web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Alison Moyet

  • Infatueighties #60: “Situation”

    yazWas I the only person who thought that the vocalist in this song was a guy. I remember hearing “Situation” on some decade-ending Top 100 countdown in ’89 or ’90 and saying “wow, that guy says ‘he is my lover’. That’s pretty ballsy for a song from 1982.” Hell, it would be ballsy for a song today. Imagine my amazement when it turned out that the full, deep voice of the singer turned out to be that of Alison Moyet, who is definitely a woman. A whole lot of woman, too. Regardless of the singer’s sex, “Situation” harkens back to the days when dance music was as interesting to listen to for the songwriting as it was for the beat. Moyet and partner Vince Clarke (of Depeche Mode and then Erasure) were a team that should have lasted way more than two albums (although I keep reading that they disliked one another) and this song should be all the reason you need to agree. Match Clarke’s synthesizer wizardry with Moyet’s vocal pyrotechnics and you’ve got a clear winner. Hopefully their well-received reunion this past year means more music is in the pipeline for Yaz. And can you imagine an album featuring the vocals of both Moyet AND Andy Bell? There would be some serious singin’ goin’ on there (not to mention the fact that every gay person over the age of 30 would run out for a copy).

    Alison still has it, as this live clip attests to.

  • Infatueighties: #78: “Only You” by Yaz

    Infatueighties: #78: “Only You” by Yaz

    I’m sure this wasn’t just me. Did anyone else think Alison Moyet was a guy upon listening to Yaz’s 1982 album “Upstairs at Eric’s”. Moyet was blessed with Yaz Upstairs at Eric's Coverquite possibly the most androgynous voice of all-time. What’s up with British singers and androgynous voices anyway? Boy George? Annie Lennox? Geez. There must be something in the water across the pond.

    Anyone who considers synth-pop emotionless has obviously never heard Moyet sing her ass off on “Upstairs at Eric’s”, the first of two collaborations between her and Depeche Mode founder (and future member of Erasure with yet another androgynous singer in Andy Bell) Vince Clarke. The collection of songs on “Eric’s” contains enough drama to have any petulant schoolgirl singing in her hairbrush for months on end. “Only You”, the album’s only real ballad, brings that sense of drama to a majestic climax. Despite the wall of synthesizers, the only thing that really matters is the melancholy of Moyet’s voice. She could be singing this acapella and the song would be as emotional.

    Despite Yaz and “Eric’s”‘ lack of mainstream attention upon its’ 1982 release, both the album and “Only You” have become cult classics over time. The song’s been covered by everyone from Rita Coolidge to Enrique Iglesias, while it’s also popped up in several movies and commercials over the years. Still, it’s unlikely that anyone will come close to the soulful longing as portrayed by Moyet in the song’s original version.

  • New Music In Stores & Online: 7/8/08: Beck, Yaz, Billy Joel & More!!

    Looks like the dog days of summer have arrived early, because there are very few releases of note this week. Let’s jump right into it.

    Beck's Modern Guilt

    Beck-Modern Guilt: Beck switches it up on his first album in two years, installing Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) into the producer’s chair. On paper, the two seem like a perfect fit, and the album has gotten pretty good advance notice. Then again, do you remember any Beck album that didn’t get good reviews? Critically, he’s as much of a sure bet as any artist out there.

    http://www.modernguilt.com/

    Alison Moyet-The Turn/Yaz-In Your Room: Our very own Paul wrote a column a couple of weeks back on British synth-pop duo Yaz and their return to the concert stage a quarter-century after their split. In order to commemorate that tour, we have “In Your Room”, an exhaustive box set containing basically every note the two played and sung together. Yaz’s vocalist, Alison Moyet, also sees the U.S. release of her latest album, “The Turn”, which was released in the U.K. last October.


    Billy Joel-“The Stranger: Legacy Edition”: “The Stranger”‘s probably Billy Joel’s best-loved album, with hits like “Only the Good Die Young”, “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”, the title track, and “Just the Way You Are”. This thirtieth anniversary edition of the hit album is remastered and comes in two versions: one adds a second disc from a Carnegie Hall concert, while another includes the concert and a DVD from the old British musical variety show “The Old Grey Whistle Test”.

    Home

    Um…after that? Crickets, pretty much. Strokes frontman Albert Hammond Jr. releases his second solo album, entitled “Como Te Llama?”, and there are a couple of interesting collaborative efforts out today: one from Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis (there’s a joke in there somewhere that I can’t quite figure out), and the other from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith and My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields. “Country Sings Disney” finds the likes of Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley tackling some of the Mouse’s favorite songs, while in the “curiosities” section, there’s a new album from Devin Lima of former C-List boy banders LFO. Yay!!

    Enjoy that Beck CD!!

    A full list of releases can be found here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm