Yazoo

Yazoo (known as Yaz in North America for legal reasons) were a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex, England, consisting of former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke (keyboards) and Alison Moyet (vocals). Formed in late 1981 after Clarke responded to an advertisement Moyet placed in a UK music magazine, over the next 18 months the duo made two critically acclaimed albums, Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both, blending Clarke's synthesizer melodies with Moyet's blues- and soul-influenced vocals. Yazoo enjoyed worldwide success, particularly in their home country where three of their four singles reached the top three of the UK Singles Chart and both their albums made the top two of the albums chart. Despite their success, the duo split acrimoniously in May 1983 due to a combination of Clarke's reluctance to make more records under the Yazoo name, a clash of personalities, and a lack of communication between the pair. Clarke went on to form Erasure, another successful and longer-lasting synthpop duo, while Moyet embarked on a solo career. In 2008, twenty-five years after splitting up, Clarke and Moyet reconciled and reformed Yazoo to play a successful tour of the UK, Europe and North America in support of the reissue of Yazoo's two studio albums and a box set of their material. The pair briefly reunited in May 2011 to play three Yazoo songs at a music festival organised by their record label, but it seems unlikely that Clarke and Moyet will play together again in the future.

Links To Peel
The duo recorded a session for Peel's show in February 1982, which got broadcast in July on that same year. Surprisingly the session has not been added onto the BBC Keeping It Peel website or the 2008 In My Room box set issue.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1982 Festive Fifty: Only You #12
 * 1982 Festive Fifty: Don't Go #60 (only published)

Sessions
1. Recorded: 1982-02-16. Broadcast: 19 July 1982. Repeated: 04 August 1982
 * In My Room / Winter Kills / Don't Go / Midnight

Other Shows Played
1982 Others
 * 28 December 1982: 'Only You (LP-Upstairs At Eric's)' (Mute) (JP: 'Brilliant record.') 
 * Shambiko! Say Wah! 1982: Only You
 * 12 August 1982 (TOTP): Don't Go #03