SoundArchive

Y

6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smoldering
2 - Room Temp.
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multiple Listening
B: Deserves Another Spin
C: Once Should Suffice

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YAZOO - ONLY YAZOO - The Best Of
It's hard to believe I was only about 12 / 13 years old when Up Stairs At Eric's came out in the early '80's, only a couple of years after my brother and I got into
Kiss. It feels like the other day and the songs are still as vivid and memorable as then. The needle must've cut away quite a bit of vinyl on Upstairs At Eric's, as it did with all the Kiss albums. The sudden, out of the blue pop sound of Vince Clark and Alison Moyet was a revelation. The 70's were gone and it was time for something fresh. Only You, Situation and Don't Go are still brilliant songs, and Clark made no mistake leaving his first founded group Depeche mode to pursue Yazoo - the guys going on to break ground on their own. But it's hard to believe Vince and Alison only released two albums and were together for just a few years. Those years it felt so much longer because their songs were so damn good. Hearing them again not only catapults you back in time, experiencing it's smells, tastes and emotions, but seem untainted by the clock. Even if Clark's Erasure wasn't a big success, the legacy left by the electronic/soulful mix of Yazoo is more than some people accomplish in a lifetime. Yazoo represents a great time in many people's lives. You'll find remixes of the abovementioned three songs at the end, but in some way isn't all that necessary, as the originals still hold their own. For a new generation I guess it's necessary to soup it up a touch to grab their interest. And if it works, fine, because these songs deserve to be appreciated by a whole new audience who were too young at the time and lost out. Unless you own this already, just take my word for once, go and get it.
- PB
6 / A

YIZO YIZO - Original TV Soundtrack (Ghetto Ruff/EMI)
This popular TV show has now also spawned a popular soundtrack. It’s about time SA productions get this treatment; in the past only
Shaka Zulu really rose to a big TV soundtrack. Sure some Egoli stars have brought out their cover version albums and so on, but we need some best seller soundtracks. This might be the one as it caters for the wider population with popular Kwaito acts like E’Smile, Skeem and Kyllex. There is also the likes of Ghetto Luv, Kaybee (who fathered the whole production) and Prophets Of Da City. Collaborations by Kyllex, Mdu & Too Short as well as Ghetto Luv & E’Smile add to this upbeat collection of totally SA flavoured sounds. A good local slice, even if you’re not a fan of the show.
- PB
4 / B