Smokie

This 1976 follow-up to the successful Changing All the Time finds Smokie pursuing the same kind of country-flavored pop that made that album a hit…

This was the debut album for Smokie, an English quartet who were a pet project for legendary English pop producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Although their unique blend of country-rock and pop would soon make Smokie a big success in Europe, their style comes off as tentative and unfocused on Pass It Around…

By the end of the 1970s, Smokie seemed more or less spent as a serious commercial force, although they continued racking up the hit singles, sporadically at home and consistently in Germany. This album, however, caught them during one of their fallow patches, midway between the peaks of "Mexican Girl" and "Take Good Care of My Baby," and it was very easy to overlook it entirely…

The group had eleven UK hits between 1975 and 1978, all of them making the top twenty. In 1980, they had a lesser (top forty) hit with Take good care of my baby, a cover of Bobby Vee's classic. Of their UK hits, four made the top five, these being If you think you know how to love me, Living next door to Alice, It's your life and Oh Carol (not a cover of the old Neil Sedaka song), all up-tempo songs. I like all those songs but my favorites are the ballads - Something's been making me blue, I'll meet you at midnight and Lay back in the arms of someone. Their other essential UK hits are Don't play your rock'n'roll to me, Needles and pins (a cover of the sixties classic) and For a few dollars more.

Originally formed in Yorkshire, England, in 1966, Smokie hit the British pop charts several times during the late '70s with updated psychedelic pop, influenced by the band's stay on Mickie Most's Rak Records as well as the writers of most of the band's hit material, Rak's Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Vocalist Chris Norman, bassist Terry Utley, guitarist Alan Silson, and drummer Ron Kelly had played in the Elizabethans, but formed the band Kindness in 1970. The quartet recorded many singles during the late '60s and early '70s, but failed to show any chart activity. By 1973, Kelly had left the band and was replaced by Pete Spencer.

2007 two CD compilation from the '70s British Pop/Rock band fronted by Chris Norman. Smokie's sound was a combination of hook-laden songs supplied by top pop team Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and distinctive but unashamedly Stateside - influenced Soft-Rock harmonies. Though their very first television performance was on the Rock-credible Old Grey Whistle Test, they found themselves virtual residents on Top of the Pops as the '70s ended. This collection tells their story superbly. 36 tracks including 'If You Think You Know How to Love Me', 'Living Next Door to Alice' and 'Oh Carol'. Also includes 'Stumblin' In', Chris Norman's hit duet with Suzi Quatro!

Smokie are an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire, England. The band found success at home as well as the rest of the world after teaming up with Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. Along the way they have had a number of line-up changes and were still actively touring in 2015. Their most famous hit singles include "If You Think You Know How to Love Me", "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me", "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone". Their most popular hit single, "Living Next Door to Alice", peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and, in March 1977, reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

UK three CD set, the only Smokie compilation you'll ever need. Formed in Bradford, Yorkshire, Smokie rose to fame in the 1970s and found chart success with their signature glam-pop sound. This career compilation includes all of the group's biggest hits including 'Living Next Door To Alice', 'It's Your Life', ' Oh Carol', 'Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone' and 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain'. Disc One covers the period of 1975-1976 including classics tracks 'Don't Play Your Rock 'N' Roll To Me' and 'If You Think You Know How To Love Me' which both peaked at #3 in the UK singles chart. Disc Two opens with Smokie's international hit 'Living Next Door To Alice' which was a #1 hit in 7 countries. Other hits included on this disc include 'Oh Carol' and 'Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone'. Disc Three concludes the set with tracks from the end of Smokie's classic era, including the singles 'Take Good Care Of My Baby', 'Little Town Flirt' and 'Jet Lagged'.