Yazoo “Upstairs At Eric’s” 1982. Today, June 18th, is Yazoo singer Alison Moyet’s birthday (b. 1961). Yazoo, known as Yaz in the US due to a legal conflict with Yazoo Records, were classic Brit synth-pop duo active mainly in the early 1980′s.

“Upstairs At Eric’s” reached #2 on the UK charts and spawned three hit singles: the wonderfully upbeat poppy “Don’t Go,” the sweet ballad “Only You” and the absolute perfect 80′s new wave club track “Situation,” which was originally the B-side to “Only You” and appears on the US release (which this copy is) in a remixed version to the B-side as a replacement to the UK album track “Tuesday.” The entire album is wonderfully sparse, with just bip-boppy keyboards (Vince Clark, formerly of Depeche Mode) and Moyet’s rich bluesy vocals. It feels ultimately simple, young and fresh.