Vince Clarke. Alison Moyet. It might solely be Yazoo. Hey, don’t go!

Vincent Martin (b.1960) aka ‘Vince Clarke’ and Geneviève Ballard (b.1961) aka ‘Alison Moyet‘, each from Essex, met at Sunday college and after Clarke had co-founded the group Depeche Mode, they had been reintroduced by way of {a magazine} advert looking for members of a brand new band. As Vince was the one one to answer to Geneviève, they fashioned a duo and referred to as themselves Yazoo, taken from the small impartial file label Yazoo. Ballard modified her identify to Alison Moyet and the pair started engaged on new materials collectively, ultimately writing “Solely You” in 1981. They had been signed to Mute Data on the power of this and a monitor Clarke has beforehand written referred to as “Don’t Go” and in March 1982, “Solely You” was chosen as their first single.

The monitor grew to become an enormous hit peaking at No.2 within the UK and made the highest ten throughout Europe. It might later break the US singles chart and peak at No.67, though the pair had been generally known as ‘Yaz’ there to keep away from any confusion with the milky drink! With “Don’t Go” already within the bag, the tune grew to become their second single in July 1982 and would go to primary in components of Europe and attain No.3 within the UK. It might later prime the US Dance chart. Yazoo launched their debut album, “Upstairs At Eric’s”, the next month, which might accumulate Platinum and Gold discs around the globe. A 3rd and closing single got here in late 1982, however was break up with worldwide markets getting “The Different Aspect Of Love” and America getting “Scenario”, a second US Dance chart primary. By now Vince and Alison has begun work on a observe up and within the Spring of 1983, delivered “No person’s Diary”, giving them a 3rd UK prime three smash and a 3rd US Dance chart primary.

Sadly, this was to be it as after the discharge of their second album, “You And Me Each” in June 1983, the pair break up up, citing “communication issues” as the explanation. “You And Me Each” was a primary album within the UK and peaked at No.69 within the US, a lot larger than their first had achieved. So it appeared that was it for the brief lived Yazoo. One comfort was a brand new model of “Solely You” from British vocal group The Flying Pickets which was launched in December 1983 and have become the Christmas primary! The tune has been coated quite a lot of instances since. Alison Moyet went on to forge a massively profitable profession as a solo artist following the break up, releasing two transatlantic Platinum albums, “Alf” in 1984 and “Raindancing” in 1987, and continued to file materials into the 1990’s and past, successful quite a few Brit awards and others for her work. Vince Clarke, by no means a person to relaxation, moved onto his subsequent challenge and marketed for a brand new musical accomplice…

…that got here in 1984 when he met singer Andy Bell. Collectively they fashioned the synth-pop duo Erasure and practically 40 years on, the pair are nonetheless going sturdy as one of many two greatest and most enduringly profitable acts of their style. They achieved 5 consecutive primary albums within the UK between 1988 and 1994 in addition to dozens of prime ten hits around the globe. In 2023, Clarke recorded and launched the orchestral album, “Songs Of Silence”, specializing in his music and with no vocals. But it surely wasn’t over for Yazoo. Late 1990 lastly noticed the UK and worldwide launch of “Scenario” and it went prime twenty on residence soil. A better of “Solely Yazoo: The Greatest Of” was launched in 1999 and this proved a success, together with re-releases of “Solely You”, “Don’t Go” and “Scenario”, the latter going again to the highest of the US Dance chart, seventeen years after it had first finished so!

And there was a reconciliation for Vince and Alison, although it took 25 years! The pair got here collectively in 2008 and performed a sequence of dwell gigs a lot to the delight of followers, which additionally coinsided with re-issues of each their studio albums. Three years later, Moyet turned up at an Erasure gig and carried out three songs for the viewers in London whereas 2010 noticed the discharge of “Reconnected Stay”, taken from their 2008 exhibits. Who is aware of if it should ever occur once more. Each Vince and Alison have left the door vast open this time. For because the lyrics go “Can’t cease now, don’t you already know I ain’t by no means gonna allow you to go, don’t go…”!

Keep in contact with Vince and Alison