Yazoo

Yazoo biography

Yazoo (also known as Yaz in the United States) is a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s. Formed in late 1981 by former Depeche Mode songwriter Vince Clarke (synthesiser) and Alison Moyet (vocals), Yazoo were signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom and (as "Yaz") to Sire Records in the United States.

Yazoo's debut single "Only You" backed with "Situation", was released on 15 March 1982 and rose to number two in the UK charts. Yazoo released two successful studio albums, Upstairs at Eric's in 1982 and You and Me Both in 1983. Shortly after, Moyet and Clarke decided to break up. Moyet pursued a solo career while Clarke went on to form Erasure, another synth pop duo. Yazoo reunited in 2008 with a tour in Europe and the United States and the release of a four-disc box set.

Though the band's initial run was short-lived, Yazoo continues to influence and inspire many of today's bands, including LCD Soundsystem, Shiny Toy Guns, Blaqk Audio, Hercules and Love Affair, La Roux and Gil Mantera's Party Dream.

History

thumb Yazoo was formed in late 1981 by Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet in Basildon, Essex, England. Clarke was previously the main songwriter and keyboard player for Depeche Mode, who also came from Basildon and who at that point had recorded one album and three singles for Mute Records, including the hits "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough". The name 'Yazoo', according to Moyet, came from the labels of old blues albums: Yazoo Records. Yazoo was signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom and to Sire Records in the United States. Yazoo's initial foray into the US was disastrous when they received a £3.5 million lawsuit threat over the band's name. Yazoo renamed to Yaz for the US market because the name was already in use by a small American rock band.

Yazoo's debut single "Only You" backed with "Situation", was released on 15 March 1982 and rose to number two in the UK. Yazoo's next single, "Don't Go", was released on 3 July 1982 and hit number three, and became popular on MTV in the United States. They continued their successful streak with their first album, Upstairs at Eric's, which went platinum in Britain. The band received favourable reviews for their pioneering sound. Clarke and Moyet toured briefly, while releasing a stopgap single, "The Other Side of Love".

The duo's second (and final) album, You and Me Both, yielded more success, hitting the top of the UK charts, and featuring the hit single "Nobody's Diary". Commercial success in the US was initially not as strong. Both "Situation" and "Only You" were released as singles and airplay and peaked at No. 73 and No. 67 respectively. Despite the modest chart success of those singles and of Upstairs at Eric's (which reached No. 92 on the album chart) word of mouth helped to eventually push the album to platinum status for sales of over one million copies by 1989, seven years after its release.

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