Yazoo (known in the U.S. as
Yaz) was a short-lived but quite successful synth-dance duo from the early '80s. Comprised of synthesizer player
Vince Clarke and singer
Alison Moyet, the group formed in 1981, after
Clarke left
Depeche Mode (
Clarke had penned almost all of
Depeche Mode's debut album, Speak & Spell, including their early dancefloor hit "I Just Can't Get Enough"), and
Moyet had recently exited an obscure
r&b cover band,
the Screaming Abdabs. The newly formed group scored a hit right off the bat with the single "Only You" b/w "Situation," which hit number two on the U.K. charts in April of 1982, and shortly thereafter, scored another big hit with "Don't Go" (which would become their best-known track stateside as its promo video enjoyed airtime on the newly formed MTV).
Yazoo's commercial winning streak continued with their debut full-length, Upstairs at Eric's, which hit number two on the U.K. album charts (eventually going platinum in England) and opened the door to countless other synth-dance bands that would soon follow in
Yazoo's wake. But despite a promising career ahead of them,
Yazoo opted to call it a day after one more full-length recording, 1983's You and Me Both.
Moyet would go on to launch a solo career immediately after
Yazoo's split (scoring a major hit with her solo debut, 1984's Alf, which topped the charts and spawned several hit singles), while
Clarke would go on to form another synth-based outfit,
Erasure, with singer
Andy Bell. Although
Yazoo issued only a pair of albums during a brief career together, a 15-track "hits" collection was assembled in 1999, The Best of Yaz. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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