Romeo Void
Encyclopedia
Romeo Void was an American rock
band from San Francisco, California
, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall
, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with Aaron Smith
. The band released three albums, It's a Condition
, Benefactor, and Instincts, along with one EP and singles. They are best known for the songs "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
", which were minor hits, the latter becoming a Top 40 pop single.
The band was started at the San Francisco Art Institute
by Iyall and Zincavage. They released a single on the recently formed 415 Records
before recording their debut album, which has been deemed a "masterpiece of American post-punk
". The success of their 2nd release, a 4 song ep, "Nvr Say Nvr" resulted in a distribution deal with Columbia Records
. The band continued to release music and tour until they broke up in 1985. The members have reunited briefly over the years. Iyall has continued to pursue music as a side project. The band's music was generally associated with the New Wave
and post-punk movements of the early 1980s, but also experimented with danceable song structures and a saxophonist. Iyall garnered acclaim as a skilled lyricist who explored themes like sexuality and alienation from a female perspective with "dark intelligence" and "searing imagery".
in February 1979. Vocalist Debora Iyall
occasionally visited the Bay Area
to see Patti Smith
perform. She decided to pursue an art education after reading a fortune cookie. "It was in the late '70's at the Indochina Friendship Booth at the annual Fourth of July streetfair in Eureka, California
," she said. "I got a fortune cookie that said 'Art is your fate, don't debate.' That next January, I was enrolled in an art school in San Francisco." She began frequenting the Mabuhay Gardens
, a popular nightclub, to see local alternative rock groups like The Nuns
, the Mutants, Crime
, and the Avengers. She also formed the Mummers and Poppers, a punk parody band
that covered '60s tunes with guitarist Peter Woods, an English Major at SF State and drummer Jay Derrah, . Iyall was originally hesitant to perform because she was overweight: "After seeing Patti Smith, I still had it in my mind that you had to be skinny to be up there [on stage], but after going to the Mabuhay [...] you just do whatever you want, be whoever you want, just make it happen."
Bassist Frank Zincavage met Iyall at the SF Art Institute; the two hit it off and discussed putting a band together. They formed one with Woods and Derrah a few weeks later, drawing inspiration from the "burgeoning local punk and post-punk scenes". Iyall recruited Woods because she enjoyed playing with him in the Mommers and Poppers. "[It] seemed only natural that we invite Peter Woods to join us [... He] played clean and was a natural on rhythm guitar." Romeo Void officially formed on Valentine's Day
in 1979. According to Iyall, the name "Romeo Void" referred to "a lack of romance" and came to mind after they saw a local magazine with the headline "Why single women can't get laid in San Francisco." The band practiced in Iyall's flat in Mission District. It was decided that the group would embrace punk ideals despite the possibility that they become associated with the New Wave
movement. "Even though I was going to the [Mabuhay Gardens] so much, I also had criticisms: Everyone was leaning against the wall wearing black," Iyall said. "I guess we were considered new wave, but for me Romeo Void was a reaction against the regimentation of everyone having to be bleached blond and everything being about despair and no future, when I thought the do-it-yourself thing
should encompass all the different kinds of emotions, and all the different colors. [...] I was proud of being American Indian
, so I purposely never bleached my hair blond."
's popular instrumental composition "Apache
", in February 1981 on a recently founded local label called 415 Records
. They worked on the recording of their debut album, It's a Condition
, with producer David Kahne
. Before recording began, Derrah left the band and was replaced by John "Stench" Haines, who had previously played with Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. Romeo Void's debut was critically acclaimed upon its release through 415 in July 1981, and introduced Romeo Void's "unique blend of jazz, funk, rock and confrontational poetry". Allmusic writer Stewart Mason later heralded it as one of the "masterpieces of American post-punk
". Indie labels were enthusiastic with promotions and the band embarked on several nationwide tours. Eventually Haines left the band, leaving Larry Carter to fill the drummer position.
