[.ca] Warm In Your Coat

driving force!!!:
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.

PLEEEEASE re-release "It's A Condition" & "NVR SAY NVR"!!!!!:
I am grateful that this CD exists, as it is the only source of some of Romeo Void's best music. Unfortunately, although their groundbreaking, critically-acclaimed premiere works, the album "It's A Condition" and EP "NVR SAY NVR", are well-represented here (half of each), they remain out of print over 20 years after their original releases (and gratitude aside, leaving 'Present Tense' & 'Not Safe,' the essential Side Two of "NVR SAY NVR," off this compilation was criminally artistic \oexecutive\c negligence as both songs are far better than anything from "Instincts" or "Benefactor"). "It's A Condition" and "NVR SAY NVR" WERE Romeo Void for me. I remember lying on the couch of my Sunset Strip apartment in the fall of '81 and listening to "It's A Condition" over and over, with a neighbor occasionally stopping by my open door to say "What the hell is that?!" And blasting the "NVR SAY NVR" cassette from my car....I continue to hope for their re-release. Until then, I'm staying "Warm, In Your Coat."

A biased review:
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.

• White Sweater
• I Mean It
• Charred Remains
• Talk Dirty to Me
• Myself to Myself
• In the Dark
• Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)
• Out on My Own \oDance Mix\c
• Just Too Easy
• Wrap It Up
• Flashflood
• Undercover Kept
• Chinatown
• Never Say Never
• One Thousand Shadows \o#\c