Yazoo
Early Yazoo promotional photo (Left: Alison Moyet, Right: Vince Clarke)
Background information
Also known as	Yaz
Origin	Basildon, Essex, England
Genre(s)	Electropop/Dance New wave/Synth pop
Years active	1982 — 1983 2008 (Reunion)
Label(s)	Mute Sire Reprise
Associated acts	Erasure Depeche Mode The Assembly
Former members
Alison Moyet Vince Clarke

Yazoo (known as Yaz in the U. Basildon (ˈbæzɪldən is a New Town located in south Essex, England at. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other This article is about music for dancing in general You may also be looking for Electronic dance music. New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Synthpop is a subgenre of New Wave and Pop music in which the Synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Mute Records is a Record label formed in 1978 by Daniel Miller primarily to release his own single "T Sire Records Company is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros Reprise Records is an American Record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra, which is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated Erasure are an English Synth pop duo formed by Songwriter and Keyboardist Vince Clarke and Singer Depeche Mode (dəˌpɛʃˈmoʊd are an English Electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The Assembly were a Synthpop project started in 1983 in Basildon, England by Vince Clarke ( songwriting, keyboards Alison Moyet (born Genevieve Alison Jane Moyet on 18 June 1961 is an English pop Singer-songwriter noted for her Bluesy voice. Vince Clarke (born Vincent John Martin in South Woodford, London, on July 3 1960) is an English pop S. ) was a short-lived but successful and influential English synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Synthpop is a subgenre of New Wave and Pop music in which the Synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument Basildon (ˈbæzɪldən is a New Town located in south Essex, England at. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common They had a number of top ten hits in the British charts in the early 1980s. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It was formed in late 1981 by former Depeche Mode songwriter Vince Clarke (synthesizer) and English singer Alison Moyet (vocals), and was signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom. Depeche Mode (dəˌpɛʃˈmoʊd are an English Electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. Vince Clarke (born Vincent John Martin in South Woodford, London, on July 3 1960) is an English pop Alison Moyet (born Genevieve Alison Jane Moyet on 18 June 1961 is an English pop Singer-songwriter noted for her Bluesy voice. Mute Records is a Record label formed in 1978 by Daniel Miller primarily to release his own single "T Yazoo's initial foray into the US was disastrous when they received a £3. 5 million lawsuit threat over the band's name; Yazoo subsequently 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 March 15, 1982 and rose to number two in the UK charts. " Only You " is a Ballad written by musician Vince Clarke. "Situation" is the title of a 1982 single by the British new wave band Yazoo. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Yazoo released successful studio albums, Upstairs at Eric's in 1982 and the more successful You and Me Both in 1983. Upstairs at Eric's (1982 is Yazoo 's first album produced by the band and E You and Me Both is the second and final album released by British synthpop duo Yazoo in 1983 Shortly after, Moyet and Clarke decided to breakup. Moyet pursued a solo career while Clarke founded Erasure, another synth pop group. Erasure are an English Synth pop duo formed by Songwriter and Keyboardist Vince Clarke and Singer Yazoo reunited in 2008 with a tour in the United States and the release of a four-disc box set. Though short-lived, Yazoo continues to influence and inspire many of today's bands, including LCD Soundsystem, Shiny Toy Guns and Blaqk Audio. LCD Soundsystem is the musical project of producer James Murphy, co-founder of Dance-punk label DFA Records. Shiny Toy Guns is a Grammy Award nominated American Synth rock band from Shawnee Oklahoma that formed in 2002 in Los Angeles California Blaqk Audio is an Electronic music band formed by current AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget under Interscope Records.

History

Yazoo was formed in late 1981 by Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet in Basildon, Essex, England. Basildon (ˈbæzɪldən is a New Town located in south Essex, England at. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ^[1] Clarke was previously the main songwriter for Depeche Mode, 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". Depeche Mode (dəˌpɛʃˈmoʊd are an English Electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. Mute Records is a Record label formed in 1978 by Daniel Miller primarily to release his own single "T " Just Can't Get Enough " is the third UK single by Depeche Mode originally released in September 1981. ^[2] The name 'Yazoo', according to Moyet, came from the labels of old blues albums: Yazoo Records. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Yazoo Records is a Record label founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. ^[3] Yazoo was signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom and to Sire Records in the United States. Sire Records Company is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros Yazoo's initial foray into the US was disastrous when they received a £3. 5 million lawsuit threat over the band's name. ^[3] Yazoo renamed to Yaz for the US market because the name was already in use by a small American rock band. ^[1]

