Customer Reviews

Warm, In Your Coat

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i had the good fortune a couple weeks ago to see romeo void(most of the orginal members assembled)live at the whiskey(one of the venues they played years ago)in los angeles. they were the first of other bands that will be filmed for an new vh-1 series called 'bands reunited,' airing in 2004. i wont spend time here reviewing their live performance other than to say that after all these years they sounded a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!! just like this cd. extremely tight! they are the quintessential beatnik band. their funky guitar riffs and sax with an attitude give them cohesion. prominent deep bass lines give them their foundation and debora iyall gives them their stamp...their i.d., if you will. she is irreplaceable. she has a sexy, sultry delivery whether she is using spoken word or singing that she doesnt 'try' to do...it simply occurs. she is a very intelligent woman who is also an accomplished artist and has been focusing most of her energies on this for the last 20 years. lets not forget that she met her original bandmates in art school many moons ago. she also teaches art to kids. this band has been underrated and glossed over. however, i predict after this performance is aired on vh-1 somethings gonna happen. first and foremost, a whole new generation of people will be hip to r.v. and will want to get their hands on any recordings they can find.

This CD was put out by Sony back when the idea of releasing the entire catalog of the band was out of the question. There was very little interest on their part in investing money on what they considered a less than successful band. At the time Romeo Void was happy just to have something out on cd. It's a decent representation of the band,includes my favorite tune "I Mean It" off the 1st album "It's a Condition". One negative-someone at the label decided to change the beginning of "Nvr Say Nvr",it's missing the beginning guitar only intro that Peter Woods played on the original. Look for the "Best of 415" cd, has the unedited "NvrSayNvr" as well as "Not Safe". "Warm.."still is a good package otherwise,great liner notes and fotos, and the only place one can hear "1,000 Shadows", a demo written for a movie and recorded at the bands' home studio.. The last album,"Instincts" is now on cd also, Wounded Bird Records licensed it for release. Romeo Void was just featured on a new VH1 series called "Bands Reunited" and response was positive so it may lead to more material on cd eventually, maybe something live.

I hadn't thought about Romeo Void in a long time when I came across Deborah Iyall's solo LP at a second-hand sale. That rekindled my interest and I immediately bought this compilation CD. It has been in steady rotation in my collection ever since. "NVR SAY NVR" and "Girl in Trouble" are both great songs, but so is everything else here. I saw Romeo Void at the Ritz on 11th Street in NYC back in the mid-80s and they were fantastic. A totally memorable show from a great band with the coolest lead singer of the 80s. Check out her recent CD with Knife in Water, too.

In the age of new wave, no one could do it better!

Debora Iyall brought a cool, sexy and seductive punch that was lacking from the new wave music scene. ...

Iyall was an anti-babe... A lead singer that was no anorexic stick figure, voluptuous pin-up or magazine cover girl: rather a gutsy & dedicate artist. Her kitten purr vocals and lyrical content on songs such as "Just Too Easy", "Talk Dirty To Me" and the venerable neo-classic "Never Say Never" were suggestive, hypnotic and autoerotic.

I can remember a deejay saying "Man, I have to take a station break to go light up a cigarette every time I finish playing a Romeo Void record".

If you can round up "It's A Condition", "Benefactor" as well as their 3rd album "Instincts" - you'll be able to piece together a solid body of work by a local band that should have gotten a lot more recognition (while they were still together).

If you find yourself still a little hungry for more pillow talk music, you'll be interested to know that Debora Iyall released a solo album in the 80's as well.

Romeo Void was not on the lips of most people in the 1980's even though they should have been.

Formed in the late 1970's, Romeo Void is an important benchmark in American/European music, especially that of the 1980's. Maintaining and even improving on previous rock groups song writing ability, Debora Iyall crafted detailed and involved storylines in her lyrics. The musicians/song writers of Romeo Void created deeply evocative sounds for the new music era. Whereas other punk/pre-new wave groups were incorporating synthesizers to a degree never known before, Romeo Void utilized them, but also did something previously thought to be ridiculous: they incorporated a saxaphone!

