Friday, October 1, 2010

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!

7 comments:

  1. That Alison Slave to the Rhythm thing is like a freaky dream sequence for a fan of Horn and Moyet like me! Her last few albums have been my favourites of ther entire career: I love Hometime and The Turn has some cracking dramatic tunes on it.

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  2. Holy shit, thank God for youtube! I never would have thought of this collab, but it really works. She STILL looks AMAZING a year after the weight loss! Give me the number of her personal trainer!

    Seriously, "Get Set" is like a gift from heaven! I was bopping to it in the car with the wife this morning--she heard it for the first time and loved those intrusive bleeps! Why that's never been on CD I'll never know. MADNESS! If that weren't enough, Guy Sigsworth!?! ASTONISHING! Should be incredible whatever they do. (Did his latest record with Kate Havnevik ever get a wide release?)

    I agree with Dan--Hometime was EXCELLENT, and the Turn was a bit of a nice surprise. I may have to spring for some of these reissues (at least ALF. Hoodoo and Essex were pretty great also.)

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  3. alison moyet to a go-go beat. WERQ!

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  4. @DanProject76 - "Hometime" is a high water mark for Alison. It's probably my favorite of all her albums. She really hasn't delivered a dud, though.

    As for "Slave To The Rhythm", it's one of those songs that you can't imagine anyone else ever covering it effectively. Alison is one of the very few that could possibly make it her own.

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  5. @countpopula - Srsly! Can you believe they didn't record the show for posterity? For those that couldn't be there, a DVD would've been fantastic!

    I hope a better clip surfaces on YouTube soon.

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  6. Alison is a Goddess!

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  7. It is a CRIME that "Get Set" was not included on the physical release.

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