Yazoo's debut single "Only You" backed with "Situation," was released on March 15, 1982 and rose to number two in the UK. " Only You " is a Ballad written by musician Vince Clarke. "Situation" is the title of a 1982 single by the British new wave band Yazoo. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) ^[4] Yazoo's next single, Don't Go, was released on July 3, 1982^[4] and hit number three,^[1] and became popular on MTV in the United States. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. ^[5] They continued their successful streak with their first album, Upstairs at Eric's, which went platinum in Britain. Upstairs at Eric's (1982 is Yazoo 's first album produced by the band and E ^[1] The band received favourable reviews for their pioneering sound. Clarke and Moyet toured briefly, while releasing a stopgap single, "The Other Side of Love. " Smash Hits reviewed Yazoo May 13, 1982. This article is about a magazine For the compilation album by Jimi Hendrix, see Smash Hits (album. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The interview was conducted by Neil Tennant, who was later successful in the Pet Shop Boys duo four years later. Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954 is a English Musician, singer and songwriter who with his colleague Chris Lowe, make up the successful The capitalisation of song titles in this article is disputed ^[6]

The duo's second and last album, You and Me Both, yielded more success, hitting the top of the UK charts, and spinning off one single. You and Me Both is the second and final album released by British synthpop duo Yazoo in 1983 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[7] Shortly before the release of You and Me Both, Clarke and Moyet announced they were to go their separate ways.

Breakup and legacy

Moyet signed to Columbia Records and began her successful solo career after leaving Yazoo. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company ^[8] Clarke recorded a single with producer Eric Radcliffe and Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey as The Assembly, and another with vocalist Paul Quinn. Eric Radcliffe (often credited as EC Radcliffe) is a recording engineer and producer who worked with the following New Wave and Synthpop bands in the The Undertones are a Northern Irish Punk rock / Power pop band formed in Derry in 1975 Feargal Sharkey (born Sean Feargal Sharkey, 13 August 1958 Derry, Northern Ireland, UK) is a British Singer, who first found fame The Assembly were a Synthpop project started in 1983 in Basildon, England by Vince Clarke ( songwriting, keyboards ^[8] Around this time, Clarke also produced "The Face of Dorian Gray" for his friend and singer Robert Marlow. " The Face of Dorian Gray " is a song written by Robert Marlow. Robert Marlow (born Robert Allen, October 21 1961) is a Synthpop Musician and songwriter Clarke then started the synth pop group Erasure with vocalist Andy Bell. Erasure are an English Synth pop duo formed by Songwriter and Keyboardist Vince Clarke and Singer This article is about the lead singer of Erasure; there is also Andy Bell (musician, a member of the band Oasis. ^[8]

Mute Records released a remixed version of "Situation" as a single in 1990 which was moderately successful. A compilation entitled Only Yazoo - The Best of was released in 1999, and was preceded by a re-release of Yazoo's debut single, "Only You", featuring a new remix of the title track and several more of "Don't Go". A remix is an alternative version of a song different from the original version The band's output was bookended with yet another release of "Situation", accompanied by many remixes. Clarke was tapped to remix Moyet's 1994 single, "Whispering Your Name" and with Erasure, Clarke and Moyet tried to record her single "This House" as a duet. This project never came to surface, because Sony Music Entertainment would not permit it. Sony Music Entertainment is a major global Record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the "big four" record companies

The band's songs have appeared in a number of films and television shows. "Only You" was used in the Napoleon Dynamite, the BBC television series The Office, and the film Can't Hardly Wait; a cover version of "Only You" by Joshua Radin was used in 2007 in a J. C. Penney commercial; "Don't Go" appeared in the BBC series I'm Alan Partridge, was used in the film Tango and Cash, and can be heard in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories; the song "Situation" was used in the 1990 TV movie Exile and was also used in a Nintendo commercial highlighting the classic edition of the Game Boy Advance SP and the classic NES games ported to it. Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 independent Film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder This article is about the original version of The Office For the US version see The Office (US TV series, and for a comparison of the various versions from around the Can't Hardly Wait is a 1998 romantic teen comedy film directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released J C Penney Company Inc ( most commonly known today by the name JCPenney or simply Penneys) is a mid-range chain of American Department stores I'm Alan Partridge is a BBC Situation comedy. Two series of six episodes were produced the first in 1997 and the second in 2002 Tango & Cash is a 1989 American action / Comedy film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky ( Albert Magnoli took over Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories is a sandbox-style action-adventure Video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The, released in February 2003 is an upgraded version of Nintendo 's Game Boy Advance. In 2007, "Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)" was used in The Sarah Silverman Program episode "Not Without My Daughter". The Sarah Silverman Program is a cable television Comedy series starring comedienne and actress Sarah Silverman. The following is an episode list for the Comedy Central series The Sarah Silverman Program.

