Search - Smokie :: Best of: Original Hits

LIGHTWEIGHT SEVENTIES POP

Pieter | Johannesburg | 05/20/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Smokie were regular visitors to the UK charts in the latter half of the 1970s with their catchy pop tunes. Living Next Door To Alice was their remake of an earlier hit which they took into the top ten, while Oh Carol is a bouncy number which went top 5 in 1978. If You Think You Know How To love Me, I'll Meet You At Midnight and Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone are in the same vein, as is Don't Play Your Rock `n Roll To Me - all these aforementioned were a type of middle of the road pop ballad that did well commercially but haven't stood the test of time very well. Their version of the classic Needles And Pins is just digestible, but their uptempo pop sound has best stood the test of time. This collection also includes Stumblin' In, Chris Norman's duet with Suzi Quattro. Overall this an enjoyable album of lightweight pop with hummable tunes and professional playing, but nothing remarkable or innovative."

British pop group of the seventies

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 03/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.



Mexican girl (which only just made the UK top twenty) is a good song but not essential. Like the previously mentioned Take good care of my baby, it is sometimes included in Smokie collections and sometimes not. Chris Norman also had a minor duet hit with Suzi Quatro and this is also sometimes included in Smokie compilations but, again, it's not essential. Of course, you might think one or more of these songs are essential, in which case make sure you select a Smokie compilation that contains whichever tracks you want.



Lead singer Chris Norman has a soulful, smoky voice (is that how the group got its name?) that you either love or hate. So if you're unfamiliar with Smokie's music, perhaps you should listen to some of it before committing yourself. Assuming you like Chris's distinctive voice you will enjoy this if you enjoy seventies soft rock music."