Monday, January 22, 2007

Voiz and Pete Yates-Round

Thanks to the new Heavenly Grooves blog I've been able to listen to one of the Grapevine albums, Boanerges by the Dutch rock band Voiz.

This was produced in 1978 by Pete Yates-Round the "last" member of Parchment. It's a great album in the classic 70s rock mode - but it also contains traces of the lightness of feel and experimentation that you'd expect from Parchment. The standard review, copied on Heavenly Grooves, praises the flute playing but there's also an astonishing use of a ukelele, mandolin-style.

Pete Yates-Round was discovered by the band playing solo in Holland and it seems that Grapevine maintained strong links in both Holland and Northern Ireland. When Brian Smith left after Shamblejam, the band played as a two piece for a while until they came to Chepstow, when, apparently, the organiser demanded a three-piece. Yates-Round was drafted in and John Pac, quoted in Buzz, recalled: "The guy said it was the best he had ever heard us."

A quick Google search suggests Yates-Round has had a subsequent career either as a publisher or a solo musician - or possibly both.

Voiz seemed to have produced a second album Disaster Electronics, the following year. There is no sign of it on the second hand market but Boanerges is selling for about 200 dollars. Meanwhile that elusive Whitsuntide Easter album goes for about 400 dollars and Reynard's first album is up to $155. Also no sign of Rufaro, which we think is another Grapevine rock album, so expect a scramble when that appears.

We have a number of Grapevine albums on order but are reluctant to say more for fear of prices continuing to rise. We should stress that this site is not in the game of bidding or trading high prices for these albums. Wonder who has the masters and the rights to the catalogue.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some listings date this as 1977. It was numbered Grapevine 110, which I guess would make it the label's tenth album

Peter yates-Round said...

Voiz were a great band to work with we had a great time putting the album together. I have tried to download the sample but no luck!
If any one has any questions related to this or my time with Parchment I will be happy to enter into any discussion.

pf said...

Hey Pete
Great to hear from you. Would love to hear any more observations you may have. Have you signed on for the Roundabout reunion?

Unknown said...

I have this Album on Cassette and is rather worn (from me listening to it) I also have Whitsuntide - Next tome you play the wrong note. I got these tapes back in 1982, someone was throwing them out, so I snached them up.

Jacob S said...

Hi Pete,

Long time no hear. How are you? I'm Jacob, I was Voiz drummer back in 77. You're right we had a great time in Eastbuorne! I still play with Herke and Koop, the Voiz guitarists, we do Zappa/Beefheart stuff now.
By the way we never did a second album. Greetings love to hear from you. Jacob S.