Touch -

Touch was an American psych-rock band from Portland, Ore., that released a self-titled album on London-subsidiary Coliseum (U.S.) and Deram (U.K.) in 1969.

Members: Jeff Hawks (vocals), Joey Newman (guitar), Don Gallucci (keyboards), Bruce Hauser (bass), John Bordonaro (drums)

Background

Touch emerged from the final lineup of Portland popsters Don & The Goodtimes, which featured vocalist Jeff Hawks, guitarist Joey Newman, and namesake keyboardist (and one-time Kingsmen) Don Gallucci. They replaced the Goodtimes rhythm section with bassist Bruce Hauser and drummer John Bordonaro and relocated to the Hollywood Hills as Touch. In early 1969, they masqueraded as Band of Thieves behind folk singer Elyse Weinberg (aka Cori Bishop) on the album Elyse.

Touch

The album Touch appeared in 1969 on Coliseum Records, a Los Angeles indie.

Touch contains seven originals, including “We Feel Fine,” “Friendly Birds,” “The Spiritual Death of Howard Greer,” “Alesha and Others,” and the epic “Seventy Five.”

Don Gallucci wrote four songs in collaboration with Joey Newman and two with Jeff Hawks. They laid the tracks at Sunset Sound Recorders with producer Gene Shiveley, whose contemporary credits include albums by The Rolling Stones (Beggars Banquet) and Captain Beefheart (Strictly Personal).

Touch appeared in a gatefold by The Glass Eye, the design firm behind cover for The Moth Confesses by The Neon Philharmonic.

Post-Touch

During the 1970s, Joey Newman appeared in a string of one-offs: Blue Mountain Eagle (1970), Brothers (1973), and Bandit (1975). In 1980, he issued a pair of solo albums on Azure Records. Gallucci played on 1969–72 albums by David Ackles, Richard Twice, and Stephen Ambrose.

Hauser, Hawks, and Newman co-wrote three songs on Flesh & Blood, the 1972 sophomore solo album by ex-Smith frontwoman Gayle McCormick. In 1974, they teamed with drummer Len Fagan in the ABC hard-rock one-off Stepson.

Touch was later reissued as 20-20 Sound by archivists Renaissance Records with bonus tracks, including the 11:44 “Blue Feeling.”

Discography: