It was 1986 and I had just moved out on my own in Raalte. I already had a good sound system and neighbour Ine Tutert soon knew that too. Mobile phones did not exist yet. Calling each other was done with a wired home phone with a rotary dial (hard to imagine now). Through "Love Resurrection" I just heard the phone. It was Ine. "Could you please turn Alison Moyet down a bit?" Unfortunately, I have never seen her perform live to this day.
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet was born in Billericay and grew up in Basildon. Her father is French and her mother is English. At sixteen, Moyet left school. After working in a shop for a while, she started training as a piano tuner, which she quit after two years because she had a hit with the band Yazoo, where she was with Vince Clarke, with the songs 'Only You' and 'Don't Go'.
Moyet made two albums with Yazoo, and the band won a Brit Award for Best New Band before it disbanded. She named her solo debut Alf, after the nickname Vince Clarke gave her during her punk days. She made several CDs, won three more Brit Awards and various other prizes, and toured worldwide. She ranks in the top 5 of best-selling British female singers ever.
In 2001, Moyet played Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in the musical Chicago and received good reviews.
On 6 May 2013, her latest album The Minutes was released.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Alison no longer has any entries...
Sunday Morning Classics: Alf
On 19 July 2020, Alison was a guest at our Sunday Morning Classics with her album "Alf".
The album with nine tracks opens with the first single Love Resurrection. This is a fairly soft song and features some beautiful vocal harmonies. A fine choice for a debut single and album opener.
This is followed by Honey For The Bees, which is a fairly light and cheerful song. It is laden with beautiful little sounds tinkling in the background, which really feels like it helps to set the pace.
For You Only feels a bit sombre and a bit sad, as Alison sings about her fear of being alone. Her singing here is soulful.
Next comes the third single Invisible, which bursts with fat beats and 80s keyboards. Alison's vocals are also great and strong here. This song was written for her by the legendary songwriter Lamont Dozier.
Side one closes with a slow song called Steal Me Blind, which also introduces a gospel choir as backing vocals. They are accompanied by piano, and the end result sounds quite bluesy and provides a platform for Alison to show off her vocal diversity.
Side two opens with the second single All Cried Out. This is a phenomenal song that deserved its hit status. The song sounds wonderfully 80s – both musically and vocally. Alison again shows off her vocal range, from a lovely low register to higher rock-like moments.
The next song Money Mile is softer in contrast with lots of beautiful 'oh oh oh oh' vocals over a meandering piano line. Alison's singing accentuates the music and gives a sense of speed and urgency, and she is accompanied by more backing vocals for the chorus.
The penultimate track Twisting The Knife has an almost disco-like intro before Alison's vocals come in. However, this is a full-fledged pop song, and by the time you reach the middle of the chorus, it all makes sense.
The album closes fittingly with Where Hides Sleep, which begins with a few dreamy vocals singing the title of the song. Alison shows off her softer singing here, and this works very well as the keyboards tinkle in the background.
It is truly a masterpiece. It may be an album from the early 80s, but there is enough here for those with a more modern musical taste.
Source: Jan Liebregts and Wikipedia Photo: Martin Dobey from Dublin, Ireland
https://alisonmoyet.com/
