JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback MP3 Feedback Forum Only You (YAZ Cover Song)

I am wondering how many people here know this song. I have sung it a few times and it goes over very well on acoustic guitar. I was playing around with it and added some orchestral instruments. I am mostly posting this for people to enjoy especially if they remember the song. Would love any critique especially on the mix. I am also wondering if I am a little off on the harmony on one note towards the end of the song.
Thanks!

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=10584043&q=hi

Hi Ricky,

No, I don't know this song but I like the way you did it, sounds very nice.

Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

Nice version Ricky. Enjoyed the arrangement choices and the music break in particular. I have Alison Moyet's Greatest Hit's which includes this song (she sang for Yaz). The song was written by Vince Clark, who was with Depeche Mode (another favorite band of mine) when he wrote it but Depeche Mode wasn't interested in it so he recorded it with Alison in his new (and relatively short lived band Yazoo shortened to Yaz). Then he went on to form Erasure where he wrote most of their big hits as well. Great synth guy back in the exciting early synth days.

Nice choice. Familiar but certainly not worn out for even those who had heard it before.

Brian

I know the song well, another group The Flying Pickets did a
vocal only version of it and it went to no. 1 in the UK,
interesting mix on this very different to any version I've
heard before and it works really well, the strings section
is very cool, it's all good, enjoyed it,

Tony.

Hey Ricky:

I don't know the song but I like it. And I think you did a great job on it. I particularly like the strings in the break.

If there was anything that didn't work for me, maybe it was the snare. Not sure why - maybe just sounded a little too harsh for the song.

I'm reaching to find a nit though - this is really nice.

Scott

RICKY--

SOUNDS GREAT!

I BOUGHT THEIR 1ST (CASSETTE)--I MAY STILL HAVE IT STORED SOMEWHERE: THE FOLLOWING IS INFO ABOUT THE BAND:

Yazoo (YAZ) was formed in late 1981 by Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet in Basildon, Essex, England.[3] Clarke was previously the main songwriter and keyboard player for Depeche Mode, who also came from Basildon and who at that point had recorded one album and three singles for Mute Records, including the hits "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough".[4] The name 'Yazoo', according to Moyet, came from the labels of old blues albums: Yazoo Records.[5] Yazoo was signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom and to Sire Records in the United States. Yazoo's initial foray into the US was disastrous when they received a £3.5 million lawsuit threat over the band's name.[5] Yazoo renamed to Yaz for the US market because the name was already in use by a small American rock band.[3]


Yazoo performing in Germany in 2008
Yazoo's debut single "Only You" backed with "Situation", was released on 15 March 1982 and rose to number two in the UK.[6] Yazoo's next single, "Don't Go", was released on 3 July 1982[6] and hit number three,[3] and became popular on MTV in the United States.[7] They continued their successful streak with their first album, Upstairs at Eric's, which went platinum in Britain.[3] The band received favourable reviews for their pioneering sound. Clarke and Moyet toured briefly, while releasing a stopgap single, "The Other Side of Love".
The duo's second (and final) album, You and Me Both, yielded more success, hitting the top of the UK charts, and featuring the hit single "Nobody's Diary".[8] Commercial success in the US was initially not as strong. Both "Situation" and "Only You" were released as singles and airplay and peaked at #73 and #67 respectively. Despite the modest chart success of those singles and of Upstairs at Eric's (which reached #92 on the album chart) word of mouth helped to eventually push the album to platinum status for sales of over one million copies by 1989, seven years after its release.


Mackie

Hi Ricky,

I don't know the song but I sure do like it! Since I don't know how the original sounds I can only comment on this and it sounds great!! You have a wonderful voice, love it.

Dottie

Thanks for stopping by Calvin!

Ricky

I like it, Ricky. At first, I thought you were re-doing the song on the commercial for birth control. I'm not getting out enough these days.

Brian,

I didn't think I would reel in such a big fish with this old song!!!

I know some of the history of Yaz but not all that you stated. I also am a huge Depeche Mode fan. I met my wife 3 days before a DM concert and we both already bought tickets separately. So our first date was the Violator tour in 1990. (We got engaged at a Living Color concert but that is a different story for a different day.) We have been married 20 years as of March!

My first exposure to Yaz was actually by way of erasure. I was very into music back then and would buy a lot of cd's of groups I really did not know much about. I bought "The Innocents" and was REALLY hooked. I still like that album and listen to it from time to time.

From there I checked out Yaz "Upstairs at Erics" and liked it quite a bit. Allison Moyet has some amazing pipes! I have one of her albums also. I'm not sure if "midnight" is on her greatest hits album or not but you should check that song out. It is one of my favorite songs period. She sings it almost acappella and has such a great bluesy voice! Everyone should listen to that song at least once.

