Steve Hackett - Please Don't Touch - 1978 (24/96 Vinyl Rip)

Review:

1978's "Please Don't Touch" is Steve Hackett's 2nd solo album, and the first one the guitarist recorded after he left Genesis.
Steve gets a lot of big names help on this collection, such as singers Richie Havens, Steve Walsh of Kansas, and Randy Crawford,
as well as his brother John Hackett on flute and Genesis touring drummer Chester Thompson.
This is an excellent album with shades of progressive rock here & there, but also some pop & straightforward guitar rock as well.

The music is awesome, Steve's guitarwork throughout fantastic. Steve also takes musical inspiration from classic fictional books
for some of the songs: "Narnia" (sung by Walsh) is a fun, lighthearted number based on C.S. Lewis' childrens' classic
"The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe," the strange little tune "Carry On Up The Vicarage" is a musical tribute to mystery writer Agatha Christie
and the breathtaking finale "Icarus Ascending" (sung by Havens) is inspired by the classic Greek tale of the doomed flight of Icarus.

With the exception of "Vicarage," Steve mostly sings backup or harmony vocals, leaving most of the singing duties to Havens, Walsh
and Crawford, who all give great performances. Other standout tracks include the catchy rock of "Racing In A," the wonderful acoustic
number "How Can I?" (sung by Havens), the beautiful instrumental "Kim" (dedicated to Hackett's wife, Kim Poor,
who also paints his album covers), the excellent ballad "Hoping Love Will Last" (sung by Crawford), and, of course, the monstrous title track,
a menacing rock instrumental featuring some of Steve's most scorching guitar licks ever recorded.

Steve submitted "Please Don't Touch" to be recorded by Genesis, but for some reason, the band turned it down. Thank goodness
then that he kept it for himself!). The only misstep Steve makes on the album are the lyrics to "Carry On Up The Vicarage."
Musically, the song is fine (I also like the circus sound effects at the beginning), but the words to the song are pretty awkward.
Stuff about pharmaceuticals, missing floorboards, and screaming from the belfry…they don't quite gel together.

Also, Steve's vocals on this track are mostly distorted through a vocoder, which doesn't help. But other than that, there's nothing else
to criticize on this very impressive album.
With "Please Don't Touch," Steve Hackett stepped out from the shadow of Genesis, and established himself as a solo artist in his own right.
"Please Don't Touch" is a great album. By all means, DO touch it! Alan Caylow - Amazon.com

Track List:

01 Narnia (Steve Walsh vocal)
02 Carry on Up the Vicarage (Steve Hackett vocal)
03 Racing in A (Steve Walsh vocal)
04. Kim
05 How Can I? (Richie Havens vocal)

06 Hoping Love Will Last (Randy Crawford vocal)
07 Land of a Thousand Autumns
08 Please Don't Touch
09 The Voice of Necam
10 Icarus Ascending (Richie Havens vocal)