The sudden surge in popularity was disorienting to Iyall. "It was frightening: we played a college in Santa Barbara
, and there were all these blond people crowding the stage, and I thought 'These are the people who hated me in high school!' When you grow up being 'outside' -- because I wasn't white, and I was fat, and always a bit of a free thinker -- it was strange. It was like, 'uh-oh, I must be doing something wrong -- they like me!'" Highly successful mainstream artists like Ann Wilson
and Ric Ocasek
were eager to the meet the band. Ocasek extended an invitation to collaborate at his Synchro Sound studio in Boston. The recording sessions in Boston resulted in the Never Say Never
EP in January 1982. The title track became their best-known song and has remained synonymous with the band ever since. Additionally, the success of the single directly led to 415 Records signing a deal with Columbia Records
, which elevated the indie label's roster to major-label status. Romeo Void released their second album, entitled Benefactor, in November 1982. The album appeared at No. 119 on the Billboard 200
. Benefactor was noticeably more commercial sounding than previous endeavors; the music was made more danceable and swearing was removed on the song "Never Say Never". The different approach in the sound resulted in comparisons to Blondie
, which Allmusic writer William Ruhlmann suggested was a deliberate attempt by Columbia. Iyall stated that there was more pressure to write sexually laced lyrics for Benefactor: "I do like to be provocative, and I definitely have access to my sexuality, and as a topic I find it ripe, but I wasn't ever going to be a sex-pot diva, so that was kind of odd." She also said there was pressure to produce more singles.
," which broke the Billboard
Top 40 and peaked at No. 35. Critical reactions were positive. Despite being the band's most successful effort to date, Columbia pulled the band's promotional support while on a nationwide tour. "The very next town we got to after they made that decision, there wasn't an A&R person there," said Iyall. "[There] was no local person there, there were no interviews and in-stores arranged as they had been. All that just ground to a halt." The band returned to San Francisco and soon broke up. Constant touring has been cited by Iyall as the primary reason for the break-up. "You get tired of each other, and you get intolerant of being uncomfortable and away from your family and your friends." According to a VH1
reunion episode, the issue of Iyall's weight was the reason for the label dropping them. In 2003, Iyall agreed with this claim: "Howie
sold us from 415 to Columbia Records, and they were like 'Who's this fat chick?' They decided that was as far as it was going to get, and pulled their support." Crawdaddy!
writer Denise Sullivan stated that the label spoke to Iyall about losing weight, but she subsequently refused. In 2010, Iyall declined to discuss the issue, but added that she may not be taking full responsibility in the matter.
Iyall released a solo album entitled Strange Language with former band members Bossi and Smith in 1986. Afterward she pursued a career as an art teacher. The band reunited briefly for a live performance in 1993. In 2004 Romeo Void was featured on an episode of VH1's Bands Reunited
. Bossi had sustained too much hearing damage
over the years and was unable to perform. Iyall has continued to dabble in music related projects and events. "I still like to sing and I still like to perform," she said. In 2003 she was involved in a musical project called Knife in Water. She began collaborating with Peter Dunne, who was known as Peter Bilt when he played guitar for Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. Iyall and Dunne performed at a support benefit for Crawdaddy! founder Paul Williams
in June 2009, and performed at a concert honoring 415 Records later that September. They released an album entitled Stay Strong in 2010.
or post-punk
band. Some critics have noted dance
elements in the music. According to Stewart Mason, writing for Allmusic, "[The] band's muscular blend of Joy Division's
atmospherics and the Gang of Four's
rattling momentum, with Benjamin Bossi's splattering free jazz
saxophone coloring everything, made Romeo Void one of the strongest of the American post-punk bands. The St. Petersburg Times
wrote that they "had no trouble creating a signature sound for [themselves with a] scratchy guitar, soulful sax, [and] tight, precise drums." The New York Times
stated that they sounded like "an art-school band, with its textural complexity [and] touches of jazz and funk" Saxophone player Benjamin Bossi has been observed as the ingredient that "set the band apart" and showed a "talent for both improvisation and arrangement." Alan Niester, writing for The Globe and Mail
, said that he weaved "in and out [...] like a snake charmer
" and reminded him of Andy Mackay
, a saxophonist that played with Roxy Music
.
Liam Lacey, also writing for The Globe and Mail, described Iyall's voice as "sultry [and] sexy", while Mason called it "powerful". Her style has sometimes been compared to Chrissie Hynde
, vocalist for the Pretenders. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post
acknowledged the similarity, but also noted the influence of other singers in "Never Say Never" where Iyall mixed the "aggressive bitchiness of [Hynde], the coy confrontational tactics of Patty Donahue
of the Waitresses
and the slack sensuality of Debbie Harry
of the earliest Blondie
." Iyall used to find the comparison annoying, but eventually warmed to it: "When people said I sounded like her, I'd say, 'Oh yeah, thanks a lot.' But this year, I've fallen in love with Learning To Crawl
so now I don't care if people want to make comparisons." After a live show in 1982, Niester contended that she was the weakest part of the group and had the "vocal range of an automobile horn". Billboard
writer Kathy Gillis wrote after a concert two years later that Iyall exhibited a "dramatic range that, while not extreme in either direction, was touching."
Patti Smith
had a great influence on Iyall. "[She was] someone who was both a rock singer and a poet," she said. "She combined things I was interested in. Plus, she wasn't a trumped-up sex symbol
. She was herself on stage. That appealed to me. It looked like something I could do. You didn't have to look like all the other singers." Iyall was highly critical of the music of the day and found inspiration in other mediums. "I hate rock and roll right now. It's turned into some new kind of stupid religion... I'd rather listen to Billie Holiday
, maybe Tom Waits
. Actually, I'll admit I like The Bangles
- they have a great sound. But I'd just as soon read novels or paint pictures as listen to music. I love language - plain speech, used in an enigmatic, subliminal way; I'm not much tied to the literal."
to be among a new group of female fronted rock bands that displayed a "tough, wry, street-wise, [and] cynical" attitude and sought to redefine the role of women in rock music. She developed a sizable following for her writing that covered topics like "frustrated desire [and] sexually motivated rage" from a female perspective. Critics praised her lyrics for their "searing imagery", "seething poetics", and "[dark intelligence]" "My approach was always that I had something to say, I had a point of view," Iyall said, commenting on her outspokeness. "I remember seeing Penelope
from the Avengers at the Mabuhay Gardens
and thinking, I can do that. I have something to say."
Romeo Void's most well-known song is "Never Say Never", which contains the famous line "I might like you better if we slept together." Allmusic writer Heather Phares has argued that Iyall's "teasing, existential musings [...] predated and predicted the aloof yet frank sexuality of early- and mid-'90s artists such as Elastica
and Liz Phair
". Phares concluded that the song was "a subversive, influential classic" and "one of new wave's most distinctive and innovative moments. " The song has been covered by many artists, among them are Queens of the Stone Age
and Amanda Blake. The song "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
", their highest-charting single, was reportedly written as a response to Michael Jackson's
hit song "Billie Jean
", but can also be seen as a tribute to women who have experienced traumatizing events. Iyall also wrote songs that touched on themes like social alienation
("Undercover Kept") and generation gap
s ("Chinatown").
EPs
Compilations
Singles
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall
Debora Iyall
Debora Kay Iyall , professional name “Debora Iyall” , a Cowlitz Native American, is an artist and was lead singer for the new wave band Romeo Void. Debora got her surname from her family adopting their ancestor Iyallwahawa's "first" name written at the time as Ayiel.She was born in 1954 in Soap...
, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith (musician)
Aaron "The A-Train" Smith is a Nashville-based drummer and percussionist.At the age of 21, Aaron Smith played drums on The Temptations' megahit...
. The band released three albums, It's a Condition
It's a Condition
It's a Condition is the first studio album by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1981. It was re-released as a cd in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records together with Strange Language, Debora Iyall's 1986 solo album, in July 2007...
, Benefactor, and Instincts, along with one EP and singles. They are best known for the songs "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
"A Girl in Trouble " was a hit single for Romeo Void in 1984, from the Columbia album Instincts. It was the band's biggest hit and only Top 40 single, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.- Charts :...
", which were minor hits, the latter becoming a Top 40 pop single.
The band was started at the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
by Iyall and Zincavage. They released a single on the recently formed 415 Records
415 Records
415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, Romeo Void, and Wire Train...
before recording their debut album, which has been deemed a "masterpiece of American post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
". The success of their 2nd release, a 4 song ep, "Nvr Say Nvr" resulted in a distribution deal with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The band continued to release music and tour until they broke up in 1985. The members have reunited briefly over the years. Iyall has continued to pursue music as a side project. The band's music was generally associated with the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and post-punk movements of the early 1980s, but also experimented with danceable song structures and a saxophonist. Iyall garnered acclaim as a skilled lyricist who explored themes like sexuality and alienation from a female perspective with "dark intelligence" and "searing imagery".
1979: Formation
Romeo Void formed at the San Francisco Art InstituteSan Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
in February 1979. Vocalist Debora Iyall
Debora Iyall
Debora Kay Iyall , professional name “Debora Iyall” , a Cowlitz Native American, is an artist and was lead singer for the new wave band Romeo Void. Debora got her surname from her family adopting their ancestor Iyallwahawa's "first" name written at the time as Ayiel.She was born in 1954 in Soap...
occasionally visited the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
to see Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
perform. She decided to pursue an art education after reading a fortune cookie. "It was in the late '70's at the Indochina Friendship Booth at the annual Fourth of July streetfair in Eureka, California
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
," she said. "I got a fortune cookie that said 'Art is your fate, don't debate.' That next January, I was enrolled in an art school in San Francisco." She began frequenting the Mabuhay Gardens
Mabuhay Gardens
The Mabuhay Gardens was a San Francisco nightclub located at , on the Broadway strip of North Beach, an area best known for its strip clubs....
, a popular nightclub, to see local alternative rock groups like The Nuns
The Nuns
The Nuns were a punk rock/new wave band in San Francisco in the late 1970s. The band has periodically reformed and played to the present day. The band formed in 1975, and were the among the first punk bands in California. In January 1978, together with The Avengers they opened for the Sex Pistols...
, the Mutants, Crime
Crime (band)
Crime was an early American punk band from San Francisco. The band was formed in 1976 by Johnny Strike , Frankie Fix , Ron "The Ripper" Greco , and Ricky Tractor...
, and the Avengers. She also formed the Mummers and Poppers, a punk parody band
Parody music
Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
that covered '60s tunes with guitarist Peter Woods, an English Major at SF State and drummer Jay Derrah, . Iyall was originally hesitant to perform because she was overweight: "After seeing Patti Smith, I still had it in my mind that you had to be skinny to be up there [on stage], but after going to the Mabuhay [...] you just do whatever you want, be whoever you want, just make it happen."
Bassist Frank Zincavage met Iyall at the SF Art Institute; the two hit it off and discussed putting a band together. They formed one with Woods and Derrah a few weeks later, drawing inspiration from the "burgeoning local punk and post-punk scenes". Iyall recruited Woods because she enjoyed playing with him in the Mommers and Poppers. "[It] seemed only natural that we invite Peter Woods to join us [... He] played clean and was a natural on rhythm guitar." Romeo Void officially formed on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
in 1979. According to Iyall, the name "Romeo Void" referred to "a lack of romance" and came to mind after they saw a local magazine with the headline "Why single women can't get laid in San Francisco." The band practiced in Iyall's flat in Mission District. It was decided that the group would embrace punk ideals despite the possibility that they become associated with the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
movement. "Even though I was going to the [Mabuhay Gardens] so much, I also had criticisms: Everyone was leaning against the wall wearing black," Iyall said. "I guess we were considered new wave, but for me Romeo Void was a reaction against the regimentation of everyone having to be bleached blond and everything being about despair and no future, when I thought the do-it-yourself thing
DIY ethic
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced or able complete them for one's behalf. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible...
should encompass all the different kinds of emotions, and all the different colors. [...] I was proud of being American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, so I purposely never bleached my hair blond."
1980-1982: It's a Condition, Benefactors, and mainstream success
The band became busy playing shows at clubs and warehouses around San Francisco, and quickly became popular. Saxophonist Benjamin Bossi was added to the lineup as an "accident" when Iyall met him while he worked in a deli. The group released their first single, "White Sweater", which consisted of the title track and a cover of Danish musician Jørgen IngmannJørgen Ingmann
Jørgen Ingmann is a musician from Copenhagen, Denmark.He worked with Svend Asmussen, the jazz violinist, during the 1940s and part of the 1950s....
's popular instrumental composition "Apache
Apache (instrumental)
"Apache" is an instrumental written by Jerry Lordan. It has been recorded by many people, but the first released version was recorded by British group The Shadows in June 1960 and released the following month. The song topped the UK singles chart for five weeks...
", in February 1981 on a recently founded local label called 415 Records
415 Records
415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, Romeo Void, and Wire Train...
. They worked on the recording of their debut album, It's a Condition
It's a Condition
It's a Condition is the first studio album by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1981. It was re-released as a cd in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records together with Strange Language, Debora Iyall's 1986 solo album, in July 2007...
, with producer David Kahne
David Kahne
David Kahne is an American record producer. Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and then became notable for his role as in-house producer and engineer at 415 Records, the first American new wave music label, and for his subsequent roles as Vice President of A&R at Columbia...
. Before recording began, Derrah left the band and was replaced by John "Stench" Haines, who had previously played with Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. Romeo Void's debut was critically acclaimed upon its release through 415 in July 1981, and introduced Romeo Void's "unique blend of jazz, funk, rock and confrontational poetry". Allmusic writer Stewart Mason later heralded it as one of the "masterpieces of American post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
". Indie labels were enthusiastic with promotions and the band embarked on several nationwide tours. Eventually Haines left the band, leaving Larry Carter to fill the drummer position.
The sudden surge in popularity was disorienting to Iyall. "It was frightening: we played a college in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, and there were all these blond people crowding the stage, and I thought 'These are the people who hated me in high school!' When you grow up being 'outside' -- because I wasn't white, and I was fat, and always a bit of a free thinker -- it was strange. It was like, 'uh-oh, I must be doing something wrong -- they like me!'" Highly successful mainstream artists like Ann Wilson
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
and Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
were eager to the meet the band. Ocasek extended an invitation to collaborate at his Synchro Sound studio in Boston. The recording sessions in Boston resulted in the Never Say Never
Never Say Never (EP)
Never Say Never is an EP by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1982. It was released on CD in 2006 by Wounded Bird Records, as four bonus tracks to their reissue of Benefactor.-Track listing:...
EP in January 1982. The title track became their best-known song and has remained synonymous with the band ever since. Additionally, the success of the single directly led to 415 Records signing a deal with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, which elevated the indie label's roster to major-label status. Romeo Void released their second album, entitled Benefactor, in November 1982. The album appeared at No. 119 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Benefactor was noticeably more commercial sounding than previous endeavors; the music was made more danceable and swearing was removed on the song "Never Say Never". The different approach in the sound resulted in comparisons to Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, which Allmusic writer William Ruhlmann suggested was a deliberate attempt by Columbia. Iyall stated that there was more pressure to write sexually laced lyrics for Benefactor: "I do like to be provocative, and I definitely have access to my sexuality, and as a topic I find it ripe, but I wasn't ever going to be a sex-pot diva, so that was kind of odd." She also said there was pressure to produce more singles.
1983-present: Instincts, break-up, and post-band endeavors
A third and final album was again helmed by David Kahne, which Allmusic writer Stewart Mason speculated was a "reaction against the more commercial sound of Benefactor. By this time, Carter had been replaced by Aaron Smith. Instincts was released in October 1984, debuted at No. 68 on the Billboard 200, and proved to be the band's best-selling album. It also launched their most successful single, "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
"A Girl in Trouble " was a hit single for Romeo Void in 1984, from the Columbia album Instincts. It was the band's biggest hit and only Top 40 single, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.- Charts :...
