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The Roches - The Roches (1978)

Track listing:
  1. We 2:30
  2. Hammond Song 5:30
  3. Mr. Sellack 3:57
  4. Damned Old Dog 3:59
  5. The Troubles 3:22
  6. The Train 3:25
  7. The Married Men 4:26
  8. Runs in the Family 3:24
  9. Quitting Time 4:13
  10. Pretty and High 4:01

Notes

Having already made a few records in the early '70s, Roche sisters Maggie and Terre — along with younger sibling Suzzy — resumed recording as the Roches in 1979. The group's mischievous and highly original folk blend of barbershop, doo wop, Celtic, and bluegrass styles found its watermark with this eponymous debut, which features the pithy, tongue-in-cheek lyrics of Maggie and Terre. Aided by bassist Tony Levin and guitarist Robert Fripp — who also produced — the trio ranges from the wry resume-in-song opener "We" to the impressionistically feminist closer "Pretty and High." In between, there's talk of family, work, boyfriends, travel, and married men, all enveloped in a mix of airy acoustic guitars, limber harmonies, and rotating vocal leads. Highlights include "The Train," "Hammond," and "The Troubles."