Benefactor (album)

Last updated
Benefactor
Benefactor - Romeo Void.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 6, 1982
Recorded1981–1982
Genre New wave
Length38:04 (Benefactor)
20:23 (Never Say Never)
58:27 (total)
Label Columbia
Producer Ian Taylor
Ric Ocasek on "Never Say Never"
Romeo Void chronology
Never Say Never EP
(1981)
Benefactor
(1982)
Instincts
(1984)

Benefactor is the second studio album by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1982. [1] [2] 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.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

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]

Track listing

All songs written by Benjamin Bossi, Larry Carter, Debora Iyall, Peter Woods, and Frank Zincavage, except where noted.

  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

Bonus tracks (2006 reissue; taken from "Never Say Never EP")

  1. "Never Say Never" – 6:06
  2. "In the Dark" – 4:33
  3. "Present Tense" – 5:47
  4. "Not Safe" – 3:57

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Album

ItemYearChartPosition
Never Say Never (EP)1982Pop Albums147
Benefactor1982Pop Albums119

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References

  1. Emerson, Ken (Oct 14, 1982). "Benefactor". Rolling Stone. No. 380. p. 74.
  2. Righi, Len (6 Nov 1984). "A New Kind of Recognition for Romeo Void". The Morning Call. p. D7.
  3. Benefactor at AllMusic
  4. Palmer, Robert (25 Aug 1982). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.