Vinyl Icons

Original Vinyl
Touch was released in November 1983 in the UK and Europe on RCA, pressed using the Direct Metal Mastering technique [PL70109]. The front cover featured Annie Lennox, while the white rear cover showed the tracklisting. Dave Stewart's portrait photo was relegated to the inner sleeve, the other side of which had the credits and collage artwork.

The LP had one black and one white customised record labels. The US and Canadian versions, meanwhile, both sported all white labels, with catalogue number AFL1-4917.

8-Track And Cassette
The only 8-track cartridge release was manufactured for the US market in 1983 in a cream shell with programme breaks across 'True Blue' and 'The First Cut' [S163879].

The US cassette had pale grey shells with details printed onto the shell [AFK1-4958]. The UK and Europe saw a black shell with white labels [NK90369].

Compact Disc
Touch had an early release on CD, coming out simultaneously with the vinyl LP in 1983 in European territories on a silver disc with black writing [PD 70109] and in the US with blue. Some of the later editions were released in longbox format.

There was an unusually long time before the album was remastered, which took place at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, West London. The remastered European CD came out in 2005 on Sony BMG/RCA [82876 561162]. It included seven bonus tracks. These were the B-sides and 12in tracks 'You Take Some Lentils And You Take Some Rice', 'ABC (Freeform)', 'Plus Something Else', 'Paint A Rumour (Long Version)' and 'Who's That Girl?' played live.

Two other tracks were previously unreleased, a live version of 'Here Comes The Rain Again' and The Eurythmics' take on David Bowie's 'Fame'. The remastered US CD came out on RCA Legacy [8287656116 2].

Collector's Items
One of the most interesting and obscure collector's items is Classic Albums: Touch on the BBC World Service/Radio International label [TCD-1118] from 1996. This is a 61-minute interview and music promo CD in which DJ Richard Skinner talks to Dave Stewart before playing each track. Strictly speaking, copies are the property of the BBC!

Also of interest is a limited edition picture disc on RCA [see below], showing Annie Lennox on side one and Dave Stewart and the tracklisting on side two. This was released in the UK in 1984 [PLP 70109].

Audiophile LPs
Two different newly remastered LPs were released in 2018, one on 180g vinyl for UK and Europe and one for the US and Canada, on standard weight vinyl, which is a half-speed remaster. Both have the catalogue number 19075811621.