Touch

Artist: Sarah McLachlan
Label: Arista
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 078221859424
EAN: 0078221859424
ASIN: B000002VGJ

Release Date: 1990-10-25

Touch

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Tracks:

Out Of The Shadows
Vox
Strange World
Trust
Touch
Steaming
Sad Clown
Uphill Battle
Ben's Song
Vox (Extended)

Similar Items:

Solace
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Surfacing
Afterglow
The Freedom Sessions [EP] [ENHANCED CD]

Amazon.com

Nova Scotia-born singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan was only 20 years old when Touch was released in 1988. This is an impressive first effort, though maybe too earnest in its attempt to break new ground in otherwise familiar terrain of late-'80s synthesized textures. Yet McLachlan's pristine vocals and intricate guitar work yield several memorable tracks, including the opening "Out of the Shadows," the popular "Vox" (which also appears in a tripped-out--verging on hokey--remixed version at the end), and the enchanting "Strange World." Her youthful romanticism is perhaps captured best in "Trust" ("Somewhere deep inside me I hold a picture / Of a time long gone--a time of ease and / Simple pleasures..."), a catchy tune that is embellished with male vocals, sparkling keyboards, bongos, and distant electric-guitar licks. Later tracks become more endearing with each listen but in certain moods can be nauseatingly dreamy and vaporous. Nevertheless, this disc endures as a fine remembrance of the early days, when McLachlan was a fresh-eyed mystic songbird whose passions were not yet realized on an international scale. --Rebecca Robinson

Customer Reviews:

Nice Early Album!.......2006-07-10

Though Sarah McLachlan was very young at the time ( 1988 ) when she recorded her first album "Touch", her great talent clearly shines throughout the album. She has obviously matured both as a singer and especially as a songwriter since then; but there are really fine songs to be found here too. Recorded in the late 1980's it's no surprise that there is the typical 1980's sound on most tracks, and fans of her great albums of the 1990's may find this album somewhat over-produced.

For me the standout track is the catchy "Vox"; one the songs that sound the most like later recordings.

Quieter songs like "Out of the Shadows" and "Strangest World" are also among my favourites.

The album documents McLachlan's great talents as a songwriter, as a singer and also as an intrumentalist - she plays a lot of beatiful acoustic guitar and piano.

Excellent sound and excellent condition........2006-03-02

I was VERY pleased with my order. It was sent in a timely fashion in an neat and well packaged box. The sound quality of the CD is excellent and it came in perfect condition. I am very glad I opted to make the purchase.

Sarah is one of my favorite singers so ALL the songs were good.. LOL!

Early Signs Of The Beauty To Come.......2005-01-16

My encounter with Sarah McLachlan came in the summer of 2004. I'd heard her music before but didn't really think of listening to any of her music, until I watched the final episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Season 2, "Becoming Part 2." The overwhelming emotion of that episode combined with Sarah's "Full Of Grace" made me buy two of her albums, "Solace" and "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy." I was so glad I did because those are both two amazing, beautiful recordings. For Christmas I also got "Touch," "Surfacing" and "Afterglow." Whilst I regard the latter two to be the best, "Touch" is also a noteworthy debut and should not be dismissed as it is by some fans.

Released in 1989, Touch was a relatively obscure debut from the talented McLachlan. She wasn't a well known singer and this album didn't exactly set the charts alight, but the promise was there. This album, more than anything, showcases a blossoming talent that was in the early stages of blooming - a blossom that wouldn't be fully realised until two albums later. Solace was a big step forward from this debut, which she took further and finally blossomed on Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. It's interesting, however, to see the development of her confidence in her music from such an early stage.

The album opens with the beautiful "Out Of The Shadows." This song has soft percussion and gentle, swaying vocals from Sarah. The way she sings the lyrics is very memorable and a great way to open the album. I am also very fond of the long, mournful wails in the background that seem to echo over the hills. A very beautiful and atmospheric composition. "Vox" is an amazing song and definitely one of my favourite Sarah McLachlan songs ever! It's just a fun, upbeat pop number with a very cheerful chorus and a beautiful section where Sarah wails with her excellent voice which seems capable of anything. "Strange World" is a rather strange song where Sarah is joined by a male vocalist. Together they sing of this strange world which creates an ominous feeling of something yet to come. "Trust" opens beautifully before breaking out with a slamming drum break. The guitars are in full effect here, and whilst it's hardly a heavy metal song it's rather more rocky than anything else on the album. The chorus changes this, however, as the piano lightens things up.

