peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley) (01/01/84)
Yaz consisted of two people, Vince Clarke and Alf Moyet, and produced two fine albums: "Upstairs at Eric's" and "You and Me Both". The music is an intriguing combination of very catchy pop electrobeat and blues, with the lyrics reflecting the blues side. They've produced some classics, already covered by others, such as "Only You". Before Yaz, Vince Clarke wrote the songs for Depeche Mode, including all or almost all of the songs on their first album, "Speak and Spell". This isn't quite as good as the Yaz albums, but has some nice cuts, esp. "New Life". After Yaz, Vince Clarke went on to form The Assembly, which has recorded a song called "Never, Never", more in the Depeche Mode style (i.e. melodic pop) than the blues-tinged Yaz style, but quite good. Alf Moyet said she wanted to sing in a blues band, but I haven't heard if she's doing that yet. Recommendations: Upstairs at Eric's, You and Me Both, Speak & Spell (in that order) Stay away from: All D.M. albums but "Speak and Spell", though recent singles aren't that bad. This article is my first contribution for '84 (thrilling, eh?). This means I get to wish netters a Happy New Year and to thank Orwell for writing his book which I am sure helped prevent the worst of what he imagined for this year, at least in our part of the world. Still, not all is rosy. When we have "Peacemaker" missiles, we know that doublespeak is here, and there are more insidious examples. So if any of you want to write a cautionary tale, as Mr. Blair did in '48, I certainly think your time would not be wasted. peter rowley, U. Toronto