The album featured several guests including R&B vocaliser Randy Crawford on "Hoping Love Will Last", American folk icon Richie Havens on ii songs, the drummer as well as vocalist for the progressive stone band Kansas (Phil Ehart as well as Steve Walsh respectively), Frank Zappa alumnus Tom Fowler, Genesis concert drummer Chester Thompson (also a Zappa alumnus), as well as Van der Graaf violinist Graham Smith.
This was also Hackett's inaugural of all album to characteristic his pioneering purpose of the Roland GR-500 Guitar Synthesizer.
Please Don't Touch! was the inaugural of all solo album that Hackett released afterward leaving Genesis during the mixing of the 1977 alive album Seconds Out.
Hackett had previously released a solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, piece withal a fellow member of Genesis, simply he was frustrated past times the collaborative procedure of Genesis which left much of his creative locomote unreleased. He wrote a song, "Please Don't Touch", that Genesis rehearsed simply ended upwardly setting aside, partly because the other members of the band did non desire to purpose it. He also wrote a 2d song, "Hoping Love Will Last", that he felt was appropriate exclusively for a woman somebody singer, which was something that the band could non use. Eventually, the rail Wot Gorilla? was decided on every bit the final rail on the inaugural of all side of Wind as well as Wuthering, as well as this determination sealed Hackett's determination to exit Genesis. Hackett quit Genesis as well as began to tape the album Please Don't Touch, using the rejected Genesis vocal every bit the championship track.
"Narnia" is based on the children's mass "The Lion, the Witch as well as the Wardrobe" past times C.S. Lewis. Singer Steve Walsh as well as drummer Phil Ehart of the American stone band Kansas seem on the song. According to Hackett inward the liner notes of the 2005 re-release, "Narnia" had been considered every bit a possible single. "Unfortunately," Hackett stated, "we weren't allowed to liberate the version featuring Steve on vocals every bit his tape companionship objected. No-one at Charisma felt the option version [a version amongst vocalist John Perry as well as a bonus rail on the 2005 remaster] was strong plenty to liberate every bit a unmarried without Steve's contribution."
"Carry On Up the Vicarage" is a musical tribute to Agatha Christie. It features vocals from Hackett himself. The vocals during virtually of the vocal consist of a double trouble of an artificially high pitched phonation as well as an artificially depression pitched one. Hackett has oft used similar distorting effects on his vocals inward his solo career.
"Racing inward A" also features Steve Walsh on vocals. The vocal is electrical for virtually of its duration, simply the final 1:15 is a classical guitar slice which decreases inward stride throughout, finishing on a relaxing banker's complaint to fix for the fully acoustic instrumental rail "Kim". Which consists of Steve Hackett on classical guitar amongst his blood brother John on flute, it was largely inspired past times Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie No 1".
"How Can I?" is the final rail on side i of the original vinyl. It is a ho-hum vocal which features Richie Havens on vocals.
Side ii of the vinyl consists of a suite of songs which time period straight into each other. It begins amongst "Hoping Love Will Last" amongst Randy Crawford on vocals. It has a heavy R&B/soul influence simply amongst around classical mode guitar parts every bit good every bit atmospheric sections featuring synthesisers. The 2d of these sections segues into "Land of a Thousand Autumns", an instrumental, atmospheric rail which contains references to the principal subject of the championship track. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 abrupt drum fill upwardly leads into the side past times side track.
"Please Don't Touch" itself is an instrumental rail amongst many fourth dimension signature changes that features prominent purpose of Hackett's Roland GR-500 Guitar Synthesiser. The rail was originally offered past times Hackett to Genesis for Wind as well as Wuthering, simply was rejected past times the residuum of the band. This rejection contributed to Hackett's eventual determination to exit Genesis inward 1977. The rail was written every bit a variation on the principal subject heard inward the Wind as well as Wuthering rail "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers...". This subject was also eventually incorporated into the vocal "Hackett to Bits", which was included on the 1985 GTR album featuring Yes guitarist Steve Howe. Owing to the Genesis connection, Hackett included a re-recording of "Please Don't Touch" inward his 2012 album Genesis Revisited II.
