Most of the following is paraphrased from http://www.roches.com save for any personal
comments or observations about The Roches.
I've only recently gotten into this quirky
band which has its roots in both
New Jersey
and
New York City, in which I have spent my entire
life. The
Roches can be described
as a
folk group, but not in the vein of
traditional arrangements or works heavily influenced
accompanied strictly by period
instruments. Nor are they in the
Pentangle or
Fairport Convention idiom, freely incorporating
electrified instruments alongside
traditional arrangements to create a modernized
ballad. The Roches may be characterized
as
storytellers of very conventional concerns (like paying the
telephone bill) set
to distinctive, plain but forceful voices.
The
Roches in seminal form consist of Suzzy, Maggie, and Terre Roche. For the first
family release (
Seductive Reasoning,
1975) only the last two performed. Joined by
Suzzy the sisters produced six albums. Seductive Reasoning and
The Roches (
1980)
are considered
by many to be the major part of the Roche
canon, but most albums tend to capture their
unique sound, which is known for brutal honesty and sometimes
risque humor.
Discography in reverse chronological order, as per www.roches.com
Albums by The Roches
Can We Go Home Now, Rykodisc, 1995
Will You Be My Friend?, Baby Boom Music, 1994 -- Children's
A Dove, MCA, 1992 -- cmw
We Three Kings, MCA 1990 (reissued: Rykodisc 1994) --
Christmas/Holiday
Speak, MCA, 1989
No Trespassing, Real Live Records, 1986 (reissued: Rhino Records, 1990)
Another World, Warner Bros., 1985 -- cmw (considered major work)
Keep On Doing, Warner Bros., 1982 -- cmw
Nurds, Warner Bros., 1980 -- cmw
The Roches, Warner Bros., 1979 -- cmw
Albums by Maggie and Terre Roche
Seductive Reasoning, Columbia, 1975 -- cmw