The Roches - Hammond Song

From the Rockpalast concert November 3rd 1982 at The Metropol in Berlin. The Roches opened for The Go-Go's and the audience was unquiet, impatient and even hostile. But despite that the sisters approached them professionally, kept up their good-humoured attitude and delivered a beautiful concert.
Setlist:
Losing True
Bad For Me
The Train
The Troubles
The Married Men
Want Not Want Not
One Season
Nurds
The Clothes Line Saga
Hammond Song
This footage is digitized from an old VCR-tape, hence the lousy picture quality. But maybe someone somewhere can supply a better copy, or, even better: maybe one day German WDR-television will consider to release this officially.

[@Barracuda24-f3w]

Never gets old!!!!! ❤❤❤

[@ibassnote]

This is the first time I have heard the Roches. They seem to be coming from another planet or time. Stunning.

[@Neearm]

Their first album - The Roches - was produced by Robert Fripp and has some of his fine guitar work on it. Well worth a listen.

[@MarkTarmannPianoCheck_it_out]

me too. can't believe i never heard them back then, even in the progressive Bay Area. Shouldn't make comparisons, but they kinda blow CSN out the water for my money. Course they're prettier than Crosby Stills and Nash, too. Not the songs, although this one ranks with anything CSNY wrote, but the piercing voices and the effect of the harmonies. to be front row at that show. wow

[@patriotiac572]

I'm blessed to have seen these three beautiful sisters, live, back in the 1980s. I had all their albums (yes, vinyl albums) during those college days. I loved their music so much that I made cassette tapes of each album for my personal use on my Sony Walkman so I could listen as I rode my old ten speed (with the kickstand) to and from school, about 20 miles round-trip. I loved The Roches' music so much, and I still do. What a gift they shared with the rest off us.

[@NoamOsband]

@ibassnote congrats. They're amazing. Cool story how they took a class with Paul Simon and he helped them get a contract. Their lyrics are so good. Jesus Shaves often makes me cry.

[@generalgau1]

Yes, the 80s were a strange time. Everyone wonders why The Roches weren't bigger. Their music was better suited to the soft rock of the seventies than the the new wave of the eighties, despite a punkish attitude.

[@jam-nc8ut]

This feels more like an experience than a song.

[@clumsiii]

it is . if you're curious there's been a recent interpretation featuring blood orange, an experiential singer from england. idk . i heard roches first years ago. then heard this one and had to revisit the source: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYbLh3Wrm9yEh7s

[@farhannadersahawneh9390]

This comment captures the feeling I have when listening to this. Well said.

[@GH-oi2jf]

Many of their songs are based in experience.

[@Barracuda24-f3w]

YES!!!!! Real Roche music... ❤❤❤ True Talent... Rest in Power Maggie & Jude...

[@al1948uk]

Been around since the 1970’s. Big fan since then.

[@jimcronin804]

I remember hearing this on WTUL- Tulane's student radio in the late 1970s. It would come on about 5 or 6am after three or four hours of acid music, intended to help you come down form your trip. It still brings tears to my eyes.

[@WayneBrejcha]

going to the Go-Go's and getting The Roches singing Hammond is like going for a dixie cup of koolaid and getting an oak barrel of priceless wine

[@gordrum]

It’s like hearing Nick Drake for the first time 🙌

[@professionalhater9]

Couldn't have said it better. Baptism.

[@JoannaSternbergYoutube]

so true!

[@erizabeta]

that is a good comparison

[@tomwagner3874]

I love this song so much it actually brings tears of joy 😢to my eyes

[@siwriter777]

This album was a major part of the soundtrack of my youth. Got to see them on several occasions, including walking past Terre and Fripp dining at Dojo on St. Marks Place. I got to thank Suzzy for the music a few years back and could not hold back the tears.

[@chadlazzara]

I share your feelings of love for this group. I saw them once on television and became an instant lifelong fan. I was lucky enough to see them in person when they came to my area. It was a performance I'll never forget. As others have said, RIP Maggie.