"Touch" reminds me a bit of an Enya song because there's not much actual singing in this song, but more wailing and Operatic-vocals. It's not really one of my favourite songs, so it's a good thing when the next song starts. "Steaming" has a very strong beat to it, with some very memorable lyrics in its chorus, "All the way my love. Over the hills I'll ride on through you." It's not the actual lyrics, but the way in which they are arranged, which creates a very sweet melody. Overall, this is one of the album's best songs. "Sad Clown" is another one of my favourites, yet the focus is more on the music rather than Sarah's voice. The intro is rather dramatic with a little bit of everything and some subdued strings adding a great atmosphere to the song. "Uphill Battle" is a good song but not one of the best on the album. It creates a feeling of loneliness and sadness whenever I listen to it. Again, there's no singing here, but it is a nice instrumental piece. Some might see it as a pointless waste of album time at nearly 5 minutes long, but I actually regard it as a strong piece on the album. "Ben's Song" is the last song on the album and is so strong because it is the only true ballad. All the other songs border on mid-tempo, 'safe' pop songs, but this is truly something different. "Vox (Extended)" is a bit of a disappointment in my opinion. I don't think there was anything wrong with the original and this version is pretty rubbish. Also, it's nearly seven minutes long which I think is too long!

OVERALL GRADE: 7/10

I experience a similar feeling whenever I listen to a Sarah McLachlan album: a feeling of pure beauty and content. It doesn't matter which album it is, because her voice is so versatile. She can sing anything (as witnessed by the 2000's UK dance smash hit "Silence" by Delerium which she sung the vocals for) and this album shows a natural early start to a beautiful music career that would blossom and still hold up even 15 years after its release. The woman has longevity and will be going strong for years to come.

Touch.......2004-12-15

Sarah McLachlan's Touch is amazing. Introspective, haunting, with almost a Celtic flair, this album is, quite simply, a must-have. Every song gets at least a 5/5, they're all so beautiful.

Out of the Shadows: Really mysterious and haunting. Sarah's voice is awesome in this one-full of emotion and with almost a breathy quality, which really fits the song. "A cold wind blows right through me, I'm made a hollow shell...is there a way out for me?"

Vox: Amazing all around. This is such a gorgeous, brilliant piece with awesome lyrics, not to mention everything else. "And I'm walking towards the water steaming, body cold and bare. But your words cut loose the fire and you left my soul to bleed...O Why?"

Strange World: Everything fits so perfectly with the title and lyrics. Sarah's voice is quite obviously younger in this one, but that fits, too. "Your touch is cold and damp, the devil's in your eyes."

Trust: Beautiful with kind of a tough layer. There's really nothing else to say about this song. "Listen to the fragments of my thoughts, that leave me broken and deceived."

Touch: So gorgeous. No lyrics, just piano and Sarah's amazing beyond amazing voice-it really hits you right in the soul.

Steaming: Wow. The combination of Sarah's voice, instruments, and lyrics is so awesome. "If you want me to go, just ask me to go, I'd go."

Sad Clown: The lyrics are amazing-every time I hear them I get shivers going down my spine. Sarah's voice-which is amazingly mature in this song-and the instruments really enhance the freaky qualities of this song. "From the river comes a figure drifting slowly by, trailing down the water leaving softer than a sigh...a dying swansong forever lost, your cries of glory."

Uphill Battle: A great arrangement. It's instrumental, so lacks Sarah's beautiful voice, but somehow makes up for it with the amazing arrangement and placement of the instruments. It sounds exactly like the name.

Ben's Song: Pure and gorgeous, but mysterious and painful, too. It's got this really eerie tone. "A cold wind blows on a windless day."

Vox [Extended Version]: A great remixed version. "The crowds were standing, staring, faceless, cutting off my view to you. They start to limply flail their bodies in a twisted mime...O Why?"

An overlooked debut worth checking out.......2004-07-11

I was a little wary of listening to this album. I had heard it wasn't like any of her other albums, and I wasn't sure if I would like it. In fact, the first time I listened to it, I liked it but I was a little put off by it. I decided that before I wrote my review of the album, I would have to listen to it as if I hadn't heard Sarah's other terrific albums. I needed to have an open mind, and this CD deserved to be judged on its own merits.

Having listened to this CD again, I must say it is a terrific album. Sarah really shows she had talent right out of the gate. The songwriting is surprisingly strong for a first album. Her voice is also in great form, even though she uses a little too much of her upper register.

1)Out of the Shadows: a great album opener. One of my favorites.
2)Vox: very good and has a good beat.
3)Strange World: another good song.
4)Trust: I like this song as well.
5)Touch: this song seems like a way for Sarah to show off her voice, but what a voice it is.
6)Steaming: one of the best songs here. It packs a punch.
7)Sad Clown: also one of the album's best songs. I like the beat a lot.
8)Uphill Battle: an instrumental song. It's good and all, but it lacks Sarah's greatest instrument- her voice.
9)Ben's Song: a haunting song. I love the lyric "A cold wind blows on a windless day".
10)Vox (Extendend Version): as good as the original version. Towards the end Sarah sounds like Sinead O'Connor.

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