Yazoo (band)

Yazoo (known as Yaz in North America for legal reasons with Yazoo Records) 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. In North America they are best known for the song "Situation", originally only a B-side in the UK but which was a club and airplay hit in the US and Canada before being released as the band's debut single in North America.

Despite their success, the duo split acrimoniously in the spring of 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 highly successful solo career. Although their musical career was short, Yazoo's combination of electronic instrumentation and soulful female vocals has been cited as an influence on the house music scene that emerged in the mid-1980s, as well as bands such as LCD Soundsystem (who name-checked them on their debut single "Losing My Edge"), Hercules and Love Affair (whose leader Andy Butler has said that "Situation" was his biggest musical inspiration as a child),La Roux, Shiny Toy Guns and Blaqk Audio.

+/- (band)

+/-, or Plus/Minus, is an American indietronic band formed in 2001. The band makes use of both electronic and traditional instruments, and has sought to use electronics to recreate traditional indie rock song forms and instrumental structures. The group has released two albums on each of the American indie labels Teenbeat Records and Absolutely Kosher, and their track "All I do" was prominently featured in the soundtrack for the major film Wicker Park. The group has developed a devoted following in Japan and Taiwan, and has toured there frequently. Although many artists append bonus tracks onto the end of Japanese album releases to discourage purchasers from buying cheaper US import versions, the overseas versions of +/- albums are usually quite different from the US versions - tracklists can be rearranged, artwork with noticeable changes is used, and tracks from the US version can be replaced as well as augmented by bonus tracks.

History

Band

Band or BAND may refer to:

Science and technology

  • Band (mathematics), an idempotent semigroup
  • Band (radio), a range of frequencies or wavelengths used in radio transmission and radar, specifically:
  • Shortwave bands
  • UMTS frequency bands used for cellphones
  • LTE bands used for cellphone data
  • Band cell, a type of white blood cell
  • Gastric band, a human weight-control measure
  • Bird banding, placing a numbered metal band on a bird's leg for identification
  • BAND, acronym for "birds are not dinosaurs," a controversial stance on the evolution of birds
  • BAND (application), a private online space for groups
  • Computing and electronics

  • Microsoft Band, a smart band with smartwatch features created and developed by Microsoft.
  • Organizations

  • Band (channel), nickname of Brazilian broadcast television network Rede Bandeirantes
  • Bands (Italian Army irregulars), military units once in the service of the Italian Regio Esercito
  • Bandō

    Bandō may refer to:

    People

  • Eiji Bandō, Japanese entertainer/sportsman
  • Naoki Bandō, Japanese voice actor
  • Japanese surname, especially among Kabuki actors, such as:
  • Bandō Kakitsu I (1847–1893), Japanese kabuki actor of the Uzaemon acting lineage
  • Bandō Shūka I
  • Bandō Tamasaburō
  • Bandō Tamasaburō V
  • Bandō Mitsugorō III
  • Bandō Mitsugorō VIII
  • Bandō Mitsugorō X
  • Other

  • an alternate name for Kantō region
  • Bandō, Ibaraki, a city
  • Bandō Prisoner of War camp
  • Bandō Station, a train station in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
  • See also

    Bando (disambiguation)

    Yazoo

    Yazoo may mean:

  • Yazoo tribe, a Native American people who lived in Mississippi
  • Yazoo (language)
  • Yazoo River, in the state of Mississippi
  • Yazoo stream, a type of floodplain tributary
  • Yazoo lands, historic area in Mississippi and Alabama, formerly occupied by Yazoo tribe
  • Yazoo land scandal
  • Yazoo County, Mississippi
  • Yazoo City, Mississippi
  • Yazoo Delta Railroad
  • Yazoo Brewing Company, a brewery in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Yazoo/Kees (originally Yazoo Manufacturing Company), a maker of lawn mowers owned by Husqvarna
  • Yazoo (band), a 1980s English pop band, known as Yaz in the United States
  • Yazoo (drink), a flavoured milk drink made by Campina
  • Yazoo Records
  • Yazoo, a character from Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
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    Latest News for: yazoo (band)

    Ten of the best music interviews of 2024

    RNZ 26 Dec 2024
    It's fun to be part of a band that's still evolving, Crowded ... Prior to going solo Moyet had already had major hits, 'Only You' 'Don't Go' and 'Situation', as the lead singer of Synth pop band Yazoo.

    ‘It was a really lonely time’: Alison Moyet and Dave Stewart on making Is This Love?

