Entertainment For Lively Minds
What are The Roches doing now?
Is anyone else a massive fan of The Roches, like me? This folk trio from New York came to my attention as a student when they appeared on OGWT performing songs from their Keep On Doing album. What was particularly interesting about the performance was Robert Fripp doing his thing with them. That album has been a favourite ever since. I'd post a You Tube link if they hadn't all been removed...
I like their other stuff from the 80s and 90s, and saw them blow the Dominion Theatre away in 1990 - they were stupendously good. However, the latest release I have of theirs, aside from the Christmas album championed by Mr Wogan, is Can We Go Home Now in 1994.
Does anyone know whether they've done anything recently, and is it any good?
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Exposure
I only know them from there (I recall it was just Terre Roche) but they sounded fine to me, not enough to investigate further but fine nonetheless
Moonswept
RateYourMusic has them as releasing an album as recently as 2007. It went by the title Moonswept - http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the_roches/moonswept/
For Fripp fans, the first Roches album is essential
It's not on Spotify, but there's a couple of tracks on there.
Check out The Hammond Song at http://open.spotify.com/track/6EB88wzZW8ENUiDtKF98RI
Thanks...
...I suppose I could have just checked on ITunes, but Moonswept was not listed the last time I looked. Am downloading it as we type.
Stimpy, thanks, I know The Hammond Song and have all their albums released from the first one until Speak, which was 1990. I saw them live at the Dominion Theatre on that album's tour and they were fantastic. My favourite album has to be Keep On Doing, especially the track Losing True.
I just think they deserve a larger audience than they probably have, particularly now that folkies seem to be fashionable again.
I saw them in London in 1980
and again in Boston in 1992. Both great, eccentric performances. Their first album remains my favourite. Terre split from the sisters (again) a few years back. The last "Roches" album I bought was Why The Long Face?, released as Suzzy & Maggie Roche. It's good but misses the the harmony and the power of Terre's voice.
Their website lists all their releases
Solo and as the Roches: http://www.roches.com/
Gobsmacked myself!
Just checked the Cd shelf to see what Roches CDs were there. I have accumulated 13 CDs by them collectively and in various combinations!!
Some worth checking out are:
Suzzy Roche solo outings: Holy Smokes (love it), and 'Songs From An Unmarried Housewife And Mother, Greenwich Village, USA' (pretty good). Suzzy & Maggie's 'Zero Church' has some great uplifting and musically diverse offerings. Under the name The Roches you might like to look up 'Will You Be My Friend?' (a children's album made with adult listeners in mind, if that makes any sense. It has some wonderful songs on it, not least of which, 'The Laundry' is poignant and memorable). 'The aforementioned 'Moonswept' is worth a listen, but their Xmas album 'We Three Kings' was hard work to get through (but then aren't most Xmas albums??)
recent convert
A mate introduced me to the Roches recently. they're splendid.
Thanks for the recommendations above, I will check them out.
(I am mildly ashamed to admit that I have a whole shelf of Xmas albums. I love them. Although when they're bad they're ghastly. The very worst being "A Chas and Dave Christmas". That's four quid I'll never see again)
Xmas albums
I may have been a bit harsh with the Christmas albums comment, come to think of it. There are exceptions to every rule! I loved the Sufjan Stevens box of Chrissie discs, lots of surprises and interesting takes on old staples. And speaking of old Staples, I was given a Stax soul Christmas comp last year which I really enjoyed. I also liked Marah's festive outing, and still play Emmylou Harris's LP on vinyl every year. Generally speaking though, Xmas albums are patchy affairs, but there are dozens of killer Xmas singles and I have a stack of those ready to go on the turntable as soon as the tree goes up!
Oooooh what's the name of the Stax soul christmas comp?
Sounds like a gap in my collection just waiting to be plugged.
glasses of eggnog all round, methinks
Santa Stax
The album is 'Christmas In Soulsville' -The Staples do 'Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas'. Other delights - Two versions of 'Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (Albert King / Mack Rice; and The Temprees' 'What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?' A question to ponder indeed - particularly if Santa is feeling frisky.