Romeo Void was formed in 1979 at the San Francisco Art Institute by lead singer Deborah Iyall and bassist Frank Zincavage. Their first album, It's a Condition, is considered by some to be a post-punk classic (sadly, another in a long line of greatly reviewed albums I've never heard--so much good music, so little time...), and they were compared favorably to Joy Division (can definitely hear it), and Gang of Four (not familiar enough with to know). They would follow that up with an EP produced by Ric Ocasek, which contained this week's featured tune, and their second full length album, which yielded their only top forty hit, "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" (not my cup of tea). They would release one more LP before disbanding in 1985, though they have reunited on occasion through the years. Lead singer Iyall went on to become an art teacher, and still dabbles in the odd musical side project, and most of the other band members have continued their musical adventure in one incarnation or another. At the end of my weekly half-assed research, I came to the conclusion that for having only released 3 and 1/2 albums, they sure have garnered a lot of critical music cred and that's not a bad legacy for such a short-lived band.
Released on their cleverly named EP, Never Say Never, in 1981, "Never Say Never" never charted as a single, so once again this week we have no shout outs for Billboard magazine. Interestingly, the video for the song was an MTV staple after its release, and is a spoof of Jean Luc-Godard's classic film Breathless (he says like he's some movie connoisseur though the only French film he's ever seen is Amelie, and that was like eighty years ago). The song was also released on their second album, Benefactor, presumably as a way to boost sales....
While I presume the song is about a one-sided sexual attraction, Iyall's lyrics (she is considered one of the better lyricists of her era) are a bit obscure, so it's really anybody's guess. The song is driven (much like Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart") by the bass line (and what a bass line it is), though the jangly guitar (one piece called it jagged, but I'll stick with my favorite guitar description) certainly gives the song nuance. The creme de la creme, though, is the saxophone, which for a new wave/post-punk band of the early 80's is something of a novelty--and really sets the song apart from so many others of its era. Not to be forgotten are Iyall's vocals which really kind of round the song out with their bluntness and cavalier disgust, which never really borders on anger. As I listened to it closely for the first time in years, I was struck by how much it presaged the Alternative movement that would hit in the next ten years. It's a song of and before its time, and a gem of a tune from my city by the bay.
Lyric Sheet: "Old couple walks by, as ugly as sin/But he's got her and she's got him..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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