WEIRD AL YANKOVIC
(US, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

GENIUS YANK spoofer of pop songs whose only foray into chartdom was his gastronomic re-working of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" which he retitled "Eat It" ("have some more yogurt, have some more Spam") which was a minor hit in '84. It only got to No.36 but we bet lardarses everywhere bought it to listen to over their seventeenth fried bread sarnie

Biggest Hit: "Eat It", No.36, 1984
Defining Moment: Making the parody an art form.

(Thanks to SCOTT for further information)

YARBROUGH AND PEOPLES
(UK, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

NONDESCRIPT dual-gender pairing who did what was required with "Don't Stop The Music" in '80, but unfortunately for them we did, as none of their subsequent releases made the Top 40, though they admirably kept trying until '86.

Biggest Hit: "Don't Stop The Music", No.7, 1980
Defining Moment: Perseverance.

YAZOO
(UK, four Top 40 hits, two Top 40 albums)

FANTASTIC, UNSHOWBIZ plugged-in coupling of Alison Moyet and serial groupstarter Vince Clarke, who had already formed and deserted Depeche Mode by the time he hooked up with the beefy, brilliant singer. Traditionally digestible Clarke fayre followed over the course of Yazoo's year at the top, with Moyet's haunting, vibrant vocal complementing Clarke's plinky faderplaying perfectly. So, there was "Only You" ("all I needed was the love you gave, all I needed for another day") which got to No.2 in '82 and was brutally ruined by the Flying Pickets less than two years later, and the forceful "Don't Go" ("I will never let you go") followed it No.3. By the following summer, the excellent "Nobody's Diary" had also made No.3, and Clarke was familiarly thinking about his next project, with the duo quitting on a high. Clarke took on Feargal Sharkey for the one-off Assembly thing and then found Andy Bell for Erasure, while Moyet went into an adult solo career with considerable success. Short-lived, which was expected when Clarke was involved, but hugely useful and listenable while it lasted.

Biggest Hit: "Only You", No.2, 1982
Defining Moment: "And all I ever knew..."

YAZZ
(UK, three Top 40 hits, one Top 40 album)

LEATHER-JACKETED, bleached, buzzcutted chick and ex-Coldcut hanger-on who was as scary as hell to look at, but could justifiably claim to be the best new thing of '88 (though that's not saying much, bearing in mind there was Bros, Brother Beyond, Glenn Medeiros and Tiffany) when the anthemic "The Only Way Is Up"  ("with you and me now") was inflicted on a worried nation who breathed a sigh of relief when it became a decent quality No.1 for such an arse year. As with many first-release chart-toppers, the gradient pointed downwards from thereon in, though Yazz (officially under the guise of Yazz and the Plastic Population) bravely careered through two more Top 10 hits called "Stand Up For Your Love Rights", which was essentially a watered down version of her magnum opus, and the much more reserved "Fine Time" which gave her credentials as a singer of genuine talent a good shot in the arm. Bits more followed into the early 90s before motherhood put paid to her career, but that No.1 single remains a retro disco must-play. Now living in Spain with a young family, she is all loved-up and is preparing a 2001 comeback.

Biggest Hit: "The Only Way Is Up", No.1, 1988
Defining Moment: "The only way is up (doosh!) baby, with you and me now..."