Before Vince Clarke started Yazoo with Alison Moyet, he was in Depeche Mode (one of my favourite bands). In 1979, he formed the group French Look with Martin Gore, later renamed Composition of Sound. Vince Clarke was initially the singer. Clarke left Depeche Mode shortly after the release of the first album. Yazoo split up in 1983. Alison Moyet then started a successful solo career.
Yazoo
Yazoo is a British electropop band that achieved several top ten hits in the early 1980s in the United Kingdom, the United States and the Netherlands.
The band was formed in 1981. The name 'Yazoo' was suggested by Alison Moyet, who had come across the word on the labels of her favourite records; Yazoo is a small American record label that reissues recordings of blues pioneers from the southern US. That label was in turn named after the Yazoo Lands, an area in the southern US. Because the name was already in use in the US, the band had to use a different name there. They became known as Yaz.
Their biggest hits were the singles Only You (later covered by, among others, The Flying Pickets), Don't Go and Situation. In the Netherlands, the song Mr. Blue is also known through the performance of René Klijn. Yazoo was influenced by bands like Kraftwerk, but added a touch of blues with Moyet's sensitive voice, and disco with a hint of new wave. The band stopped in 1983 after which Moyet started a successful solo career. Vince Clarke first continued with The Assembly, but experienced greater success with Erasure.
In 2008, they briefly reunited for a Yazoo Reconnected reunion tour through the United Kingdom, some European countries and the United States. A special CD box set In Your Room was also released with remastered and 5.1 versions of the albums Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both, supplemented with remixes and a DVD with interviews and music videos. The box was promoted with some special editions on vinyl and CD.
Source: Wikipedia Photo: art libre and single cover
http://yazooinfo.com/
In 1980, singer Dave Gahan was added to the band and the name was changed back to Depeche Mode.
Clarke left Depeche Mode shortly after the release of the first album. In 1983, Yazoo split up, after which Alison Moyet started a successful solo career.
