Smokie

Surprisingly, no hits surfaced when The Montreux Album was released. The great "For a Few Dollars More" is here, and along with the original "The Girl Can't Help It, " they should have had much more success than they did. This is a solidly played and recorded work…

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…

On Changing All the Time, Smokie realizes the promise that was only hinted at Pass It Around. This album presents a confident and stylishly crafted blend of country-rock muscle and pop hooks that helped the group become a European phenomenon…

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…

"Solid Ground" is Smokie's second album without their producers and hit songwriters Chinn & Chapman. Some say it is a return to their rock and blues roots… but unfortunately this is not really true…

On Changing All the Time, Smokie realizes the promise that was only hinted at Pass It Around. This album presents a confident and stylishly crafted blend of country-rock muscle and pop hooks that helped the group become a European phenomenon…

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. With Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman once again in the producer's chairs, the band produced some notable hits in Europe: "Something's Been Making Me Blue" layers Smokie's trademark harmonies atop a rousing country-rock tune driven by tasty guitar work, and "Wild Wild Angels" is a dramatic power ballad that highlights a strong lead from whiskey-throated vocalist Chris Norman…

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…