Touch Me There is the debut solo album by L. Shankar, released in 1979 on Zappa Records. Shankar performed acoustic and 5-string Barcus Berry electric violin.

Production

The album was produced by Frank Zappa. He 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 served as arranger and orchestrator. "Dead Girls Of London" was originally intended to be sung by Van Morrison. He was signed to Warner Bros. Records, who Zappa was in a legal dispute with at the time. Zappa was unable to release the song with Morrison's vocals, so it was re-recorded by Zappa and Ike Willis. The original version later appeared on the compilation The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAAAAAM Birthday Bundle 2011. 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 "Touch Me There," and Shankar himself sings the lyrics to the album's final track, "Knee-Deep In Heaters." "Dead Girls of London" was released as a 12" maxi single on September 24, 1979.

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

AllMusic writer Ken Dryden called the album "uneven but worthwhile".

Track listing

Original vinyl release

(Zappa Records, 1979) Side One: Side Two:

CD reissue

(Barking Pumpkin Records, 1992)

Personnel

Production