Room for Both
The communication between the members of British electropop act Yaz is much better on its current Reconnected tour than it was 25 years ago when they broke up. Then again, a lot has changed in the lives of keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Alison Moyet. Now they can perhaps talk about one thing they have in common: parenthood.
[Shes] got three kids, says Clarke about Moyet. Ive got a 2-year-old. There are plenty of things to discuss. Clarke laughs after his comment.
Having only been together from 1982 to 1983, Yaz (also known in the U.K. as Yazoo) became very successful on the British singles and albums charts. So the official announcement this past March of a Yaz reunion tour was surprising considering the long period of estrangement between the two members. After Yaz splintered, Clarke formed Erasure with singer Andy Bell, and Moyet began a solo career.
However, it was the completion of Erasures recent tour that made it possible for Clarke to work with Moyet again. Andy suggested that we might take a couple of years off, explains Clarke, and he wanted to try to do solo projects. It just kind of all fitted into place.
The tour coincides with the release of a new Yaz retrospective, In Your Room, which contains the groups two studio albums, Upstairs at Erics and You And Me Both, as well as remixes and B-sides. Clarke says that the shows, which will include three New York City dates, feature music only from those two Yaz albums.
Ive been compiling and programming the stuff for the last three or four months, he says. I try to make it sound as true to the records as possible just because of the fact that some of them have never been performed live.
Prior to forming Yaz in 1982, Clarke had just left Depeche Mode after that groups debut album, Speak and Spell. At the time he wasnt sure what was next for him other than writing songs. He had a composition he was working on called Only You.
I needed someone to demo the song for me, Clarke recalls. I knew Alison because we came from the same hometown and I knew she was a fantastic singer. So I phoned her up and said, Look, I got this song I want to demo. Do you want to do a vocal on it? She came around and we did the demo.
Clarkes keyboard playing and Moyets soulful vocals stamped Yazs sound. I never really viewed synthesizer music as being particularly cold, Clarke says. At the same time I knew that Alison could really sing in an emotional style. Her voice made that possible.
Only You became a hit for Yaz and was followed by their debut album Upstairs at Erics, a tour and more singles. But when it came time to record the follow-up album, You And Me Both, Clarke and Moyets relationship had soured.
All we ever did was work, explains Clarke. We never really got to know each other. So when there were problems, we didnt know how to talk to each other about it. Everything seemed to go so well so quicklywe were like 20 [or] 21and it just kind of exploded in the end.
Both went their separate ways. Clarke enjoyed success with Erasure, and Moyet recorded several solo albums. Moyet had occasionally performed Only You live but in a different arrangement. She said herself she didnt want to go out and perform [Yaz] songs with anybody else, says Clarke. That was one of the reasons why I think she was very keen for us to get together and do this tour.
Speaking for himself, Clarke says that things now are going very well in Yaz. He also reveals that the music from the Reconnected tour is being recorded for a possible release. Yet its uncertain what else will transpire. Although he plans to work on some new Erasure songs with Andy Bell next year, Clarke hints that he and Moyet might do some writing together.
Its something that we never did properly 25 years ago, he says. Both of us have learned a great deal about songwriting and working with other people. Other than that, I dont know if wed ever record together again. Its one stage at a time.
Yaz, July 16 & 17, Terminal 5, 610 W. 56th St. (at 11th Ave.), 212–582–6600; 7, $65 (July 17 SOLD OUT) (July 19 at Beacon Theater; 8, $49-$79).