Touch

Don Gallucci, the creative force behind Touch, had this to say in regards to his group’s one and only album, first released in 1969 on Decca Records: “The Touch album… was designed to go where no one had musically gone before in order to break down barriers and walls in the mind; to cause the listener to achieve an altered state of consciousness… through music.” No, I’m not exactly sure what that means either, but it might not matter: Touch is widely considered the first progressive rock album ever, thereby saving it from its initial destination as yet another random footnote in the history of rock (whether to thank the band or blame them for their role in the birth of prog-rock is your choice). Touch, er, touches upon jazz (“Alesha and Others”), classical (“Friendly Birds”) and rock (“Miss Teach”) in creating what is ultimately a challenging, confusing, somewhat maddening collection of late ‘60s psychedelia. One can certainly debate the band’s decision to boldly go where no one had gone before, but it’s hard to overlook its impact on an entire genre. Incidentally, if you are really looking for an altered state of consciousness, consider this: Don Gallucci joined the Kingsmen in 1963 and played piano on “Louie, Louie.” He was 16 years old.

Notes: The late '60s Touch shouldn't be confused with the late '70s Touch, a melodic rock outfit led by keyboardist Mark Mangold. Check out the original Touch's MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/seventyfivemusic.