Romeo Void - Never Say Never, 1982

The unforgettable chorus of their best-known song, 1981’s “Never Say Never” on its own makes the song sound like some kind of shock-value novelty, and indeed, that’s probably how many people remember it. Yet 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. The combination of Iyall’s powerful vocals and searing imagery with the band’s muscular blend of atmospherics and 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.

Unfortunately the version off their second album “Benefactor” is a less-impressive shortened mix of “Never Say Never,” almost completely eliminating Bossi’s squalling, Albert Ayler-like solo, fading out before the hypnotic ending and bleeping out a rude word in the second verse. -allmusic. The best mix is off the Ric Ocasek produced Never Say Never EP from 1981, but the album itself contains some great gems, like the hyperactive dance-pop of “Undercover Kept”. Definitely worth picking up.