The '80s unlikeliest synth-pop couple harvested conclusively on double-disc omnibus
7/10
They were often tagged, perhaps a little unfairly, as pop's 'odd couple'. She, the loud, proud and feisty Essex girl vocalist. He, diminutive, intuitive, sensitive songwriter and synth-programmer. On paper, a strange combination, in reality a chilly relationship but, boy, could Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke write songs.
This is not the first assemblage of Yazoo's canon - their usual label Mute has already revisited the Moyet/Clarke vaults, even pausing to unleash a box set along the way, 2008's In Your Room. Here, budget compilers Music Club have done a good job with a duo whose output wouldn't normally stretch beyond a single disc - just two albums and a handful of singles do not an almanac make - but handy rarities and b-sides fill the gaps nicely.
Both of the pair's studio-albums, give or take a couple of songs, are represented here, with the highlights predictably being the singles Only You, Don't Go (their biggest hit) and Nobody's Diary, as well as the still-massive club-hit Situation, represented here in four forms, namely the 7" original and three remixes, including both submissions by Francois Kevorkian. Other worthy remixes include Todd Terry's housey-shuffle of Don't Go and Electronic Periodic's respectful working of album stunner, Winter Kills (also deservedly included in album version form).
Repeated travels through Yazoo's catalogue reveals a few anodyne one-dimensional follies - Happy People, featuring Vince Clarke's only vocal, The Other Side of Love and Good Times, plod along in true '80s fashion - but for every disappointment, there's an Ode to Boy, Bad Connection (how was this not a single) and Mr Blue. And there's Moyet's bluesy, gospel delight of a voice, playfully draped over Clarke's simple minimal synth-pop. Kids, if you seriously think anyone on X Factor can sing, think again and head to Yazoo's all too short-lived repertoire for a real voice. It doesn't all work, but there's no denying the reverence the couple have garnered over the past 30 years for the lovely Only You.
7/10
This is not the first assemblage of Yazoo's canon - their usual label Mute has already revisited the Moyet/Clarke vaults, even pausing to unleash a box set along the way, 2008's In Your Room. Here, budget compilers Music Club have done a good job with a duo whose output wouldn't normally stretch beyond a single disc - just two albums and a handful of singles do not an almanac make - but handy rarities and b-sides fill the gaps nicely.
Both of the pair's studio-albums, give or take a couple of songs, are represented here, with the highlights predictably being the singles Only You, Don't Go (their biggest hit) and Nobody's Diary, as well as the still-massive club-hit Situation, represented here in four forms, namely the 7" original and three remixes, including both submissions by Francois Kevorkian. Other worthy remixes include Todd Terry's housey-shuffle of Don't Go and Electronic Periodic's respectful working of album stunner, Winter Kills (also deservedly included in album version form).
Repeated travels through Yazoo's catalogue reveals a few anodyne one-dimensional follies - Happy People, featuring Vince Clarke's only vocal, The Other Side of Love and Good Times, plod along in true '80s fashion - but for every disappointment, there's an Ode to Boy, Bad Connection (how was this not a single) and Mr Blue. And there's Moyet's bluesy, gospel delight of a voice, playfully draped over Clarke's simple minimal synth-pop. Kids, if you seriously think anyone on X Factor can sing, think again and head to Yazoo's all too short-lived repertoire for a real voice. It doesn't all work, but there's no denying the reverence the couple have garnered over the past 30 years for the lovely Only You.