Yazoo were an English synth-pop duo from Basildon, Essex, consisting of former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke (keyboards) and Alison Moyet (vocals). The duo formed in late 1981 after Clarke responded to an advertisement Moyet placed in a British music magazine, although the pair had known each other since their school days.
Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard is an English singer noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice. She came to prominence as half of the duo Yazoo, but has since mainly worked as a solo artist.
Nicholas David Kershaw is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from 1985, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots.
Human Racing is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw, released on 27 February 1984 by MCA Records. Several songs like "Drum Talk" were based around improvisation; other songs, like "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", had a political message.
"Love Letters" is a 1945 popular song with lyrics by Edward Heyman and music by Victor Young. The song appeared, without lyrics, in the movie of the same name performed by Dick Haymes, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1945 but lost out to "It Might as Well Be Spring". The song has been covered by a number of artists, most notably by Nat King Cole (1957), Ketty Lester (1962), Elvis Presley (1966), and Alison Moyet (1987).
Alf is the debut solo studio album by English singer Alison Moyet, released on 9 November 1984 by CBS Records. The album launched Moyet's solo career following the disbanding of synth-pop duo Yazoo. The album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and features the singles "Love Resurrection", "All Cried Out", "Invisible" and "For You Only".
Singles is the first greatest hits album by English singer Alison Moyet, released on 22 May 1995 by Columbia Records. The album includes two previously unreleased tracks, Moyet's version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Solid Wood", as well as a number of hits from the singer's stint in 1980s synth-pop duo Yazoo.
The Essential Alison Moyet was essentially a third re-release of Singles, the 1995 greatest hits album of recordings by singer/songwriter Alison Moyet. The album was released in 2001 by Sony Music Entertainment in response to renewed interest in the singer, after she was finally released from her contract with the label and able to sign with Sanctuary Records, regain the artistic control of her musical output and move back into the public eye - resulting in 2002 comeback album Hometime. However, there are some differences in the track listings of the two Sony compilations. The Essential Alison Moyet excludes "Only You", "Situation', "Ordinary Girl", "Ode To Boy II", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Solid Wood", and replaces them with "Don't Go", "Winter Kills", "Blue" and "Our Colander Eyes" plus cover versions "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do".
The Hit Factory: Pete Waterman's Greatest Hits is a compilation album featuring music produced by Pete Waterman. It was released by Universal Music in 2000 and reached #3 in the UK compilation Top 20 chart, achieving a Gold BPI award.
The Hits Album 5 or Hits 5 is a compilation album released in November 1986 by RCA-Ariola, CBS and WEA. It was the fifth in the Hits series which would span over 20 years, with the first volume released in December 1984. This was also the first Hits compilation to be released on Compact Disc - a single-CD featuring 16 of the 32 tracks featured on the conventional LP and cassette. It also managed to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart where it remained for two weeks, before being dethroned by its rival Now 8. A video compilation was also released on VHS by CBS/Fox Video.
The Hits Album, or Hits 1 as it is often called, is a compilation album released by CBS and WEA in November 1984. The album was released as a rival to the already successful Now That's What I Call Music series which EMI and Virgin Records had launched in November 1983. The Hits Album reached No. 1 in the UK Top 100 Albums chart for seven weeks and remained in the chart for 36 weeks. This album kept Now 4 from the coveted No. 1 spot over Christmas 1984 – the only Now album in the original series not to reach No. 1 in either the UK Album Chart or the UK Compilations Chart.
The Hits Album 3 or Hits 3 is a compilation album released in the UK by and WEA Records and CBS Records in November 1985. It followed up the extremely successful previous volumes Hits 1 and Hits 2. Although those albums both reached #1, Hits 3 peaked at #2, despite a strong track-listing including a rare appearance of a Madonna track on a compilation album and a further 20 top ten hits.
The Hits Album 6 is a compilation that was released in July 1987 by CBS, WEA and BMG in the UK. It was a successful album and reached #1, also achieving a platinum BPI award, becoming the 5th best selling album of 1987. It is also the second Hits Album to be released on compact disc, with 17 tracks from the standard 32 track LP/MC. A music video compilation was also released on VHS by CBS/Fox Video.
"Invisible" is a song by English singer Alison Moyet, written by Lamont Dozier for her debut album, Alf. Released in November 1984, "Invisible" peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart and became Moyet's highest-charting solo single in the United States, peaking at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached the top 10 in Ireland and New Zealand, peaking at No. 6 and No. 4, respectively. The single's B-side is the Marvin Gaye song "Hitch Hike", which has backing from Darts.
The Epic Masters is a box set compilation comprising ten remastered albums by Shakin' Stevens. Released on 16 November 2009, the set contains nine albums originally released by Epic Records between 1980 and 1990, plus an exclusive CD of 12" extended mixes. The set was also made available as a download through iTunes.
"Weak in the Presence of Beauty" is a song written by Michael Ward and Rob Clarke, and originally recorded by their band, Floy Joy. It was released in 1986 as the lead single from their album of the same name. In 1987, English singer Alison Moyet released a version of the song which was a hit across Europe and Australasia.
"This House" is a song by the British singer-songwriter Alison Moyet, which was released in September 1991 as the fourth single from her third studio album, Hoodoo (1991). It was written by Moyet and produced by Dave Dix. The song reached No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart and also reached the top 40 in the Netherlands, peaking at number 31 on the Dutch Top 40.
"That Ole Devil Called Love" is a song written in 1944 by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher. It was first recorded by Billie Holiday, who released it as the B-side of her hit "Lover Man" in 1945.
"Ode to Boy" is a song by British synthpop duo Yazoo. Originally the B-side to their 1982 hit "The Other Side of Love", it was later included on their second and final studio album You and Me Both in 1983. Whereas Yazoo's version is a sparse atmospheric track with synths and percussion, vocalist Alison Moyet later recorded her own version of the song in an uptempo indie-rock style for her 1994 album Essex.
