PLEASE DON'T TOUCH!

While not the most appealing Steve Hackett album for a starving proghead, his second solo release displays several good hooks and tunes all the way through. Going for a shorter and more pop-oriented songformat the songs is still of high quality musically, especially the three opening tracks and the album's conclusion suite (which simply bursts of Hackett-isms). Quite different from Genesis' at the time which might explain Steve's conflictions within the band, but personally I prefer his approach to songwriting than Banks or Rutherford's for example, I usually view this album as the missing link between "Wind and Wuthering" and "And Then There Were Three". Featuring some highly enjoyable guest appearances from Steve Walsh, Phil Ehart (Kansas), Chester Thompson (Zappa, Weather Report), Randy Crawford and Ritchie Havens, making for a dynamic listening experience and their collaboration here is excellent.

Personal rating: 4.25/5.