Upstairs at Eric's - Yazoo

Pop geniuses. You can count them on one hand, the true geniuses that is, but when they arrive there is absolutely no mistaking their impact. I'm not about to start listing them.....ok maybe a few; Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Tennant & Lowe, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein and Vince Clarke. Ok so it maybe a hand with lots of fingers but I think you get my drift.

So what makes Vince Clarke a pop genius? Well, not content with writing some classic Depeche Mode tracks such as 'I Just Can't Get Enough' and 'New Life' he left the band immediately after the realease of the first album and formed Yazoo. As well as the stunning voice of Alison 'Alf' Moyet, the album contained some classic pop tunes, most notably 'Don't Go' and 'Only You'. Not a bad collection of pop songs so far.

That would probably be enough to earn the tag 'pop genius' but what followed surely cemented that; 'Situation', 'Who Needs Love Like That', 'Sometimes'! A Little Respect'. And there's more. As well as writing top pop tunes he also has 'dabbled, in remixing tracks by others, transforming songs for the dance floor. Anyone who can take the Happy Mondays shambolic groove of 'WFL' and turn it into a bona fide indie classic must have something.

So is Vince Clarke a pop genius? You betcha!