Touch Me There

Touch Me There is an album by L. Shankar, released in 1979 on Zappa Records. Shankar performed acoustic and 5-string Barcus Berry electric violin, string orchestra, and provided vocals on the track "Knee Deep in Heaters." It was produced by Frank Zappa, and released by Zappa Records.

Touch Me There
Studio album by
Shankar
ReleasedSeptember 24, 1979
August 18, 1992 (reissue)
RecordedAdvision Studios[1]
GenreRock[2]
Length36:01
LabelZappa
ProducerFrank Zappa
Shankar chronology
Touch Me There
(1979)		 Who's to Know
(1980)

Production

The album was produced by Frank Zappa who also served as the album's lyricist and who co-wrote, with Shankar, the music for the tracks "Dead Girls of London" and "No More Mr. Nice Girl." Shankar composed all the other music for the album, and further served as an arranger and orchestrator on the record.

The song "Dead Girls of London" was released as a 12" maxi single on September 24, 1979.

In the final version of "Dead Girls Of London", the lyrics are sung by Zappa and collaborator Ike Willis. Vicky Blumenthal provides the chorus on "Dead Girls Of London," "Knee-Deep In Heaters," and "No More Mr. Nice Girl," while Jenny Lautrec sings the lyrics to the album's title track, "Touch Me There," and Shankar himself sings the lyrics to the album's final track, "Knee-Deep In Heaters."

The lyrics for the album's opening track, "Dead Girls Of London" were originally supposed to be sung by Van Morrison, but since Morrison was signed to the Warner Bros. Records record label who Zappa was in a legal dispute with at the time, Zappa was unable to release the song on his label with Morrison's vocals, and so it was re-recorded with vocals by Zappa and Ike Willis. The original version appeared on the compilation The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAAAAAM Birthday Bundle 2011.

Release history

The album was released on Zappa Records in 1979, and was reissued on CD by Barking Pumpkin Records in 1992. It was released on iTunes in 2012.

The original album is credited to "L. Shankar", but on CD and iTunes, he is credited as "Shankar".

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]

Allmusic writer Ken Dryden called the album "uneven but worthwhile".[2]

Track listing

Original vinyl release

(Zappa Records, 1979)

Side One:

  1. Dead Girls Of London (L. Shankar: Music, Frank Zappa: Lyrics, music) – 5:23
  2. Windy Morning (Shankar: Music) – 3:57
  3. Knee Deep in Heaters (Shankar: Music, F. Zappa: Lyrics) – 5:38
  4. Little Stinker (Shankar: Music) – 3:20

Side Two:

  1. Darlene (Shankar: Music) – 2:56
  2. Touch Me There (Shankar: Music, F. Zappa: Lyrics) – 3:03
  3. No More Mr. Nice Girl (Shankar, F. Zappa) – 8:16
  4. Love Gone Away (Shankar: Music) – 3:33

CD reissue

(Barking Pumpkin Records, 1992)

  1. Dead Girls Of London (L. Shankar: Music, Frank Zappa: Lyrics, music) – 5:23
  2. Little Stinker (Shankar: Music) – 3:20
  3. Touch Me There (Shankar: Music, F. Zappa: Lyrics) – 3:03
  4. No More Mr. Nice Girl (Shankar, F. Zappa)– 8:16
  5. Love Gone Away (Shankar: Music) – 3:33
  6. Darlene (Shankar: Music) – 2:56
  7. Windy Morning (Shankar: Music) – 3:57
  8. Knee-Deep in Heaters (Shankar: Music, F. Zappa: Lyrics) – 5:38

Personnel
  • L. Shankar – Acoustic violin, 5 string Barcus Berry electric violin and string orchestra. Vocals on "Knee Deep in Heaters"
  • Phil Palmer - Mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars
  • Dave Marquee - Bass
  • Simon Phillips - Drums
  • James Lascelles - Fender rhodes, organ, acoustic piano, synthesizer
  • Jack Emblow - Accordion on "No More Mr. Nice Girl"
  • Stucco Homes (Frank Zappa) - Vocals on "Dead Girls of London"
  • Vicky Blumenthal - Chorus on "Dead Girls of London," "Knee Deep in Heaters," "No More Mr. Nice Girl"
  • Jenny Lautrec - Vocals on "Touch Me There"
  • Ike Willis - Vocals on "Dead Girls of London"

Production
  • L. Shankar - Basic arrangement for "Little Stinker," "Love Gone Away" and "Darlene". Recording arrangement and orchestration for "Love Gone Away"
  • Ron Frangipane - Basic arrangement except on "Little Stinker" and "Darlene." Recording arrangement and orchestration for "Love Gone Away"
  • Frank Zappa - Producer, recording arrangements and orchestration except on "Love Gone Away"
  • Geoff Young - Engineer
  • Peter Wooldiscroft - Tape Operator
  • Steve Nye - Engineer
  • Tim Cuthbertson - Tape Operator
  • Mick Glossop - Engineer
  • Alan Douglas - Tape Operator
  • Carol Friedman - Cover design & photography
  • Jonathan Pite - Photographer's assistant
  • Joseph D'Anna - Personal management
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References
  1. "L. Shankar - Touch Me There". Globalia.net. 1979. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 177. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
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