Winter Kills

You spoke, they listened. BMG and Yazoo responded to the minor furore about the lack of a CD edition of the forthcoming Four Pieces release and quickly moved to ensure that this package (which includes remastered albums, remixes and unreleased BBC sessions) would be available on CD.

Yazoo's classic debut album including "Only You", "Don't Go", "Goodbye 70's" and "Winter Kills". Released April 2019 in heavyweight remastered standard black vinyl taken off the back of the Four Pieces project. The 1980s will forever be remembered for electropop sensations, yet few, if any, are quite as sensational as Yaz's Upstairs at Eric's. A standard-setting mélange of smoky blues singing, jazzy arrangements, disco-tinged beats, and dancefloor vibes, the smash debut fits equally as well at a late-night club as it does in a living room, where the record's complexity and exoticism takes listeners hostage. No wonder the 1982 landmark remains one of the decade's most essential albums.

With only two albums and a handful of singles released before they broke up, the '80s synth pop duo Yazoo - or Yaz if you're outside the United States - are in the "all or nothing" category when it comes to box sets. Save a couple remixes, Mute's 2008 set In Your Room is everything the duo - instrumentalist and former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke along with the as yet unheard of vocalist Alison Moyet - released in its short career, and then some. Disc one of this set features their debut 1982 album, Upstairs at Eric's, while disc two features the follow-up, You and Me Both, from a year later. Both are remastered splendidly - giving the albums more depth and punch in the bass - as are the remixes and B-sides that occupy disc three. The non-album tracks "State Farm" and "The Other Side of Love" both get a proper home on the third disc and sit next to a wealth of desirable extended mixes of club hits like "Situation" and "Don't Go."

Although Yazoo split in 1984, it wasn't until 15 years later that a substantial compilation album appeared. Only Yazoo: The Best Of represents some of the best synth pop ever committed to record, and provides a fine display of the range and power of Alison Moyet's incredible voice. All of the singles are present (with the exception of "The Other Side of Love"), as well as a handful of quality album tracks. Thankfully, the Francois Kevorkian mix of "Situation" is included, as well as three "1999" mixes. These modern mixes don't reach the same heights as the originals, and the Todd Terry remix of "Don't Go" almost manages to ruin a beautiful song. However, for the most part, Only Yazoo is close to perfect. Tracks like "Nobody's Diary" remain landmarks of pop songwriting, although the sparse arrangements sometimes sound dated. Even so, it's a great album, and a fine overview of Yazoo's brief career.

Throw out your wooden chairs and bring in your chaise longue. This summer is not only about bouncy uplifting tunes, but also about these moments of peace, time only for your listening pleasure with no muscle movement required. Except for the heartbeat increase. There comes a 2 CD edition of the magnificent chilled tunes…