Customer Reviews

Another World

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I couldn't disagree more with the previous reviewer. I loved this album when it came out and have been looking for it for years. Another World is completely quirky, funny, and yet true. It's a tune that stays with you and makes you feel good--so much so that I began to think it had possitive subliminal messages. Just a look at the price makes me think others agree...

Another World is my second favorite Roches album (after the first) although it has some very serious flaws. It was their fourth album (as a trio) and final album for Warners. Conventional wisdom says this is one of their weakest albums, maybe the weakest. Of course conventional wisdom is often wrong, as it is here.

Some of the Roches' best songs are here, wrapped in a production style that could (generously) be called "radio friendly," as in AOR radio (Come back King Fripp - all is forgiven!). This was 1985, after all, and that particular "sound" hasn't dated well. Gimme A Slice, the final song, actually starts off sounding like Alice Cooper - from the 70's. As a bonus, you get a free French lesson at the end (Who is this, the McGarrigles?)

Despite having "everything on it" Another World was not a commercial success and the sisters closed shop at Warners. They disappeared for several years doing Godknowswhat - having babies, getting married, backpacking through Europe? (not in that order) But IMHO this album was one of their best and grows better over the years. You just have to get past the sound and enjoy the songs. And in all fairness to the producers, not all of the songs are hurt by the production. A couple are even complemented by it.

Hmm . . . I see this one still generates disagreement among Roches' fans. I've always adored it. even though I've never been face down in Folk City. Donnez-moi un slice, s'il vous plait.

I overrated this. Four stars is probably more accurate, but those negative reviewers really threw out the babes with the bathwater. I have to wonder if they even listened to this CD or just glanced at the song titles and other reviews.

Many fine songs here, "Love To See You" being one of the best. A simple but beautiful love (or lust) song written by Suzzy, it's a great ode to unrequited love (or lust). Then again, for all I know, it could be about a puppy. For some reason it's stuck in the dreaded next-to-last-song slot on the CD, usually a place for throwaways. (There's also a great video of "Love To See You" from the mid-80's Robert Klein cable show that you can find at the Roches web site)

"Face Down At Folk City" (written by all three) is of course classic Roches: funny lyrics and great vocals, plus a dreamy Fmaj7th piano hook that follows the chorus.

The opener "Love Radiates Around" (a non-Roche composition) sounds almost like a hymn. Very pretty, and aurally the best thing on Another World. Reminds me of "Hymn To Her" (which came later) by the Pretenders, but this one was written by a man-guy.

"Another World" is a solid tune - in their tradition of complaints about the modern (usually female) world - but suffers from the "modern" 80's production, which shows up in varying degrees throughout the album. Here, I am in partial agreement with the negative reviewers. The generic rock guitars and drum machines sound like they are bleeding over from another studio and were accidentally mixed into a Roches recording.

As for the other tracks, "Come Softly To Me" - one of their reworkings of a classic/traditional song, this time The Fleetwoods' 1959 chart topper - is a highlight. The remaining songs are not bad - I particularly like "Weeded Out" - but the aforementioned (over-) production tends to stomp them out before they can be "heard."

I recently saw the Roches in Atlanta (Variety Playhouse) and I don't think they sang anything from Another World. Too bad. Some of these songs would sound great live - just the girls with three guitars (and a piano). Nevertheless, they sounded just as good as the last time I saw them - in 1979.

This album lacks the sonic focus and songwriting skills of the Roberty Fripp produced works. While the tone of the Roches have always been cute, they are starting to sound too cute for their own good. However, there are some chestnuts on this.

"Love Radiates" may be their best song of all time. "Another World" is good and "Weeded Out" is typcial Roches'... cute. It is a steep drop off from there. A problem may be that the sisters are very good musicians and musical arrangers. Their music works best in a stripped down, organic form. They do not need studio help!

The problem with buying this cd is that their greatest hits compilation is so complete, that it encompasses anything off of this album that you will ever need. Therefore, this cd is for completists only.

"The Roches", "Keep on Doing" and "Speak" are clearly better works.

Don't listen to the skeptics. Listen to the music! Truly loving the Roches means appreciating every musical phase through which they've passed. "Another World" is an important transitional work, and like all the Roche albums, stands alone. Their catalog would be woefully incomplete without the radiance of "Love Radiates Around," pure smarm of the title track, stark realism of "Angry Man," over-the-shoulder sadness of "Weeded Out," vocal intricacies of "Older Girls," and the power of "Face Down..." (bow-ba-bow-bow-bow-bap-bap-bap!) Out of print, alas, but try to find a used album or CD through this site -- worth the search. Visit www.roches.com for more Roches appreciation.

If for no other reasons, if you're a Roches fan, you ought to have this album just for the original "Face Down at Folk City" (Suzzy: "Magie was a barmaid and Terre was a waitress at Folk City, and they hated to see me come in when I was home from college, because all of their friends would leave them cold and hang around me..." Terre (interrupting): "The reason we hated to see you come in is because you never tip."), and for thir version of "Come Softly", which benefits mightily from their harmonies.

That said, the rest of the album is pretty weak (production-wise -- several of the other songs are really good, too); apparently the record label had decreed that, while it was right cute that they played guitars just like the boys, they needed Real Musicians backing them up.

("Face Down", along with some of the other songs on this album [but not "Come Softly"] is on Rhino's "Collected" compilation, BTW.)

This is a strong effort! Great songs and as usual beautiful harmonies with a wonderfully humorous cynical sauce poured over them! My favorite moment and the reason (and still the reason twenty years on), I bought the album is the cover of the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly To Me". This is my favorite version of the song (sorry Gary,Gretchen and Barbara). The girls harmonize effortlessly and lightly and the song for the first time has a beat! A great version! By the way, the rest of the album is good too!

If you like great voices and great fun, The Roches are for you. I hear they are three sisters from the L.A. area. Not sure. But what is for sure is that they sound great and have collected some very funny lyrics as well.

Just read some lyrics from the title track:

"I don't feel that great today
I have never felt that great
Don't tell me to exercise
Don't tell me it's what I ate

There's got to be another world
Oh yeah oo oo oo baby

Think how good just normal feels
A helmet on my head
Constant flow of ice cream in
I'd be as good as dead"

Kind of speaks for itself, huh?

My wife and I are massive fans of the Roches. We saw them live in the late 70's and early 80's two or three times and were transfixed as were the friends we brought. The first three albums, The Roches, Nurds, Keep On Doing, are brilliant. The key is strong song writing, magnificent harmonizing and smarty pants lyrics. The way the ladies weave their voices together in sweet harmony is just breathtaking on the first three albums as well as the We Three Kings Christmas album which is one of the finest Christmas records ever. Unfortunately, this album begins a slide that they never recovered from. 'Face Down In Folk City' is a real highlight to this album and in their career. The rest of the album just can't keep up. That is the case for all the rest of the albums they did after this one. And, God forbid, they added a keyboard at some point? Was it this album? Saw that live tour, ugh.

I gotta admit, I rarely like keyboard, some improve Keith Jarret, Ray Charles, Pere Ubu, I Refuse It! The Screamers, but that's about it. And this is smaltzy sounding keyboard too. Get those first three albums, you'll be very pleased if harmony and smarty pants lyrics and beautiful, distinctive soaring female vocals with a basic folk music backing is your thing. Come to think of it, I'm unaware of any other band that delivers those goods.

The best that can be said about this album is that the sisters still have their magnificent voices on this record. Once they get into the 1990's they begin to lose their vocal luster much as Crosby Stills and Nash have done as they aged. chrisbct@hotmail.com