Though short-lived, Yazoo continues to influence and inspire many of today's bands, including LCD Soundsystem, Shiny Toy Guns and Blaqk Audio. LCD Soundsystem is the musical project of producer James Murphy, co-founder of Dance-punk label DFA Records. Shiny Toy Guns is a Grammy Award nominated American Synth rock band from Shawnee Oklahoma that formed in 2002 in Los Angeles California Blaqk Audio is an Electronic music band formed by current AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget under Interscope Records. ^[9]

Reunion 2008

In December 2007 Side-line announced that Mute plans to reissue both albums as remastered versions. Side-Line was an online music magazine History Side-line was started in 1989 by two university students David Noiret and Seba Dolimont who noticed that there was a distinctive The band would also plan a live gig to promote the re-releases. ^[10] The promotional tour received moderate television coverage including a performance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross broadcast on 16 May 2008, a prime time BBC chat show. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a Chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[11]

The news was confirmed later on including extra details. ^[12] Due for release in May 2008 is In Your Room, a four-disc box set featuring the stereo remasters and 5. 1 mixes of the albums Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both next to a disc with B-sides and remixes. Add to this a DVD featuring an exclusive short film with new interviews from Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet and the videos for "Don't Go", "The Other Side Of Love", "Nobody's Diary", "Situation (1990)" and "Only You (1999)".

The release will be followed by the 'Yazoo Reconnected: Live' tour. Currently, 18 dates have been announced, starting in Copenhagen on May 26. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place ^[13] The first three dates of the U. S. tour will see Yazoo performing in Oakland (San Francisco), Los Angeles, and Chicago. Yazoo wraps up the final two dates of the U. S. tour by returning to New York City for the first time since October 1982. It is now also sure that a limited edition vinyl 12" with new dance mixes will also be released to promote the boxset. ^{[14] [15]} A video was released in late April 2008 in which Clarke and Moyet discuss Yazoo's first single "Only You". ^[16] In an interview with Side-Line Magazine, Clarke announced that a live CD is also planned. The recordings are planned to take place during the band's two upcoming performances in London. ^[17]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

• ¹ U. The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. The official Music Charts in Germany are collected and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband der phonographischen Wirtschaft (Federal The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard See also 1982 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1982 Record labels established in 1982 Upstairs at Eric's (1982 is Yazoo 's first album produced by the band and E Major releases Michael Jackson's Thriller, the highest-selling album of all time as well as the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984 was released You and Me Both is the second and final album released by British synthpop duo Yazoo in 1983 The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. The official Music Charts in Germany are collected and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband der phonographischen Wirtschaft (Federal The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard See also 1999 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1999 Record Only Yazoo is a greatest hits compilation album released by British Synthpop duo Yazoo in 1999 This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2008 In Your Room is a Box set by British Synth pop duo Yazoo. It is the first Yazoo release since Only Yazoo, a 1999 The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry The official Music Charts in Germany are collected and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband der phonographischen Wirtschaft (Federal Billboard 's Hot Dance Club Play chart (also known as Club Play Singles, and formerly known as Hot Dance Music/Club Play and Hot Dance/Disco The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. " Only You " is a Ballad written by musician Vince Clarke. "Don't Go" is the second single taken from the British new wave band Yazoo 's debut album Upstairs at Eric's. "Situation" is the title of a 1982 single by the British new wave band Yazoo. " Nobody's Diary " is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. " Nobody's Diary " is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. S. -only single
• ² Ineligible for UK singles chart
• NR - Not released in that country

Awards

• 1983 BRIT Awards - Best British breakthrough act^[18]

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

• Official page