The two big hits though. Wow. Yeah, they were synth pop done right. It's no accident that Vince Clarke is considered one of the architects of the era, as both "Only You" and "Don't Go", contrasting in pace as they are, are laden with pop hooks and across the two Moyet gives two very different performances demonstrating her vocal and emotional range - stirring stuff. Trouble is, most of the rest of Upstairs at Eric's just doesn't do much for me, I mean, apparently "Situation" was released as a single, but there's no obvious reason why, and it isn't a patch on the album's two fried gold classics. Singles [ edit ] List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, year released and album name As celebrated as Vince Clarke has been throughout his career as a vital founding member of both Depeche Mode and Erasure, for me the most compelling member of Yazoo was Clarke's bandmate Alison Moyet. A far superior vocalist to anyone else fronting a Synthpop act at the time outside of Sparks' Russell Mael. Moyet also had the type of stage presence which could not be taught. While Yazoo enhanced Clarke's reputation, it made Moyet a star. Matrix / Runout (A side runout. Variant 4): STUMM-7-A2 MT-6 JA TAPE ONE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING D.A.D.! Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 LPs: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp.44–45. ISBN 0-906154-04-9.

The highlight of the debut disc is the evergreen ballad "Only You." A sad lament set to a timeless melody. One of those songs that you have to be tone deaf to not be even remotely charmed by. Heard in supermarkets worldwide. Pioneering synthpop Could I be the first person in the past 40 years who hasn’t compared Upstairs at Eric’s to Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and Touch? The Basildon boy with an obsession for analogue synthesisers made important groundwork with innovating Depeche singles like 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'New Life', but for the most part 'Speak & Spell' sounded like a clumsy sonic experiment, ending in mixed results. Clarke's early toying around with synths finally came into full fruition on 'Upstairs at Eric's', and he managed to grow from rather awkward, misguided efforts like 'Boys Say Go!', into touching and observed, synth-pop ballads like 'Only You'. Other charted songs [ edit ] List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Review Summary: Catchy and concise yet innovating and influential, it's quite possibly Vince Clarke's finest hour. Arguably both Moyet and Clarke would go on to better things as the 80s progressed, but "Only You" and "Don't Go" remain illustrious highlights in the careers of both, and arguably the best singles either of them have recorded throughout their individual careers. Outside of that, Upstairs at Eric's has a pair of interesting album cuts, and for me, that's it.

Moyet later described how her song "Goodbye 70's" had been inspired by her disillusionment with how the late-1970s punk scene had turned out, saying, "'Goodbye 70's' is about punk and not caring how you were dressed, and then I discovered that so many of my friends that I'd thought it all really meant something to just saw it as another trend... That's what 'Goodbye 70's' was all about, about how sour the whole thing became." [7] Artwork [ edit ] Christgau, Robert (30 November 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved 7 January 2012.SH#" (# being a number) at the end of the matix number along with "SLM" and "△ 2193" together indicate that both the metal Mother Disc AND the metal Stampers used to press the A Side were made at Sheffield Lab Matrix. American certifications – Yaz". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 2 August 2022.

Matrix / Runout (A side runout. Variant 1): STUMM-7-A2 MT-5 TAPE ONE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING D.A.D.! Mitchell, Matt (21 July 2023). "The 50 Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time". Paste . Retrieved 26 July 2023. Volvic, Mitja (12 January 1985). "Pervasive Economic Slump Hits Yugoslav Industry Hard". Billboard. Vol.97, no.2. p.57. ISSN 0006-2510– via Google Books.in my room, only you, bring your love down.. don't go. charming good easy flowing numbers are here, plenty. Lazell, Barry (1997). "Yazoo". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008 . Retrieved 29 May 2022. Colbert, Paul (28 August 1982). "Review: Yazoo – Upstairs at Eric's". Melody Maker. London, England. p.13.

I bought the cassettes when they first came out, then later the CDs, and somewhere along the line lost the CDs and bought them again recently.

Recommendations

Only You '99": "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 29 August 1999 . Retrieved 7 December 2021. Pleasing debut from the synth duo (plus one: E. C. Radcliffe, a cohort of sorts of Clarke‘s) of Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet. Only You' is a perfect summation of why 'Upstairs at Eric's' remains so acclaimed and adored, as it showcases the curious blend of danceable synth-pop and powerful, bluesy vocals the duo is remembered for. Alison Moyet's consistently sublime purr gives Clarke's robotic beats and rhythms a human touch, providing listeners with songs that are as equally danceable as they are heartfelt. On paper it doesn’t work, but in reality it's most definitely satisfying. Take, for example, the iconic opener 'Don't Go', beginning with what has to be one of the most memorable and infectious synth riffs of all time, it finds its sprightly electronic melody getting warmed up by Moyet's aggressive, emotional delivery.