    The Observer 30 Sep 2024
    I was singing in punk bands and my only ambition was to headline at the Hope & Anchor in London. Then Vince Clarke answered my advert in Melody Maker and suddenly I was a pop star with Yazoo.

    Having a Real Good Time Together: LCD Soundsystem Does Europe

    The Village Voice 18 Sep 2024
    LCD’s two-hour set found time for a cover of Nilsson’s “Jump into the Fire,” alongside a snippet of Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity” during “I Can Change.” A rendition of the band’s 2002 debut single, ...

    Alison Moyet - 'There's no one coming to rescue you'

    RNZ 15 Sep 2024
    Prior to going solo Moyet had already had major hits, 'Only You' 'Don't Go' and 'Situation', as the lead singer of Synth pop band Yazoo ... and blues bands, and I'd supported people like Dr Feelgood.

    Alison Moyet felt she had to be 'voluminous to be heard'

    Music News 14 Sep 2024
    The 63-year-old musician - known for her time in synth pop duo Yazoo - played in local punk rock bands growing in the 1970s and '80s, and her famous vocals were honed by having to keep up the volume at home.

    How Jack Antonoff is the brains behind top selling albums by Taylor Swift, Lorde and ...

    The Daily Mail 21 Aug 2024
    So how did this songwriter from New Jersey go from performing in a little-known indie band to collaborating on some of the most commercially successful songs of the 21st century? ... The songwriter and producer joined his first band when he was 15.

    Erasure star Vince Clarke

    The Daily Mail 10 Jan 2024
    Clarke is behind some of Britain's biggest bands including Depeche Mode, Erasure and Yazoo - selling 30 million records over four decades ... biggest bands including Depeche Mode, Erasure and Yazoo.

    Synth-pop legend Vince Clarke announces solo album

    Music News 07 Sep 2023
    The 63-year-old songwriter - whose previous bands include Depeche Mode, Erasure and Yazoo - has announced the details for 'Songs Of Silence’, which will be released on November 17 via Mute Records, and first single ‘The Lamentations Of Jeremiah... 1 ... 2.

    Vince Clarke announces debut solo album, shares lead single ‘The Lamentations Of Jeremiah’

    NME 06 Sep 2023
    Vince Clarke – songwriter for bands including Erasure, Yazoo and Depeche Mode – has announced details of his first solo album, ‘Songs Of Silence... NME shared a countdown of the band’s best albums.

    Show spirit Thursday at Stars & Stripes

    Greenwood Commonwealth 27 Jun 2023
    Organizers are hoping for good weather for Greenwood’s annual Stars & Stripes Festival, scheduled for Thursday between the Keesler and Veterans bridges on the banks of the Yazoo River.

    Behind the music - Stephen Shannon

    RTE 06 May 2023
    I’m particularly drawn to 1980s synthesis, rooted in childhood memories of watching Depeche Mode, A-ha, New Order and Yazoo on Top of the Pops ... Eurythmics, Kraftwerk, Yazoo, A-ha, Depeche Mode, Bronski Beat and many others.

    Depeche Mode: “Do the best you can – you don’t know if you’re going to ...

    NME 10 Mar 2023
    Vince Clarke, then chief songwriter, exited the band the year their debut dropped (going on to form Yazoo and Erasure) and was replaced by Wilder before his exit in ‘95; synth player, guitarist and ...

    Paul van Dyk interview: "These days DJing seems more like a trendy lifestyle"

    Skiddle 23 Sep 2022
    Skiddle Staff ...  . What’s the first track you fell in love with? ...   ... "You already mentioned two of my all-time favourites there, but there were also bands like OMD and Yazoo ...  .   ... What can fans expect? ...   ...  .  .   ... .

    How house music changed the world: ‘It was freedom. It was our church’

    The Observer 15 Sep 2022
    “I stayed half asleep ... I said ... I played in a lot of new wave bands; we liked Yazoo, and people were trying to dress up like A Flock of Seagulls ... “You’re always playing in bands, you can sing – we need to take this house music to the next level.” ... .

    Alison Moyet says she’s leaving Twitter ‘for a good while’ after being trolled for saying ...

    The Daily Mail 11 Sep 2022
    Yesterday, the former Yazoo star posted she was 'getting off Twitter for a good while now'. In her original post, Moyet tweeted ... God bless Elizabeth II ... Alison Moyet was one half of 80's synth-pop band Yazoo with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke.

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