The sound that Romeo Void created is completely unique. They were neither punk nor the new sound of new wave. Debora Iyall's wailing and emotional vocals are powerful and uniquely branded the band - something that not many 80's bands managed successfully. Many subsequent bands would re-work Romeo Void's "sound" as they broke into the 1980's music scene. Some succeeded and even surpassed the success of Romeo Void. However, Romeo Void still gets my vote for the highest quality, because it was their uncompromising insistence on their songs sounding the way THEY wanted them to rather than the way their labels wanted.....

Certainly the top 40 hits "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) and Never Say Never are going to be the reasons that an otherwise unknowing person purchases this album, but rest assured that the entire album is extremely worthy of attention.

It is a great shame that the group broke up in 1985/1986 and we can only hope that their recent attention via VH1's Bands Reunited will encourage this group to really make a move toward a permanent reunion.

Their sound is as desirable today as it was in the 1980's since it is still as unique. In other words, time has been kind to the music of Romeo Void.

If for no other reason than to appease your artistic muse, check this album out - you'll not be sorry.

When this band hit the scene due to Cars front man Rick Ocasek. It was at the infant stages of "New Wave". These guys and girl put a rough edge on New Wave with the bitting sax blasts and excellent guitar riffs with piercing vocals and substance lyrics. This band never got the credit they deserved and you can not go wrong with this best of collection.

You probably already know this if you're here, but this is a way underrated 80s band. I got introduced to them from hearing "Never Say Never" at 80s clubs (not until the late 90s) &, prolly only a handful of times, on the radio. The music biz isn't a kind industry, & this band unfortunately fell victim to music peeps that prolly just wanted a generic pretty & skinny female singer to make them $$. It's all about $$ & Barbie clones, right?!?! I don't think this would've been the case if the lead singer had been male. They've only been known for a couple of songs, & it's too bad that they couldn't have gone on to make more recordings, if even under a different label. I know it's easier said than done, & what's done is done, but it's still just unfair & not right to me how many of the actual TALENTED bands in general get snubbed over by the (often) much lesser talented, short-lived eye candy ones. I guess most people only listen to bands with their eyes or something... I just don't get it. I have eyes AND ears, & can spot a good band when I hear it. I could go on & on about this, & I'm sure many people would agree with me, but WHY don't the freaking record execs do something about this?!?! Why is it always about $$??? What happened to putting out music for the actual MUSIC???? The best band I can think of that never made it a big deal (I honestly didn't know what they even looked like for years) was New Order. The music speaks for itself. But I guess since this is superficial AMERICA, & since this band is from here, it's a different story... anyway....

Onto the music, what can anyone say in here? Nothing bad here at all. I prefer her vocals to some of the other more popular female singers of the 80s (pop & rock). It's kinda hard to categorize the music itself... sometimes it feels new-wavey, other times it feels on the cutting edge of post-punk/gothy, mainly with the guitar effects & punchy dance beats. I know the use of saxophone seems like a unique thing, but don't forget other 80s bands that used it: Psychedelic Furs, English Beat, etc. Whatever drives you from listening to the few songs you may know, do yourself a favor & get this, & you won't stop tapping your foot.... or wanting to dance around in your room. If you already like bands like Blondie, Berlin, & The Pretenders, then this is right up your alley. Other lesser known & similar 80s groups with female vocalists you might wanna check out are Altered Images, The Waitresses, & The Primities.

This is the ONLY album you need by this band...beatnik new wave at its best. Sadly, they never broke out because at the infancy of music video, the ultra-talented lead singer was deemed visually unappealing...SADNESS! In my opinion, britney and paris hilton are far less appealing considering their obvious lack of talent.


I don't put undeserving names in capitals!!!

This group always seemed more like a novelty band to me, leaning on the lyrical hooks, with a bit of a thin sound, punctuated by the inclusion of a horn. This cd has all the good stuff on it though, and more. It's not that simple either. Debora Iyall's strong vocals aside, the band sounds fantastic too. They are not just a backing band, they step out with some tight rhythms and present an edge that still sounds way fresh.

I think I missed out by not paying attention when they were in their prime. This cd is a great introduction to the band and a terrific compilation all wrapped in one.

THIS BAND CAN ROCK,NEVER GOT THE CREDIT THEY DESERVE...A MUST HAVE ALBUM FOR ANY FEMALE ROCKERS FAN...