Re: The Roches

[kurtzman@pollux.usc.edu (Stephen Kurtzman)]

In article <ccNVvAm00UhWA24ZJa@andrew.cmu.edu> ba0k+@andrew.cmu.EDU (Brian Patrick Arnold) writes:

>Yes, Terre Roche is one of The Roches.  Fripp produced The Roches first
>two releases, "The Roches" and "Keep on Doing".

Minor correction: "Keep on Doing" was their third album. The second
album was "Nurds". It was produced by someone who produced some Paul
Simon albums.  The name escapes me. Comparing "Nurds" with their first
and third albums, it is obvious why they chose Fripp again for the
third. Fripp produced those albums in "Audio verite", i.e., he let the
full beautiful sound of the Roches come through unencumbered by studio
tricks.

>They are a funny, goofy
>folk group from New York that started on acoustic guitars but now one of
>them plays keyboard, another electric guitar and the third only sings. 

Minor correction: Maggie has been playing keyboard, but she also picks
up an acoustic guitar now and then. Suzzy doesn't only sing, she also
plays the acoustic (and rarely electric) guitar. Terre mostly plays
electric guitar.

>Two of them sang as a backup group to Paul Simon in the early 70's.

Namely, Maggie and Terre. I only know of one recording Paul Simon song
in which they appear: "Was a Sunny Day" (or something like that) on, I
believe, "Kodachrome". More importantly, Maggie and Terre released an
album before The Roches was formed. The record, "Seductive Reasoning"
on Columbia, has a country feel to it. All but one song is written
by Maggie. If you like the early Roches, then you should also like
"Seductive Reasoning." It arguably contains some of Maggies better
lyrics.

>The non-Fripp-produced releases are much more "pop" sounding -- they have
>schlocky keyboards, electric guitars and drums, all things which don't
>appear in force when they tour live and make most of the music sound
>dorky.

Starting with "Another World", it seemed to me that the Roches were
looking for a pop sound. The synthesizer on some of the songs on
another world is a little too much. However, with "Speak" it seems
they have found a proper balance.

>They are very awesome live.

Stunning is the only word that comes close to describing them live.
(And I do mean stunning, I've come away with quite a buzz from each
of their concerts.)

>Their latest CD "Speak" is really good.

Agreed, but their latest CD is "We Three Kings". It is a collection of
Christmas music done in various styles, from traditional to ways that
only the Roches could pull off. Their version of "Unto Us a Child is
Born" will blow you away. The Roches do Handel in a way no one else
can.


-- 

Stephen Kurtzman             | "where desire writhed there stands a stone;
kurtzman@pollux.usc.edu      |  the change was sudden and complete"
                             |                              -- Maggie Roche