get set with the jet set

There are few things more gruelling than the flight from NYC to LA. The long security lines. The surly flight attendants. The tiny seats which make you feel like herded cattle.

However, five hours of timezone hydroplaning allows me the opportunity to catch up on some new(ish) music. There was no better way to spend part of my journey than listening to "Reconnected Live", the audio documentation of Alison Moyet's return to the concert stage as one half of Yazoo. Together with Vince Clark, she circumnavigated the globe bringing joy to those of us that thought any pairing was only ever going to be the stuff of dreams.

The collection even includes an unreleased track from 1983. "Get Set" is the holy grail of Yazoo rarities and it finally sees the light of day. This previously elusive track is a typically bouncy, electro retro number which fits in perfectly with the entirety of Yazoo's recorded output. It was originally recorded as the theme for the UK television show "Get Ready For Summer".

Unfortunately, it's only featured as a bonus track on the iTunes download configuration of the album. Not sure why labels insist on doing this. Surely, their fanbase would prefer its inclusion on the CD.

Alison Moyet has been keeping quite busy lately. This week, she made a guest appearance at The Buggles' show in London. It was their first ever live performance, and they played their debut longplayer, "The Age Of Plastic", from top to tail. Of course, with Trevor Horn's pedigree, they played a few other Horn related nuggets.

Alison, looking slim and sexy, sang a couple of tunes including Yazoo's "Only You" backed by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and their impressive group of musicians. Highlight of the evening had to be Alison stepping in for Grace Jones on "Slave To The Rhythm". No easy task considering Grace's formidable presence, but Alison's powerful pipes certainly compliment the immense production of the song.

This isn't the best visual representation of her take on "Slave To The Rhythm", but it's the only clip of it uploaded to YouTube, so far. I don't think it's possible she could sound more amazing.



As if that wasn't enough, the remastered reissues of Alison's first four solo albums should hit the "shops" shortly. Haven't heard a peep about them since they were announced earlier this year. It would be in Sony's best interest to get them out while her profile is high.

Lastly, Alison is working on a new album with Guy Sigsworth at the helm. Amazeballs in the making!