[@theresabclayton]

Andrew I agree with you. I had the pleasure of seeing Suzzy's daughter, Lucy perform recently as the warm up for Mary Chapin Carpenter and I was amazed at the similar feelings Lucy invoked for me. I knew she must be related to one of the Roches. I fell hard for the Roches album in the seventies and Lucy Wainwright Roche is a chip off the old block with a beautiful and lovely voice, quirky and fun to experience. I have been loving revisiting the Roche songs of my youth and loving hearing the younger Roche.

[@davedillon1372]

How did she react please? If you don't mind sharing, I have a few to trade/they're in here basically in a long comment or reply as my D-vice is broken in some app(s) & won't change paragraphs.

[@theresabclayton]

@@davedillon1372Hi Dave, She broke the news about her Aunt Maggie's passing and that was sad for me. 😔 Lucy was down to earth and a joy to meet. She autographed her recent CD which I purchased. Lucy's voice is beautiful and it's obvious to me, the apple does not fall from the tree.

[@MarkTarmannPianoCheck_it_out]

@Lori Stevenson yup.

[@davidshepherd7750]

Burlington, VT, 1979-80: I first heard this song on a college radio station and would call in every few days to request they play it again. My girlfriend at the time surprised me with the cassette tape of the album; I'd hit replay on this tune 10, 15, 20 times in a row. The harmonies of siblings is an amazing thing (think of the Everly Bros.); The Roches are among the best ever at it.

[@flowerdoodle2438]

I think I'm in love. Where have these angels been all my life? What an amazing song! Hearing this group/song gives me that familiar feeling. Like when I first got into NRBQ

[@chadlazzara]

So good to see Maggie. She adds so much to this performance. I've seen them in person a few times and will never forget their exceptional musical skills. Such a wonderful song sung by the best of the best. RIP Maggie.

[@pommelhorsepommelhorse8731]

she shreds on this

[@MsBeetroute]

I have Richard Wilson on Desert Island Discs to thank for bringing this utterly gorgeous sound to my attention. How did the Roches pass me by back in the day?

[@beckymartin94]

me too !!!!!

[@barbarastewart9521]

@@beckymartin94 and me!!! I just love them.

[@feech1987]

yes, me as well. He also chose Farewell to Stromness which is also worth a listen🙂

[@olivercadman1133]

Me too!

[@finosuilleabhain7781]

@@feech1987 I don't believe it.

[@mattadams5345]

Thank you. Hammond song is simply unique.

[@jam-nc8ut]

Oh God, it really is. I heard it for the first time ever yesterday - somehow I have not discovered it in all my 41 years - and I can't describe how it has made me feel without sounding silly. What an incredible song.

[@aoifemarymceneaney2095]

can't believe i hadn't seen this before. irish girls from jersey. doesn't get any better than that!

[@eottoe2001]

Dealing with family is such a pain and this song gets it.

[@matthewboren708]

If you go down to Hammond You'll never come back In my opinion you're On the wrong track We'll always love you but That's not the point If you go with that fella Forget about us As far as I'm concerned That would be just Throwing yourself away Not even trying Come on you're lying to me Well I went down to Hammond I did as I pleased I ain't the only one Who's got this disease Why don't you face the fact You old upstart We fall apart You'd be okay if you'd Just stay in school Don't be a fool Do your eyes have an answer To this song of mine They say we meet again On down the line Where is on down the line How far away? Tell me I'm okay If you go down to Hammond You'll never come back

[@JoannaSternbergYoutube]

I'm crying. so beautiful and so true and so real. This is what art is supposed to be able to achieve. Sadly, I barely get this feeling from art much lately....

[@mickeyjupp1]

Maggie was the soul of this group - so sad that she's not here anymore

[@PeterWhite-g2h]

Wonderful

[@gordonanderson3111]

Ought to be their show at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. The crowd and them merged into a 1468 person pile (atomic) of Love. ...and the acoustics were perfection.

