Touch are one of the great lost pioneers of American progressive rock — a late-1960s band whose sole, self-titled album was so far ahead of its time that some consider it the first true American prog record. Blending psychedelia with elaborate, symphonic, keyboard-driven arrangements and soaring harmonies, they made a record that predated even King Crimson’s debut, only to vanish almost as quickly as they appeared. Today, that album is treasured as a cult landmark of early prog.

The short version

Formed in 1968 and built around keyboardist Don Gallucci, Touch made just one self-titled album, released in 1969 — a remarkable blend of psychedelic rock and early symphonic prog, full of grand keyboards, intricate arrangements and lush vocal harmonies. Often cited as one of the very first American progressive rock bands, and predating King Crimson’s landmark debut, they are a fascinating and frequently overlooked piece of prog history.

Portland to Hollywood: ahead of their time

Touch grew out of the final line-up of the Portland band Don and the Goodtimes, led by keyboardist Don Gallucci — already a minor legend as the teenager who played the famous keyboard riff on the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie”, and later the producer of the Stooges. Relocating to a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, Gallucci, singer Jeff Hawks and guitarist Joey Newman recruited bassist Bruce Hauser and drummer John Bordonaro, and as Touch they signed to Coliseum Records for a then-remarkable advance. The music they began making was unlike anything else coming out of America at the time.

Early American symphonic prog

What made Touch so striking was how far their music reached beyond the psychedelic rock of the day. Don Gallucci’s organ and piano were as ambitious as anything Keith Emerson was playing with the Nice, while Jeff Hawks’s high, clear voice has often been likened to Jon Anderson of Yes. Layered with rich harmonies, classical and jazz touches and sudden, dramatic shifts, songs like the epic “Seventy Five” pointed straight toward the symphonic prog that bands such as Yes and Genesis would soon make famous. Remarkably, all of this was recorded before King Crimson’s debut — making Touch genuine forerunners of the genre.

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The album

Touch released a single, self-titled album, “Touch”, in 1969 — seven original songs ranging from concise rockers like “We Feel Fine” and “Miss Teach” to sprawling, multi-part epics like “The Spiritual Death of Howard Greer” and the magnificent, near-twelve-minute “Seventy Five”. Recorded at Hollywood’s Sunset Sound, the sessions became the stuff of legend, reportedly drawing curious visitors including Jimi Hendrix, Grace Slick and Mick Jagger. Yet despite the buzz, the album sold poorly — not helped by the band’s reluctance to tour — and Touch soon disbanded. In the decades since, the record has been rediscovered and reissued, earning its place as a cult classic and a key early document of progressive rock.

Why they still matter

Touch matter as one of the earliest and most intriguing pioneers of American progressive rock — a band who, with a single album, reached for a grand, symphonic, genre-blending sound before the prog era had truly begun. That they were largely ignored in their own time only adds to the fascination; heard now, their music sounds like a missing link between psychedelia and full-blown prog. For anyone curious about where American progressive rock started, Touch’s lone album is essential listening.

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