Yazoo

Yazoo, known in the U.S. as Yaz, were a short-lived but quite successful '80s synth pop duo. They formed in 1981, after synthesizer player Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode; Clarke had penned almost all of the band's debut album, "Speak & Spell", including the Top Ten U.K. hit "I Just Can't Get Enough." Alison Moyet, who previously played in an assortment of bands, had recently exited The Screamin' Ab Dabs and placed an ad in Melody Maker seeking new creative partners. The lone response came from Clarke. The duo scored a hit right off the bat with the ballad "Only You," which hit number two on the U.K. chart in April 1982. Shortly thereafter, they scored other big hits with "Don't Go" and "Situation," two singles that topped Billboard's U.S. club chart. Yazoo's commercial winning streak continued with their debut full-length, 'Upstairs at Eric's', which hit number two on the U.K. album chart and went platinum. Despite a promising future, Clarke and Moyet opted to call it a day after one more album, 1983's 'You and Me Both', the source of one more hit, "Nobody's Diary." Moyet launched a solo career and scored a major hit with her solo debut, 1984's "Alf", while Clarke formed The Assembly and later Erasure, the latter of which with singer Andy Bell. The comprehensive box set 'In Your Room' appeared in 2008 and was supported by a reunion tour that visited the U.K., Europe, and North America. Recordings from the tour were released in 2010 on 'Reconnected: Live'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]