Yazoo (band) - History

History

Yazoo was formed in late 1981 by Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet in Basildon, Essex, England. Clarke, previously the main songwriter and keyboard player for Depeche Mode, also came from Basildon. At that point, he had recorded one album and three singles for Mute Records, including the hits "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough". The name 'Yazoo', according to Moyet, came from the labels of old blues albums: Yazoo Records. Yazoo was signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom and to Sire Records in the United States. Yazoo's initial foray into the US was disastrous, after they received a £3.5 million lawsuit threat over the band's name. Yazoo was renamed 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 15 March 1982 and rose to number two in the UK. Yazoo's next single, "Don't Go", was released on 3 July 1982 and hit number three. The video for it became popular on MTV in the United States. They continued their successful streak with their first album, Upstairs at Eric's, which went platinum in Britain. The band received favourable reviews for their pioneering sound. Clarke and Moyet toured briefly, while releasing a stop-gap single, "The Other Side of Love".

The duo's second (and final) album, You and Me Both, yielded more success, hitting the top of the UK charts and featuring the hit single "Nobody's Diary". Commercial success in the US was initially not as strong. Both "Situation" and "Only You" were released as singles, peaking at No. 73 and No. 67 respectively. Despite the modest chart success of those singles and of Upstairs at Eric's (which reached No. 92 on the album chart), by 1989 (seven years after its release), word of mouth helped to push the album to platinum status for sales of over one million copies.

Shortly before the release of You and Me Both, Clarke and Moyet announced they were going to go their separate ways.