My brother went to a Yaz concert last summer in LA area and said Alison Moyet was incredible. The whole time Vince Clark was behind a bank of computer monitors doing his thing.

Very cool you like DM and thank you for the listen and the comments.

Ricky

Awesome Tony. Thank you for checking this out and I will have to listen to the Flying Pickets version for sure! There is a very good guitar version on you tube if you bet a chance to check it out. Just a man and his acoustic but he does a great job imo.
Ricky

Scott,
Thanks for checking it out. The snare was a tough one for me. I wonder what someone would say that knows the original. This song was electronica back in the early eighties so the snare was originally very electic sounding. (also very gated I think) So I tried to get a similar sound using an acoustic snare. I think it is close but I totally understand why it would stand out if you have not heard the original. Maybe I should just find an electric one to put in there? Not sure.

Ricky

Mackie,
Great info. Thanks!

Really liked Yaz/Erasure/Depeche Mode and the like back in the 80's. In fact there was not a lot of music I did not like! I remember when I bought my first cd player and I averaged purchasing 1 cd per week for about 3 years. Pretty spendy for a 17 year old! Still have some of those rare cd's though!

I hope you remember the song "midnight" on that album. Terrific song!

Ricky

Thank you Dottie. ALWAYS appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to listen. I am not always able to do the same and feel bad about being so busy sometimes but I will keep trying to offer feedback when I can.

Ricky

Tricia,
That is so funny! I don't know if my songs would promote birth control or not, but all of the time I spend out in my studio would!
Thanks for the listen and comment.
Ricky

Its a cool song. Alison Moyet sang it first, and is a great song. Your version is really cool as well.

Well done.

Alan

Ricky,

I love how it turned out!! I'm glad you chose to do this oneand think it sounds so good, love the strings and the harmonies!! But I'm a fan....(of yours AND Depeche Mode's!!!)

Tammy

I used to make music back in that Era Ricky. We played around with doing some covers briefly in the band I was in (2 person, me on keys and backing vocals and a lead vocalist, not dissimilar to Yaz's set up). I am happy to find people of a new generation discovering music from the great Synth pop era of the mid 80's to mid 90's. That was a 12 year span when I was most active musically. My vocalist back then (and frequent co-writer) was later sadly killed by Bin Laden's murderous reign in NYC. So this week is quite bittersweet for me. And I can't believe my friend has been gone for nearly 10 years. Our last batch of songs together were stolen from us when our vehicles were broken into during our first night in our current home. I am sure the thieves tossed them in the garbage but to me they were priceless and I haven't written another song or even turned on my 27 keyboards since that happened. So your song briefly reminded me of those long lost days and the sound of my friends unique laugh which I can still hear in my mind today when I think about it.

I don't often comment on songs for many reasons (time, fairness to those I can't get to or don't care for etc.) but this one was a bit more personal to me so I commented. Sorry to all those who I simply can't get to.

Brian

Hi Rickey


Great song -- yes familiar -- you do a cool job here. jm

Thanks for listening Spidey. Glad you liked it!

Tammy,
Thanks for listening and letting me send you a "preview" of this one. I think it came out a lot better then what you first heard! Thanks also for your support!
Ricky

Brian,

Thanks for the time that you put into this site!!! I have really enjoyed my brief stay here so far.

My wife and I were laughing after our son heard 3 songs in a row from the 80's the last one being "legs" by zztop. He is 13 and said "man I wished I grew up in the eighties with such great music!" So my wife realized she was about 13 when this song came out and said, "So you wish you were as old as I am?" His response, "Well, maybe not!"

It is pretty cool that he likes 80's music and we really have not pushed him at all in that direction. He loves Def Leppard which was one of my favorites also.

Sorry about your friend. Memories of that day are still difficult for me and I did not lose a loved one so I can't imagine...But I am glad I could bring back some good memories for you. Sure was a different time and many times we listen and just laugh at how crazy some of the music was back then. ("Rock Me Amadaes?")

Nice to get to know you just a little and thanks again for the time. I know you are a busy person!

Ricky

Thank you Joice. Glad some know the song and it was a fun one to do!
Ricky

Hi Ricky,

I don't know this song, but I like it. Creative arrangement. I really like the strings. I like the snare-only drums. It's a cool sound.

Mix wise, the overall sound is pretty good. I have 3 sets of speakers - monitors, computer speakers and cruddy bookshelf speakers - It sounds decent on all three.

Peace,

Ian

Thanks Ian and sorry for the belated reply. I appreciate your input on the mix as I am always working to improve in that area. Love your piano playing btw!

Ricky