Vince Clarke co-founded the band Depeche Mode and was responsible for the hit single "I Just Can't Get Enough". After the debut album of Depeche Mode Vince decided to leave the band because he didn't like the direction the band was taking. He was seen as the leader of the band and people feared this was the end for Depeche Mode. But the band continued with great success without Vince.
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| Depeche Mode with Vince in the middle |
Alison Moyet played in many punk and blues bands in her home town like the Vandals, the Screamin' Ab Dabs, the Vicars, and the Little Roosters. She placed an advert in the UK weekly music magazine Melody Maker in late 1981 asking for musicians to form a "rootsy" blues band after her most recent group, the Screamin' Ab Dabs, had broken up. She was strangely surprised that the only reply she received was from Vince Clarke. They didn't knew each other. Moyet had been in the same class at school as Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode. Clarke had seen Moyet sing live a few times, as his best friend had been in her punk band.
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| Only You - single cover |
They recorded "Only You" as a demo to get a record deal on Mute Records like Depeche Mode. They already recorded "Don't Go" by the time "Only You" was released as a single. They quickly recorded "Situation" as the B-Side of "Only You". "Only You" reached #2 in the UK.
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| Don't Go - single cover |
The name of the band came from the American blues label called Yazoo Records. Unfortunately this led to a lawsuit for the use of the name also for an American rock band who used the name Yazoo. So they used the name Yaz instead in the US to prevent confusion with the rock band.
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| Blackwing Studios |
The duo recorded their debut album at Blackwing Studios in southeast London owned by Eric Radcliffe who produced the album. It was a former church also used for the recording of the debut album by Depeche Mode. They named the album after Eric "Upstairs at Eric's" and reached #2 in the UK and #9 in the Netherlands. "Don't Go" was the second single reaching #3 in the UK and #6 in the Netherlands. They toured in Europe and North America to promote their first album.
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| The Other Side Of Love - single cover |
In between "Upstars at Eric's" and their next album "You and Me Both" the single "The Other Side Of Love" was released reaching #13 in the UK and #30 in the Netherlands.
They returned to the Blackwing Studios to record the new album but there were tensions rising between Vince and Alison. Vince intended "Upstairs at Eric's" as a one-off project but Mute wouldn't accept Vince leaving another band after Depeche Mode so quickly again. For Alison it was hard to be in the spotlight so soon and Vince dropped all the promotional work to be carried out by her. During the recording they almost are never in the studio at the same time. Clarke would record instrumental tracks in the morning and Moyet would come in during the evening and record her vocals. In May 1983 the single "Nobody's Diary" was released reaching #3 in the UK. Soon after they announced that they were splitting up. Strangely enough the second album "You and Me Both" reached #1 in the UK and #11 in the Netherlands.
AFTER YAZOO
The break-up wasn't the end for the career of both Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet.
First Vince formed a new band with Eric Radcliffe called The Assembly. Their idea was to collaborate with different artists on each new single. With singer Feargal Sharkey, former lead vocalist of the Undertones, they scored the top 5 UK hit "Never Never". Soon after Feargal would reach a #1 hit (UK and Netherlands) with his solo single "A Good Heart". Clarke founded the label Reset Records with Radcliffe and Vince produced 4 singles for his friend Robert Marlow on this label. In 1985 Vince formed a duo with Paul Quinn of Bourgie Bourgie and released only one single "One Day" that went by unnoticed.
In early 1985 Clarke took the same approach as Alison once did and placed an advertisement in Melody Maker for a singer and one applicant was Andy Bell who was a fan of his earlier projects. He teamed with Bell to form the group Erasure and the duo became one of the major selling acts in British music with international hits like "Oh L'amour", "Sometimes", "Blue Savannah", "Chorus", "Love to Hate You", The Abba-esq EP, and "Always".
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles:
Only You / Situation
Don't Go / Winter Kills
Situation / Situation (Dub Version)
The Other Side Of Love / Ode To Boy
Nobody's Diary / State Farm
Albums:
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| Orginal album cover |
Upstairs at Eric's (1982)
Don't Go / Too Pieces / Bad Connection / I Before E Except After C / Midnight / In My Room / Only You / Goodbye 70's / Tuesday / Winter Kills / Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)
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| Original album cover |
You and Me Both (1983)
Nobody's Diary / Softly Over / Sweet Thing / Mr. Blue / Good Times / Walk Away from Love / Ode to Boy / Unmarked / Anyone / Happy People / And On
AUDIO/VIDEO
The Assembly - Never Never
Don't Go
Only You
The Other Side Of Love