," which broke the Billboard
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
Top 40 and peaked at No. 35. Critical reactions were positive. Despite being the band's most successful effort to date, Columbia pulled the band's promotional support while on a nationwide tour. "The very next town we got to after they made that decision, there wasn't an A&R person there," said Iyall. "[There] was no local person there, there were no interviews and in-stores arranged as they had been. All that just ground to a halt." The band returned to San Francisco and soon broke up. Constant touring has been cited by Iyall as the primary reason for the break-up. "You get tired of each other, and you get intolerant of being uncomfortable and away from your family and your friends." According to a VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
reunion episode, the issue of Iyall's weight was the reason for the label dropping them. In 2003, Iyall agreed with this claim: "Howie
Howie Klein
Howie Klein is an American DJ, music producer, record label founder, record label executive, and political blogger, who was president of Reprise Records from 1989 to 2001....
sold us from 415 to Columbia Records, and they were like 'Who's this fat chick?' They decided that was as far as it was going to get, and pulled their support." Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
writer Denise Sullivan stated that the label spoke to Iyall about losing weight, but she subsequently refused. In 2010, Iyall declined to discuss the issue, but added that she may not be taking full responsibility in the matter.
Iyall released a solo album entitled Strange Language with former band members Bossi and Smith in 1986. Afterward she pursued a career as an art teacher. The band reunited briefly for a live performance in 1993. In 2004 Romeo Void was featured on an episode of VH1's Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles....
. Bossi had sustained too much hearing damage
Hearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
over the years and was unable to perform. Iyall has continued to dabble in music related projects and events. "I still like to sing and I still like to perform," she said. In 2003 she was involved in a musical project called Knife in Water. She began collaborating with Peter Dunne, who was known as Peter Bilt when he played guitar for Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. Iyall and Dunne performed at a support benefit for Crawdaddy! founder Paul Williams
Paul Williams (Crawdaddy! creator)
Paul Williams is an American music journalist and writer. Williams created the first national US magazine of rock music criticism :Crawdaddy! in January 1966 on the campus of Swarthmore College with the help of some of his fellow science fiction fans...
in June 2009, and performed at a concert honoring 415 Records later that September. They released an album entitled Stay Strong in 2010.
Style
Romeo Void has generally been classified as a new waveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
or post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band. Some critics have noted dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
elements in the music. According to Stewart Mason, writing for Allmusic, "[The] band's muscular blend of Joy Division's
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
atmospherics and the Gang of Four's
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...
rattling momentum, with Benjamin Bossi's splattering free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
saxophone coloring everything, made Romeo Void one of the strongest of the American post-punk bands. The St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
wrote that they "had no trouble creating a signature sound for [themselves with a] scratchy guitar, soulful sax, [and] tight, precise drums." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
stated that they sounded like "an art-school band, with its textural complexity [and] touches of jazz and funk" Saxophone player Benjamin Bossi has been observed as the ingredient that "set the band apart" and showed a "talent for both improvisation and arrangement." Alan Niester, writing for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, said that he weaved "in and out [...] like a snake charmer
Snake charming
Snake charming is the practice of pretending to hypnotise a snake by playing an instrument. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand...
" and reminded him of Andy Mackay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
, a saxophonist that played with Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
.
Liam Lacey, also writing for The Globe and Mail, described Iyall's voice as "sultry [and] sexy", while Mason called it "powerful". Her style has sometimes been compared to Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
, vocalist for the Pretenders. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
acknowledged the similarity, but also noted the influence of other singers in "Never Say Never" where Iyall mixed the "aggressive bitchiness of [Hynde], the coy confrontational tactics of Patty Donahue
Patty Donahue
Patricia J. "Patty" Donahue was the American lead singer of the 1980s new wave group The Waitresses.-Career:...
of the Waitresses
The Waitresses
The Waitresses were an experimental new wave band from Akron, Ohio. The group was led by guitarist/songwriter Chris Butler with lead vocals performed by Patty Donahue.-Career:...
and the slack sensuality of Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
of the earliest Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
." Iyall used to find the comparison annoying, but eventually warmed to it: "When people said I sounded like her, I'd say, 'Oh yeah, thanks a lot.' But this year, I've fallen in love with Learning To Crawl
Learning to Crawl
Learning to Crawl is the Pretenders' third album, released in 1984 after a two-year hiatus, during which time James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses....
so now I don't care if people want to make comparisons." After a live show in 1982, Niester contended that she was the weakest part of the group and had the "vocal range of an automobile horn". Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
writer Kathy Gillis wrote after a concert two years later that Iyall exhibited a "dramatic range that, while not extreme in either direction, was touching."
Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
had a great influence on Iyall. "[She was] someone who was both a rock singer and a poet," she said. "She combined things I was interested in. Plus, she wasn't a trumped-up sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
. She was herself on stage. That appealed to me. It looked like something I could do. You didn't have to look like all the other singers." Iyall was highly critical of the music of the day and found inspiration in other mediums. "I hate rock and roll right now. It's turned into some new kind of stupid religion... I'd rather listen to Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, maybe Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
. Actually, I'll admit I like The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
- they have a great sound. But I'd just as soon read novels or paint pictures as listen to music. I love language - plain speech, used in an enigmatic, subliminal way; I'm not much tied to the literal."
Lyrics
Iyall was observed by Mother JonesMother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
to be among a new group of female fronted rock bands that displayed a "tough, wry, street-wise, [and] cynical" attitude and sought to redefine the role of women in rock music. She developed a sizable following for her writing that covered topics like "frustrated desire [and] sexually motivated rage" from a female perspective. Critics praised her lyrics for their "searing imagery", "seething poetics", and "[dark intelligence]" "My approach was always that I had something to say, I had a point of view," Iyall said, commenting on her outspokeness. "I remember seeing Penelope
Penelope Houston
Penelope Houston is an American singer-songwriter best known as the singer for the San Francisco-based punk rock band The Avengers. She was raised in Seattle. In the mid-1970s she attended Fairhaven College in Bellingham, Washington...
from the Avengers at the Mabuhay Gardens
Mabuhay Gardens
The Mabuhay Gardens was a San Francisco nightclub located at , on the Broadway strip of North Beach, an area best known for its strip clubs....
and thinking, I can do that. I have something to say."
Romeo Void's most well-known song is "Never Say Never", which contains the famous line "I might like you better if we slept together." Allmusic writer Heather Phares has argued that Iyall's "teasing, existential musings [...] predated and predicted the aloof yet frank sexuality of early- and mid-'90s artists such as Elastica
Elastica
Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...
and Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
". Phares concluded that the song was "a subversive, influential classic" and "one of new wave's most distinctive and innovative moments. " The song has been covered by many artists, among them are Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
and Amanda Blake. The song "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
"A Girl in Trouble " was a hit single for Romeo Void in 1984, from the Columbia album Instincts. It was the band's biggest hit and only Top 40 single, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.- Charts :...
", their highest-charting single, was reportedly written as a response to Michael Jackson's
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
hit song "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
", but can also be seen as a tribute to women who have experienced traumatizing events. Iyall also wrote songs that touched on themes like social alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
("Undercover Kept") and generation gap
Generation gap
The generational gap is and was a term popularized in Western countries during the 1960s referring to differences between people of a younger generation and their elders, especially between children and parents....
s ("Chinatown").
Discography
Studio albums- 1981: It's a ConditionIt's a ConditionIt's a Condition is the first studio album by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1981. It was re-released as a cd in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records together with Strange Language, Debora Iyall's 1986 solo album, in July 2007...
- 1982: Benefactor
- 1984: Instincts
EPs
- 1982: Never Say Never EPNever Say Never (EP)Never Say Never is an EP by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1982. It was released on CD in 2006 by Wounded Bird Records, as four bonus tracks to their reissue of Benefactor.-Track listing:...
Compilations
- 1992: Warm, in Your CoatWarm, in Your Coat-Track listing:# "White Sweater" – 4:48# "I Mean It" – 5:40# "Charred Remains" – 3:04# "Talk Dirty to Me – 4:47...
- 1997: Never Say Never: Hits, Rarities & Gems
Singles
- 1981: "White Sweater" / "Apache"
- 1982: "Never Say Never"
- 1982: "Undercover Kept"
- 1984: "A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)"
- 1984: "Say No"