[@scottstrand1874]

Same happened at the Mabel Tainter theater on the final tour.

[@carolsikkema7136]

I was at that show too, Gordon. It was my first real introduction to them. After that, I became one of their true-blue fans - I still play my Roches record albums! Much love.

[@26095]

Me too. I was mesmerized.

[@beejdailey9824]

Incredible masterpiece! One of my faves since '85 Colourfield cover

[@bobbydazzlersmokez]

Just learned of this song because the avalanches sampled it... Damn, does it move me. Sometimes the best part about sampling is being exposed to music that you would've never heard of. Now I have a new group to obsess over.

[@2Chickaboom2]

I’ve been in live with this song (and the women) for 20+ years and when I heard it sampled from Avalanches, I shed a little tear of joy. Also, whatever song you can find that the Avalanches have sampled, find it and prepare to be amazed. They never install filler or obvious samples in their music.

[@richardbrimmer429]

Saw them early 80's I think at berklee.. perfect acoustics, they were flawless...so that's what harmony and pure music sound like

[@johnhuwroberts7766]

I love these ladies. Original and leaving you wondering “where’s this song going next!” Just fabulous. Thank you ladies. Xxx

[@jcw001]

Fantastic' ive been hoping for years that someone would post a decent quality copy of the Roches around the early 80's' thank yhou very much indeed

[@1Bentonia]

Check our whitney cover❤️

[@KP11520]

Masterpiece! Only thing missing was the Fripperies! Thank you ladies! There would be a big hole if this song never was!

[@glennkennedy441]

Harmonic perfection !!!!!!

[@pagebreakseocopywriting2076]

Beautiful, heartfelt, and rrrriotgirls before that was even a thing.

[@sammyrice1182]

wow! thanks for putting this up.

[@awllypollyas8292]

I can see the parents faces. I can feel the disappointment of not going to where you wanna go. But the girl who goes to Hammond sounds like a fool. "You'd be okay if you just stayed in school." This song really hurts.

[@TheTroublesIrishBand]

Lovely memories of your music and shows. Your songs have been an inspiration over the years.

[@Quentin217]

This reminds me of one of the reasons that I preferred the comany of older women when I was young. They did not have parents giving them harangues like this one.

[@walterquinlan9414]

Beautiful

[@mikegramer9828]

this is amazing

[@artnardone]

I heard the Go-Go's do "We got the beat" live; during the 90"s on TV- they did not have it.?

[@simbarr1]

RIP Maggie, your words, your voice helped me celebrare the best of times and navigate the darkest times ...

[@winny1203]

"Hammon" as you put it, has a "d" after it!!

[@deskblllz7852]

Thanks to 'involvement' from German TV...

[@briteness]

I think I read that this song was autobiographical, based on an actual relationship that Terre had. She wanted to leave town with him, and that threatened to break up the sisters' singing act. Obviously they managed to stay together. Wonder what happened with the guy.

[@ralphcarneymovies1919]

Amazing.

[@martinlintzgy1361]

Beautiful. Indescribable

[@cward1890]

If you go down to Hammond...............

[@chrisbrown7242]

...if only mr fripp would have had the forethought and made a guest appearance... beautiful song

[@MattDollMusic]

THE BEST

[@griffithlistener]

Yes will you please put it up or could i get a copy snail or email

[@daninusa5297]

Think the colourfield covered this

[@HerbalistGuybrush]

Imagine ol' fripp somewhere in the shadows doing his frippertronics! That would be so great ! :(

[@bobloblaws6235]

this is amazing.... do you have any more footage from this performance ?

[@deskblllz7852]

Actually I do have the complete concert, they played ten songs. It was broadcasted on German TV and recorded on videotape, hence the poor image quality. If that's no problem for you I will try to post the complete thing one of these days.

[@bobloblaws6235]

anything is better than nothing..thanks a bunch....

[@howard5992]

Please post more if you have the chance. Thank you !

[@skiadikt]

agree and if more of the concert is available would love to see it, no matter the quality. btw, hard to believe an audience could be hostile to these incredibly talented ladies. this song is golden.

[@Plarocks]

Any way I could get a copy of this show on VHS or DVD-R?

[@SarahJonestoo]

❤️💔

[@markmeyer9707]

A vocal tour de force.

[@willoliverthomas]

I completely lose is when Suzzy throws her fist up at :57

[@TheNewYorker360]

This song brings tears to my eyes. All those memories --- of living in an America where man-hating feminism ruled every aspect of the culture. In 1970, Gloria Steinem said, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle," and the Feminist Movement was out of the gate and runnin.' Hey, wait a minute: didn't Gloria Steinem graduate from Smith College, one of the women's colleges at Yale University, where she met all those Yale men in the early 1950s when she was a student there? I thought so. Wait, from her student days at Smith and through the subsequent decades, wasn't she in one, long-term relationship after another with men who were multi-millionaires, up to and including a six-year relationship in the 1990s with real estate developer Mort Zuckerman (with his reported wealth of $250 million at the time)? Good for her. No hypocrisy there, of course. "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"? Ah, that wild and crazy Gloria Steinem, huh? So beautiful. This song embodies that fantastic mindset. Sure, the divorce rate from the early 1600s to 1970 was 1 percent (sometimes it would spike to 2 percent). Then after 1970, the divorce rate went to 50 percent within a few years, and has stayed there ever since --- for everyone except wealthy people, that is. Funny, but for some reason, they get married and stay married, and have, on average, 4 or 5 children in their marriages, while the middle class --- where college-educated women have drunk the Kool Aid of feminist propaganda --- leads the league in divorce and is, well, dying out. Viva la revolution....! So beautiful. Sing on, Roches, Sing on.

[@jld593]

How has this song NOT been used in an opening credits to a movie. Such a scene and tone setter. Criminal.

[@jujufirefly]

They don't look happy - like they got a hard time from the audience as you say.

[@whatevershebrings]

One of Maggie's finest songs, but as the last tune of a set where they were being heckled relentlessly by an unappreciative, undeserving audience, you can hear that they're rushing the tempo a bit, and the key is different, esp. on Terre's solo verse. Can't say I blame them!

[@2468hap]

May Maggie and jude rip

[@ardalla535]

They opened for the GoGo's? What a travesty. On their worst night, the Roche's are much better than the GoGo's ever were.

[@k.d.noodle6196]

Hey everyone I found the contemptible music snob

[@edwardprue]

The GoGo's were pros, no need to disparage them.

[@padraig4659]

Subtitles : 'HAMMON SONG'

[@s.a.walcroft6768]

...gammon?!

[@paddik3717]

Not their best live performance - entries and phrase ends out of sync; pitch (and harmonies, of course) often uneven. I know they could do better because I heard a live show in the mid ‘80s at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver where they absolutely killed it. I went with a musical friend who didn’t know them & she was gaga about how good they were. Still worth a listen, though.

[@squeakystool]

Which one is Maggie?

[@johnozed]

Playing the guitar.

[@GH-oi2jf]

squeakystool - On the viewer’s right. The one with the lowest voice.

[@kenabelson8423]

Fripp makes the song. Great song, but Fripp takes it out of orbit.

[@o.steinman3855]

"Hammon" Song? come on guys

[@funkbros3141]

Whitney has a killer cover of this

[@matthewboren9195]

If you go down to Hammond You'll never come back In my opinion you're On the wrong track We'll always love you but That's not the point If you go with that fella Forget about us As far as I'm concerned That would be just Throwing yourself away Not even trying Come on you're lying to me Well I went down to Hammond I did as I pleased I ain't the only one Who's got this disease Why don't you face the fact You old upstart We fall apart You'd be okay if you'd Just stay in school Don't be a fool Do your eyes have an answer To this song of mine They say we meet again On down the line Where is on down the line How far away? Tell me I'm okay If you go down to Hammond You'll never come back