The Best of Yaz

Yaz

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 14, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B00000K3GI
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,025 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Yaz (Yazoo in England) released only two albums during their short but influential existence, so a "best-of" album seems rather farfetched. Still, Depeche Mode ex-patriot Vince Clarke's music was a major influence preceding synthpop's dominance in the '80s, and their deepening obscurity makes them a prime candidate for a well-done retrospective. If only this one qualified. There are a few happy inclusions, like the lovelorn "Midnight," with Alison Moyet's soulful croon waxing over Clarke's omnipresent, light-as-air keyboard programs. The sweetly wistful "Mr. Blue" will provoke whiplash nostalgia in many a twentysomething, its melancholic chorus reflecting the awkward yet hopeful qualities of adolescence. Overall, though, curious choices abound. "Goodbye Seventies" is so forced it's almost camp, a song that the talented Moyet would likely rather forget, given her undisciplined yelping during the chorus. It's a mystery why the inoffensive but uneventful "Tuesday" was included here, while the excellent "In My Room," a Yaz staple for good reason, was not. Even the remixes included here are less than stellar. While Todd Terry's interpretation of "Don't Go" rips out a decent groove, the latest version of the dance-floor staple "Situation" starts strong but runs out of steam as the source material gets sacrificed in favor of overtly cute DJ permutations. While it's to Yaz's credit that enough good material can be found in their two-album catalog to make a best-of album at all, sadly, this collection fails at the attempt. --Matthew Cooke

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SOME of the Best of Yaz(oo), December 5, 2001

By	"jcs456" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Frankly, with the exception of the wretched "Goodbye Seventies", you can't fault the music here. Yazoo was a great band and the very fact that a "best-of" could be culled from just two albums says quite a bit about Alf and Vince's talent and ambitions. However, not only does this disc omit one of the duo's best and catchiest tunes, "Walk Away from Love", but it relies too heavily on remixes. Wouldn't it have been enough to have included just the original version of "Situation" or just a dance mix of "Don't Go"? Granted, these songs are eternal classics and could never wear out their welcome, but such a repetitious compilation is bad value. Unless you're desperate to own the otherwise unavailable "Tuesday", I'd suggest you pick up the pair of proper albums and a 12" or two. It might cost you more (and you WILL have to endure that horrific tape-loop thing on "Upstairs at Eric's") but only then will you get the whole picture of this fantastic and sadly short-lived outfit.

By the way, those impressed by this music will probably want to pick up Alison Moyet's great first album, on which she gets to unleash her pipes full-throttle, and the first couple of Erasure albums, on which Andy Bell uncannily reproduces her style and mannerisms almost verbatim.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT a fitting tribute, May 7, 2004

By	J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is NOT a fitting tribute to Yazoo, perhaps the best of the early eighties synth/vocal duos. Vince Clarke's brilliant pop songs married to the gorgeous voice of Alison Moyet added up to something far greater than the sum of its parts. Something magical that we will probably never see again ( Erasure is another story altogether, I won't go into that now. ) Yazoo's two releases are brilliant. End of story. But a really good best of from a duo with ( let's face it ) only TWO albums to their credit SHOULD have included more than the ( quite frankly ) done to death new style club mixes of old style club hits, like the ones presented here. Instead we US fans should have gotten either of the alternate versions of Situation ( the original UK 7" version or the re-recorded version from "The Other Side of Love" 12" single.) What we SHOULD have gotten instead of those few lousy new remixes are hard to find items, like the above mentioned UK only "Other Side of Love" single, or a few original 12" mixes of the singles. Such a shame, really, as the new remixes add nothing to the originals. They take up WAY too much time on the disc, time that should have been given to something that truly is WORTHY of inclusion on a Best Of compilation. I would have done it differently. ALl I can say is, buy Upstairs at Eric's or You and Me Both instead, and forget this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A great groundbreaking Band Deserves More, March 4, 2006

By	Todd M. Rector "tigger_2_ttfn" (Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

and yes, Groundbreaking. the collaboration of Vincent Clarke synthetics and Alison Moyet's Bluesy Vocals was the first of it's kind. In a time where most Electronic driven bands were led by dead pan vocals and dark inspiration, They put emotion into the cold electronic pop movement.
If you're going to create a so called "Best Of", Shouldn't the collection contain the best? When I heard this album was being compiled, I was extatic! Yeah, they only had two albums but the american releases contained slightly different tracks then the releases in thier home country. I agree on the songs chosen but their are a few omissions that could have made the collection complete for the american audience. where is the single only release "other Side Of Love"? and though not one of the best songs, "happy people" which appeared on the UK release of You and Me Both. And do away with the remixes! Though the songs hold up nicely to today's bass driven dance mixes, these versions don't do the songs justice. The 1990 remix of "situation" blows these versions away.
Next time someone tries to compile a "best of" from a band that has it's followers, ask the fans their opinion, you can't go wrong and you just might come out with an appropriate album.