"Upstairs At Eric's" Poll

Gotta be "Only You", because it's the best song Vince Clarke has ever written. But this album is crowded with goodies: "Bad Connection", "Tuesday", "Goodbye 70's", "Too Pieces" and last but not least "Winter Kills".

And I chose not to include "Situation" here as it wasn't really on the album. Not the Yazoo album at least (I know it was on the Yaz album)

damn! going to go for "in my room" because it's so absolutely chilling, but really: could be any of the rest. "too pieces" is incredible (and was the best song live at the glasgow gig); "tuesday" is exquisite; "only you" is going to win this.

Having seen them perform every track on this album on two consecutive nights last week, I'm going with "Midnight".

Having said that, Alison's performance of "In My Room" was fantastic, (I thought it benefitted from the lack of spoken word samples), and the throbbing extended instrumental coda on "Too Pieces" was also stunning.

see, i really missed the lord's prayer thing in the live version.

did alison leave the stage for the "too pieces" coda on the performances you saw, mike? either way ... it was one of those moments where i found myself thinking: "i need to remember precisely how awesome every second of this is, because soon it will be over and i'll never be able to believe how fucking mighty it was." if that makes sense.

Makes total sense to me!

Yes - Alison left the stage on both nights, ready to re-appear in her armchair for "In My Room".

We also got "Walk Away From Love", which was only premiered at Manchester, so these were only the second and third performances. (First night: just after "I Before E". Second night: just before it.)

So basically, we got 21 of the 25 songs in Yazoo's back catalogue, including all of UAE and all four of their B-sides. The weirdest omission: "The Other Side Of Love".

Never seen them live, but I can surely see how a live performance would benefit those tracks that let Alison Moyet use her voice more actively.

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ALL NIGHT

Never seen them live, but I can surely see how a live performance would benefit those tracks that let Alison Moyet use her voice more actively.

Well, Alison is singing and performing better than ever these days - those months of doing musical theatre have paid dividends in that respect. "In My Room" certainly benefitted from a theatrical approach.

Additionally, the tour has allowed Vince to beef up the original arrangements: nothing too radically different for the most part (*), but some well-judged extra elements, and a general deepening and fattening of the sound. "Ode To Boy" in particular sounded amazing - both the arrangement and the vocal performance.

(*) The notable exception being a dance mix of "I Before E", performed by a reel to reel recorder on an otherwise empty stage. Well, Vince has to get his fag break in somehow...

Geir, check them out on Jonathan Ross last month http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeAjgunDbyU really wish I'd got tickets after seeing this.

Not likely to come here though.

Geir OTM about "Only You" (Geir's been unnervingly OTM all year, come to think), though it's really wrong to have to choose and "Midnight" will always hold a special place...

OK - I probably shouldn't admit this but I just watched a bunch of the recent show clips on you tube and got a little teary because I'm so sad I can't go. Shit.

I don't think I can answer the poll with just one!!

Midnight
Too Pieces
In my Room
Only You

OK I'm going with midnight.

Finally voted for "Midnight."

Tour dates are here. London tonight, Barcelona Saturday, then North America in July, then that's your lot. Geir, they came as close as Copenhagen, but no closer.

Well, I'd vote "Situation," but since that's not an option, I'll go with "Goodbye 70s".

voted "Goodbye 70s"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'd vote "I Before E" just to piss off Geir but I know he never gets pissed off about that sort of thing, of course. Plus it's a good poll and a good album so what's the point?

I'm w/Alex: "Goodbye 70s" in the absence of "Situation".

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

<3

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ALRIGHT!

:)

I really know very little about this record apart from the fact I like it a hell of lot. It is very beautiful. The spoken word parts throughout a few tracks remind me of Sleazy's work with TG - especially on DOA. Right? I'd love to think there is some influence here. I may be wrong.

Just heard "Only You" and it just seems like one of the biggest songs of all time. Only reached 67 on the US chart. Also "Situation" isn't on this album?

"Midnight" should have won

I've had two encounters with this album in the last few weeks: The Americans ("Don't Go") and the British Office ("Only You").

Wow, "Winter Kills" was robbed. For me, it's second only to "Nobody's Diary" in the Yazoo canon. Both are Moyet compositions - she doesn't get the credit she deserves as a songwriter.

"situation" was on the american version of the album. because people aren't completely stooopid here.

stoooopid:

And I chose not to include "Situation" here as it wasn't really on the album. Not the Yazoo album at least (I know it was on the Yaz album)

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, June 18, 2008 10:55 AM (sixteen years ago)

i mean you wouldn't want a hundred people voting in your poll now would you geirpaws.

i don't know where ya'll live but "situation" is a song that will never ever die in the states. you cannot kill it. it only becomes a bigger monster. that and "smalltown boy".

and rightfully so. get sick of the commercials though. and bad movies that use them.

yeah, I've heard 'Smalltown Boy' an awful lot in the wild the last couple months.

anyway this album's secret killer is:

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ALL NITE

we know! hahaha!

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ALRIGHT!

― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, February 23, 2011 1:52 AM (thirteen years ago)

:)

in 1983 i had two extremely neurotic queens as roommates at a bad boy school i got sent to and the 2nd one - oh lord he was tragic and born for drag stardom i hope he made it through the 80s okay - and we fought as only 15 going on 16 neurotic and tragic teens will (the 1st thing left and i got thing 2 as a prize as my room was a double. can't say i was sad to see #1 go. he was mean. and i mostly just remember saying "no, neil, i didn't touch your stupid Clinique products." over and over.) but we totally bonded over his love for "no parking on the dance floor" and my love for "smalltown boy". i felt "smalltown boy" pretty hard but i knew how hard it hit him. we parted friends. i was playing Yaz a TON then too.

“Only You” is the only one I remember hearing on the radio.

Was 13-14 when this came out, dreamed of living in an industrial loft (After Hours and Diva fueled this), so almost didn’t care what the album sounded like when I bought it.

i'm a way bigger fan of You And Me Both. that album is tops. and i love the album cover a lot more too. and again for once americans were smarter for putting "state farm" on the u.s. version. we didn't get "happy people". but then we weren't very happy in 1983 so it makes sense.

Yes, an excellent decision. "Happy People" is dire - Alison flat-out refused to sing it - and "State Farm" is fantastic.

"no, neil, i didn't touch your stupid Clinique products."

I imagine Chris Lowe telling Neil in a weary voice.

I do wonder what I would vote for here but if "Situation" was a choice then it would be hard not to vote for it.

i would vote for "only you". without "situation" as an option.