PLEASE DON'T TOUCH!

After his splendid debut album this second effort was a bit disappointing for me. It contains an impressive list of guest singers (Ritchie Havens 'from Woodstock', Randy Crawford and Steve Walsh from Kansas) but to me this idea of using so many singers led to a very accesible an dmainstream rock sound, not very adventurous or captivating. Although I am a huge Hackett fan only a few compositions can please me like "Land of a thousand autumns" (compelling use of the guitar synthesizer) and the dynamic titletrack. If you compare this second album the his next, in my opinion most mature, you can conclude that Steve Hackett looked at this album as a nice musical idea but not really as the way Hackett solo should sound. That compelling and captivating sound he would develop from his third solo album.

1. Narnia (4:06) 2. Carry On Up the Vicarage (3:11) 3. Racing In A (5:07) 4. Kim (2:14) 5. How Can I? (4:40) 6. Hoping Love Will Last (4:09) 7. Land of a Thousand Autumns (1:57) 8. Please Don't Touch (3:39) 9. The Voice of Necam (3:11) 10. Icarus Ascending (6:21)