Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Kate & Anna McGarrigle is the debut album of sisters Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Although the McGarrigles released only one single from the album, several of the songs have entered the canon of popular song, "Heart Like a Wheel," "Complainte pour Ste-Catherine" and "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino," and many others have been released in cover versions.

Kate & Anna McGarrigle met with near unanimous critical acclaim, on its release and ever since: in 1976, it was named the album of the year by Melody Maker and ranked fifth best by the Pazz & Jop Critics poll; in 1987, it was #46 in a critics' poll of The Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums of All Time; in 1995, in Northern Journey: a guide to Canadian folk music on CD, Gene Wilburn rated it an outstanding album and an essential purchase for a "starter" record collection; and in 2016, the Polaris Prize jury selected it the heritage winner for the 1976-85 period. Furthermore:

• AllMusic gives it a perfect 5 stars
• Robert Christgau graded it an A
• Rolling Stone Album Guide gave it 4 stars out of 5

I really don't remember when I bought this album, but it has been in my collection for a long time. Perhaps it dates from 1980 and that used record store on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton.

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Track Listing

1. "Kiss and Say Goodbye" (Kate McGariggle) – 2:47
2. "My Town" (Anna McGariggle) – 2:57
3. "Blues in D" (Kate McGariggle) – 2:43
4. "Heart Like a Wheel" (Anna McGariggle) – 3:08
5. "Foolish You" (Wade Hemsworth) – 3:02
6. "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino" (Kate McGariggle) – 3:08
7. "Complainte pour Ste-Catherine" (Anna McGariggle, Philippe Tatartcheff) – 2:48
8. "Tell My Sister" (Kate McGariggle) – 3:37
9. "Swimming Song" (Loudon Wainwright III) – 2:26
10. "Jigsaw Puzzle of Life" (Anna McGariggle) – 2:29
11. "Go Leave" (Kate McGariggle) – 3:19
12. "Travellin' on for Jesus" (traditional; adapted from Frederick McQueen) – 2:42

Personnel

• Kate McGarrigle – vocals, piano (on 1, 3, 6, 8, 12), guitar (on 4, 11), button accordion (on 5, 7), banjo (on 9, 10)
• Anna McGarrigle – vocals, piano (on 2, 7, 10), banjo (on 4, 5), button accordion (on 9)
• Tony Levin – bass (on 1, 2, 7, 10, 12)
• Stephen Gadd – drums (on 1, 2, 7, 10, 12)
• David Spinoza – guitar (on 1, 7)
• Greg Prestopino – guitar (on 1, 7), piano (on 5), vocals (on 8)
• Lowell George – guitar (on 1, 12)
• Hugh McCracken – guitar (on 1)
• Trevor Lawrence – horn arrangement (on 1)
• Bobby Keys – tenor saxophone solo (on 1)
• Tony Rice – guitar (on 2)
• Joel Tepp – harmonica (on 2, 7), clarinet (on 3)
• David Grisman – mandolin (on 2, 10)
• Red Callendar – bass (on 3)
• Amos Garrett – guitar (on 3)
• Janie McGarrigle-Dow – organ (on 4), vocals (on 4)
• Peter Weldon – banjo (on 5, 9), vocals (on 5, 8, 9), percussion (on 12)
• Dane Lanken – vocals (on 5, 9)
• Chaim Tannenbaum – guitar (on 5, 9), vocals (on 5, 8, 9), harmonica (on 7), percussion (on 12)
• Michael Small – orchestral arrangement (on 6, 8)
• Jay Unger – fiddle (on 7, 9)
• Floyd Gilbeau – fiddle (on 7)
• George Bohanan – horn arrangement (on 7)
• Andrew Gold – guitar (on 7)
• Densil Lang – percussion (on 7, 12)
• Plas Johnson – alto saxophone solo (on 8), clarinet (on 8)
• Russ Kunkel – drums (on 8)
• Nick DeCaro – accordion (on 10)
• Dimmy Dimbuster – percussion (on 12)