Yazoo – Upstairs At Eric's

I'm, playing this at the moment . . .

A strange thing happens on "Too Pieces". I heard it when it first came out, and I still hear it now, even when I forget about it for years and then play it again. It's (silly) and haunting.

At the end of the piece, a sort of electronic snare-drum bit, repeats, and it sounds like ("You're something to me, you know you are, you know you are, you're someting to me" . . . repeated for a long time as a loop"). It's so clear as a sort of vocal mantra, but not a vocal, like a vocoder.

It always makes me wonder whether it is a Vince Clark electronic gimmick / joke. So, cool, but it might just be in my head . . .

. . . you know you are you know you are you're something to me . . .

καλη ηταν για εκεινα τα χρονια τωρα οκ και μονη της εκανε πολυ πιο ωραια μουσικη το 85 87

The Yazoo duo was a much better canvas for Vince Clarkes song writing and the right move away from Depeche Mode, also forcing DM in a new direction (the rest is history). There’s clearly a few hangover pop ditty tracks destined for future DM release had he not left, and as others have said some of the experimentation has not dated well.

That aside, this is a must have album highlighting the transition to electronica in the early 80’s (Goodbye 70’s!). Don’t go is a stone cold pop classic, an instantly recognisable melody with such a powerful vocal.

They really should've put "Situation" on the LP instead of "I Before E Except After C" - that way it would've been perfect instead of very good. Such experiments are not Clarke's forte, and to place it right in the middle of side A - what were they thinking? Very unwise, taints the experience. At least put it at the end of the side of even the album itself, if you're for some perverse reason's so fond of it. Or better leave it off completely - blabbering in "In my room" is quite enough.

Otherwise - cool album, much better than what DM were doing at the time.

This is a beutiful elctronic vocal album from 80's and this UK pressing sounds great. The sound is warm, punchy and crispy. I would really like that Vince Clarke and Alisson Moyet made more albums together, but fortunetley we have two album beauties.

I lump this into the pile of cassettes that I owned or "borrowed" that were underappreciated back in the mid 80's. Yaz and oddly enough Kraftwerk. Took many listens to get it.

I Before E Except After C is really something else. After thirty seconds you go "what the fuck is this", then at one minute you're hypnotised until the end.

This muistech stamper version sounds superb . Quiet , dynamic and just enough warmth to it . Dare I say it , better than the mofi version?
One of the essential albums of the synth pop movement .

Great album completely ruined by the awful "I Before E" - that should have been relegated to the deluxe CD padded out with cutting room sweepings.

The pressing I got doesn't include images of Yaz as in blue perhaps cause I got mine from a record shop which buy records off of people and buy from record labels and all that. Great pressing, just love the sound of it. Mixing is good and has pretty good vocals and the synth is always groovy. The B side is most impressive as "Winter Kills," reminds me as if this could be on some Thriller movie were we find out the killer. The last song "Bring Your Love Down," is just a blast. Whole A side is filled with great tracks such as "Bad Connection," and "Don't Go,". The song "I Before E Except C," is a represent of paranoia,it reminds me of those Crass song's such as "Fun In The Oven,". I bought this album not really knowing what to expect and was it worth $2, yes it was!