"Please Don't Touch" abruptly transitions into "The Voice of Necam". This rail also features references to the "Please Don't Touch" subject at the beginning, simply inward the middle it becomes to a greater extent than of an ambient slice featuring a calculator called Necam. The final 1:20 of the rail is a classical guitar slice backed past times the aforementioned computerised chords.
"Icarus Ascending" is the final rail on the album as well as is sung past times Richie Havens.
The encompass was designed past times the creative somebody Kim Poor, every bit were many of Hackett's album covers. It shows a Victorian yoke existence attacked past times automata inward a toy shop. This became the inspiration for a scene inward Blade Runner, where the graphic symbol Rick Deckard (played past times Harrison Ford) is attacked inward a apartment total of replicant toys.
Steve Hackett left Genesis inward June 1977 (following the tour that would endure documented on Seconds Out), as well as started his solo career inward earnest amongst Please Don't Touch. Unlike Voyage of the Acolyte, which was a largely instrumental concept album steeped inward the progressive stone idiom, this tape is primarily a collection of songs featuring invitee vocalists Richie Havens, Randy Crawford, as well as Kansas' Steve Walsh (their Phil Ehart also chips inward hither on drums). Although the amount number is something of a patchwork, the private pieces are oft lovely. Over his career, Hackett has shown a propensity for extremes, inward this representative letting the jazzy as well as sentimental "Hoping Love Will Last" segue into the musical maelstrom of "Land of a Thousand Autumns" as well as "Please Don't Touch" (which volition delight fans of Hackett's inaugural of all record, although the Caroline CD inexplicably pauses also long betwixt the two). In a nod to King Crimson (specifically Lizard), the championship rail is rapidly cutting off amongst the quirky carousel sounds of "The Voice of Necam," which itself dissolves into a mix of airy voices as well as acoustic guitar. The best tracks belong to Richie Havens: "How Can I?" ("Hackett"'s accept on Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") as well as the conclusive "Icarus Ascending." Hackett is no singer, as well as thence he wisely masks his phonation inward a "laughing gnome" number on the delightful "Carry on Up the Vicarage" as well as hides behind Walsh's Pb on "Narnia" as well as "Racing inward A." Perhaps taking his cue from Gabriel (whose debut had appeared inward 1977), Hackett seems eager to demonstrate his attain every bit a songwriter. While he clearly has a cupboard total of skilful ideas as well as a genuine knack for interesting arrangements, Hackett is also much the eccentric Englishman to appeal to wide commercial tastes. Please Don't Touch remains a uniquely effective amalgam of progressive stone as well as pop; similar his inaugural of all album, he never made around other i quite similar it, maybe because he i time again taps the concept's total potential here.
Track listing
All tracks written past times Steve Hackett.
"Narnia" – 4:05
"Carry On Up the Vicarage" – 3:11
"Racing inward A" – 5:07
"Kim" – 2:13
"How Can I?" – 4:38
"Hoping Love Will Last" – 4:23
"Land of a Thousand Autumns" – 1:38
"Please Don't Touch" – 3:39
"The Voice of Necam" – 3:11
"Icarus Ascending" – 6:27
Personnel
Steve Hackett – Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Roland GR-500 Guitar Synthesizer, vocals (2), backing vocals (1, 3, 9, 10), keyboards, percussion
John Hackett – flute, piccolo, bass pedals, keyboards
John Acock – keyboards, engineer
James Bradley – percussion
Phil Ehart – drums, percussion
Tom Fowler – bass
Richie Havens – vocals (5, 10), percussion
Dave Lebolt – keyboards
Hugh Malloy – cello
Graham Smith – violin
Chester Thompson – drums, percussion
Steve Walsh – vocals (1, 3)
Maria Bonvino – invitee woman somebody soprano (6)
Randy Crawford – vocals (6)
Feydor – vocals on "The Voice of Necam"
Dan Owen, Dale Newman – invitee vocals on "Icarus Ascending"
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