Benefactor is the second studio album by the American band Romeo Void, released in 1982.[2][3] It was released on CD in 2006 by Wounded Bird Records, with their Never Say Never EP as four bonus tracks. The version of the song "Never Say Never" is a shorter, "clean" edit suitable for general radio broadcast.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The New York Times wrote that "too much of Benefactor suffers from Miss Iyall's artsy overwriting... And the feverishly clever arrangements can't quite disguise the band's lack of strong melodies."[4] The Boston Phoenix opined that "As scrambled as its material gets, Benefactor is saved by the struggle this band brings to their rock ‘n’ roll — their conviction that escape routes from lovelessness are worth fighting for, worth opening up for the audience."[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Benjamin Bossi, Larry Carter, Debora Iyall, Peter Woods, and Frank Zincavage, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Say Never" | 3:27 | |
| 2. | "Wrap It Up" | Isaac Hayes, David Porter | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Flashflood" | 4:55 | |
| 4. | "Undercover Kept" | 6:05 | |
| 5. | "Ventilation" | 3:55 | |
| 6. | "Chinatown" | 3:18 | |
| 7. | "Orange" | 4:15 | |
| 8. | "Shake the Hands of Time" | 3:19 | |
| 9. | "S.O.S." | 5:30 | |
| Total length: | 38:04 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Never Say Never" | 6:06 |
| 11. | "In the Dark" | 4:33 |
| 12. | "Present Tense" | 5:47 |
| 13. | "Not Safe" | 3:57 |
| Total length: | 58:27 | |
Personnel
- Romeo Void
- Debora Iyall – vocals
- Peter Woods – guitar
- Benjamin Bossi – saxophone
- Frank Zincavage – bass
- Larry Carter – drums, percussion
- Additional musicians
- Walter Turbitt – guitar on track 9
- Marybeth O'Hara – backing vocals on track 7
- Norman Salant – saxophone on track 7
- Production
- Ian Taylor – producer
- Ric Ocasek – additional production on track 1
Charts
Album
| Item | Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never Say Never (EP) | 1982 | Pop Albums | 147 |
| Benefactor | 1982 | Pop Albums | 119 |
References
- ^ a b Benefactor at AllMusic
- ^ Emerson, Ken (Oct 14, 1982). "Benefactor". Rolling Stone. No. 380. p. 74.
- ^ Righi, Len (6 Nov 1984). "A New Kind of Recognition for Romeo Void". The Morning Call. p. D7.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (25 Aug 1982). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.
- ^ Hampton, Howard (14 Sep 1982). "Null and void: Debora lyall stays undercover". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 20 Sep 2024.
