The album starts with several songs from the October 25, 1982 show in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There is a short introduction: "The band you've all been waiting for. From San Francisco, California, Romeo Void." The band launches into "In The Dark," and Debora very quickly seduces us with her vocal performance. "Night is cool, your breath is hot/Sheets cover us, inside we soak/We crawl for what we want." The song has a cool, dark vibe. And I'm digging that work on sax, particularly near the end. That instrumental section is so good. That's followed by "Flashflood," a song from the band's second album, Benefactor, the saxophone playing a prominent role in establishing its atmosphere and vibe. Listen to the way Debora delivers the title line, "In your flashflood." The power, the emotion there is captivating, so alluring. It's easy to fall under this band's spell. And the saxophone reaches out during the instrumental section toward the end.
"Shake The Hands Of Time" was also on Benefactor. It's a delicious punk number. I love Debora's delivery here, the attitude behind it, the style reminding me a bit of some of Jim Carroll's work, actually. Everything about this song is cool, the track featuring some great stuff on sax and a good rhythm. "You gotta get that jerk off your mind, yeah!" There is a powerful ending, the crowd then understandably erupting with applause. The steady rhythm of "Not Safe" helps this song take hold of us. This song is from the 1981 EP Never Say Never. "I'm not sorry," Debora shouts. This track contains some interesting stuff on saxophone. And then I love the saxophone work at the beginning of "Undercover Kept." This song from Benefactor has a different feel, with more of a pop element, and a sort of spoken word delivery at times. "The drinks aren't stiff/I know what is/Here comes Henry/He's watching my baby/Why don't you give up on me?" Wow, this track will remind you of just how fucking cool this band was. This group should have lasted longer than it did.
We hear someone shout, "White Sweater" and the band goes right into that song, which features some wild, passionate work on saxophone at the beginning. So damn good! We hear the rowdy, excited crowd shouting out some other things in a soft moment early in the track. Then the drums drive the song into a faster section, and the track builds in power, a force that carries everything it touches along with it. And then suddenly, bam, a brief pause before the groove takes over again. And in that moment, in the release of that moment, the crowd cheers. This song was on the band's first LP. It's followed by "S.O.S.," a song from Benefactor. It has some beautiful, kind of mesmerizing work on saxophone at the beginning, almost like something you'd expect from a violin or maybe clarinet. "Try to stay sober." Ah, no chance of that these days. Here Debora is haunting, holding us with the charisma you might associate with Jim Morrison. I wish I could have seen this band in concert. They did have a couple of reunions, but for whatever reason I missed them.
Every song so far has been great, and now we get one of the band's biggest numbers, "Never Say Never." Everyone knows this one, even people who might not recognize it by name. The audience, of course, recognizes it the moment the band begins it. This song is just so fucking cool. "Slumped by the courthouse with windburnt skin/That man could give a fuck/About the grin on your face/As you walk by, randy as a goat/He's sleepin' on papers/But he'd be warm in your coat/I might like you better/If we slept together/I might like you better/If we slept together." Yeah, now you remember. That's the last song from the October 25, 1982 show. The next song, "I Mean It," comes from the July 2, 1981 show in Albany. This is a song from the band's first album, and it's dark, slow, sexy. "Curled in your neck, arching my back, I taste you again/In any embrace, there certainly is a limited view." There is some great stuff on saxophone here. Even that instrument has a hypnotic quality. But especially check out the guitar work here. This is the only song from that 1981 show.
Then we move to 1985, first to the February 2nd show in Berlin for "Billy's Birthday," a song from the band's 1984 record Instincts. It's a good song, perhaps not as exciting as what has preceded it, but still featuring some excellent work on saxophone and a good vocal performance. If you listen on headphones, you'll hear another voice speaking in your left ear at times. The disc then switches to the London show from January 29, 1985 for "Just Too Easy," another song from Instincts. This one has more power. "It was just too easy to break your heart," Debora sings. And we know she is telling us the truth. We feel it wouldn't be difficult for her to break any heart she wished broken. Then it's back to the Berlin show for "Say No." It's interesting that this album goes back and forth between these two shows. This song is also from Instincts. There is a terrific energy to this song. The kind of song that will knock you down if you get in its way. I love that instrumental section in the second half, particularly the saxophone. And then we go to London again for "Instincts," the title track to the band's 1984 LP, which has a mellower vibe as it starts, the saxophone setting the tone. Check out the song's first lines: "I don't trust my eyes/They're so easily swayed/Beauty is anxious to be seen a certain way/To be soothing to conceal the problems of the day." Those are some excellent lyrics. And the style of the song helps to place the focus on the lyrics.
The rest of the tracks are from the Berlin show, beginning with one of the band's hits, "A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)," a song from Instincts with more of a pop flavor which is obvious from the beginning. This is a song that remains relevant. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "There's a way to walk that says 'Stay Away!'/And a time to go around the long way/A girl in trouble is a temporary thing." There is a good groove, and, yes, as you're expecting by now, some cool work on saxophone. Debora introduces the band before "Out On My Own," and when she introduces herself, I realize I've been mispronouncing her name all these years (the accent is on the second syllable). Anyway, this song is another of the disc's highlights. There is a tremendous energy and intensity, both to the music and to her vocal performance. "As the years went by I learned not to cry/I walked away with my head held high/I can remember when I thought it was good/And I remember when they left me, it was for good." This is fantastic, and just gets better and better. I love that drumming, the bass line. And the song takes off into a whole other world toward the end. A stunning number.
A delicious rhythm is established at the beginning of "Six Days And One." This is another gem, which is clear from the beginning. Again, how did this band not soar for another decade after this? This track is tremendous, even before Debora comes in on vocals. It grabs you and does not let go. "And I find as I add up these long days without you/Distance equals loss plus time." That excellent rhythm is at the core, and Debora's vocal performance is one of great need. She opens herself here, her veins spilling their contents before us. And the band takes us beyond any barrier we thought stood before us. This is an incredible track, another of the disc's highlights. The CD (but not the record) concludes with "Chinatown," a song from Benefactor. It's a fun number with a good energy. "It's a history lesson, my money's missing/It's how I get my pleasure." Well, I tell you, this album is giving me a tremendous dose of pleasure. If you already love this band, obviously you're going to want to add this album to your collection. And if you're not yet familiar with this band, this disc will cause you to fall madly in love with these guys.
CD Track List
- In The Dark
- Flashflood
- Shake The Hands Of Time
- Not Safe
- Undercover Kept
- White Sweater
- S.O.S.
- Never Say Never
- I Mean It
- Billy's Birthday
- Just Too Easy
- Say No
- Instincts
- A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)
- Out On My Own
- Six Days And One
- ChinaTown
Live '81 - '85 was released on CD on April 17, 2026 through Liberation Hall.
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