Like most people my first introduction to "The Voice" was in March of 1982 when Yazoo's debut single "Only You" broke them into global recognition,the b side to "Only You" "Situation" also earnt them success here in America.....the rest as the saying goes "is history".....
"Upstairs At Eric's" the first Yazoo album was seldom off my stereo in 82 and I practically wore out my copy of "Situation" which I bought as a US import on 12'' vinyl{remember vinyl??}
Sadly Yazoo's career only produced two albums{one more than Vince Clarke output w/ Depeche Mode prior to Yazoo} and Vince went off to have a successful career w/ Erasure while Alison went solo.....
W/in a year of "You & Me Both" "Alf" Alison's debut solo album was released in 1984.....another album seldom off my stereo back in the day along w/ the three singles it spawned"Love Resurection" "Invisible" and "All Cried Out" and the following year her cover of the classic"That Ole Devil Called Love" further cemented her reputation.
1987's "Raindancing" LP picked up where "Alf" left off,more hit singles another blockbuster album but it would be the start of a lean period for Alison.
1991's "Hoodoo" began an 8 year battle w/ record companys for control of her artistic direction which included 1994's "Essex" b4 the release of "Singles" which is where my cd collection ended untill earlier this year b4 adding 2002s "Hometime"2004 covers cd "The Voice" and 2007s "The Turn" and the 2009s "Best Of 25 Years Revisited" which like "Singles" came w/ a bonus disc of live songs where Alison is at her best.
Earlier this year she released her first material of the new millennium "The Minutes" which was generally considered her best work in sometime and w/ it a tour that as luck would have it brought her to America {albeit for only three shows in LA,San Francisco and New York and the New York show just happened to be on the night of my 50th birthday....how could I not make the short trip up I 95 and see her for the first time since the "Upstairs At Eric's" Yazoo tour in 1982}???
Kicking off w/ the opening track off "The Minutes" "Horizon Flame" the first thing you notice about "Alf" is she's lost alot of weight these days.....but none of her vocal range..
"Nobody's Diary" was the first of five Yazoo numbers sprinkled through her 21 song set and one of my favourite Yazoo songs I will confess
"When I Was Your Girl" another "Minutes" number b4 "Raindancing's" "Ordinary Girl" b4 "Remind Yourself" also from "The Minutes",I had no problem w/ all "The Minutes" songs making up the set list.
"Is This Love?" was beautifully slowed down from it's "Raindancing" original.
Alison was in rare form talking to the audiance as she explained the different mindset from when she wrote "Winter Kills" to "Filigree" if your not familiar w/ the story of writing "Filigree" Alison and her husband stumbled into an Amsterdam art house movie theater to see"The Tree Of Life" which saw the audiance leaving in their droves as it wasn't what they expected and as she explained to the crowd in New York's Manhattan Center"sometimes in life it's all too easy to give up on life,love etc when it's not going the way you precieve it should be but by sticking it out to the end sometimes you get to be rewarded.......very profound observation from the girl from Basildon!
"Falling" was a pleasent return to "Essex" b4 "A Place To Stay" which preceeded "Only You" which also got the slowed down treatment a la "Is This Love?'' and agin only served to enhance it's sonic beauty.....a profound observation from the boy from Lewisham!!
"Apple Kisses" and "Changeling" all but brought "The Minutes" to a close b4 a revist to "Hoodoo" and "This House" b4 "All Signs Of Life" and my favourite "Minutes" track "Right As Rain"
Finally the audiance got to their collective feet for "Love Resurrection" and "Situation" dancing in front of my seat I couldn't help but harken back some 31 years to the times I danced around my living room to the vinyl 12'' of both,50th b'day or not I still cherrish my 20's and those memories.
A slam dunk encore"Whispering Your Name" another "Essex" number,"All Cried Out" a perennial favourite off of "Alf" b4 the obvious show ending number "Don't Go".
I can't think of a better way to have celebrated my birthday,the question is what do I do for an encore next year??
