Tag: Present Tense

Romeo Void – Never Say Never (US 12″ EP)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1982

TOTALLY OBSCURE 80s!

“Never Say Never” is a 1982 song by the new wave band Romeo Void. One of their best-known songs, “Never Say Never” was a favorite on early MTV, featuring a black-and-white music video that spoofs Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. The song is driven by a throbbing, funky bassline and punctuated by jagged guitar and saxophone, incorporating post-punk influences. The song reached #27 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock songs chart in October 1982.

The song was featured in the 1984 film Reckless starring Aidan Quinn as a football star and renegade. Quinn’s character takes over the school dance’s DJ booth to play the single, much to the dismay of all his classmates. A dance sequence ensues with Quinn’s character moshing about while a somewhat distraught Daryl Hannah tries to figure out how to dance with him.

This four-track, 20-minute EP was actually a 12-inch dance single introducing Romeo Void’s signature song, “Never Say Never.” Against an accelerated disco beat, singer Deborah Iyall perfected her romantic put-down persona with the devastating one-liner, “I might like you better if we slept together.” Meanwhile, the band had improved since the release of the debut album, with saxophonist Benjamin Bossi becoming an especially notable soloist. But it was the provocative nature of Iyall’s lyrics and delivery that caught the ear of enough listeners to put this indie label EP on the charts and cause Columbia Records to come calling with a manufacturing and distribution deal, leading to a major-label reissue.

SIDE A:
Never Say Never (12″ Version) 6:05
In The Dark 4:25

SIDE B:
Present Tense 5:47
Not Safe 3:54

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Never Say Never U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs #27

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia – 5C 38178, 415 Records – 5C 38178
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave

CREDITS:

NOTES:
Recorded at syncro sound studios boston, massachusetts october 1981
thanks to louie beeson and dal booth

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable:Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


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