Benefactor (album) explained

Benefactor
Type:	Studio album
Artist:	Romeo Void
Cover:	Benefactor - Romeo Void.jpg
Released:	August 6, 1982
Recorded:	1981–1982
Genre:	New wave
Length:	38:04 (Benefactor) 20:23 (Never Say Never) 58:27 (total)
Label:	Columbia
Producer:	Ian Taylor Ric Ocasek on "Never Say Never"
Prev Title:	Never Say Never EP
Prev Year:	1981
Next Title:	Instincts
Next Year:	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.

Critical reception

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."^[3]

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

• Debora Iyall – vocals
• Peter Woods – guitar
• Benjamin Bossi – saxophone
• Frank Zincavage – bass
• Larry Carter – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Walter Turbitt – guitar on 9
• Marybeth O'Hara – backing vocals on 7
• Norman Salant – saxophone on 7

Charts

Album

Item	Year	Chart	Position
Never Say Never (EP)	1982	Pop Albums	147
Benefactor	1982	Pop Albums	119

Notes and References

1. Emerson . Ken . Benefactor . Rolling Stone . Oct 14, 1982 . 380 . 74.
2. News: Righi . Len . A New Kind of Recognition for Romeo Void . The Morning Call . 6 Nov 1984 . D7.
3. News: Palmer . Robert . The Pop Life . The New York Times . 25 Aug 1982 . C19.