicated by WIYC)
- "Myself to Myself" WIYC – 3:44
- "Nothing for Me" –
- "Talk Dirty (To Me)" WIYC – 4:47
- "Love Is an Illness" –
- "White Sweater" WIYC – 4:48
- "Charred Remains" WIYC – 3:04
- "Confrontation" –
- "Drop Your Eyes" –
- "Fear to Fear" –
- "I Mean It" WIYC – 5:40
- Benefactor, November 1982 (issued on CD in 2006 with the Never Say Never EP as bonus tracks)
- Instincts, October 1984 (issued on CD in 2003 with one bonus track)
EPs
- Never Say Never, January 1982 EP co-produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars (issued on CD in 2006 as bonus tracks to Benefactor).
Compilations/Live albums
- Warm, in Your Coat (compilation), 1992
Singles
- White Sweater b/w Apache, 7’ single, 415 Records S-0012 – February 1981
- Never Say Never, b/w Guards, 7” Single, Columbia Records # 38-03378
- Never Say Never, b/w Undercover Kept; Wrap It Up, 12” Single, Columbia Records # 32-08558
- A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing), b/w Going To Neon, 7” Single, Columbia Records # 38-04534
- A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) (DJ edit), b/w A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) (Dance & Album versions), 12” Radio Promotional Single, Columbia Records # AS-1886
- A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) - (Dance Mix - 6:12), b/w Six Days and One, 12” Single, Columbia Records # 44-05103
- Say No, b/w Six Days & One, 7” Single, Columbia Records # 38-04660
- Say No, b/w Out on My Own (Dance Mix- 5:06), 12” Single, Columbia Records # 44-05135
Trivia
The fact that the band had 3 different drummers at various stages in their history led Debora to quip once in a WBRU radio interview that they were like Spinal Tap.