SMOKIE

A very long time band Smokie did not dare to speak in concerts at home in Britain, fearing the half-empty halls and public ridicule. The fact that Smokie were working factory of popular songs, which has a good achievement, but is notorious.

Author's pair Nicky Chinn - Mike Chzpmen gained fame working with Suzi Quatro, Sweet and groups of Mud, but they wanted to do an ensemble that specialized would be on the album, rather than on singles. In a small London club Hztchet "they found a group of Kindness, which had already served seven years in various clubs around Bzdforda and after unsuccessful attempts to contact with companies RCA and Decca has not been able to record. Members of the ensemble for a long time remained constant - vocalist Chris Norman, guitarist Alzn Silson, drummer Pete Spencer and bassist Terry Attlee. The agreement was formalized as follows: Chzpmen will write songs, Chinn - take care of business, but in principle, the ensemble will be free to create their works. With them, then the ensemble has never been lucky, already in the past they relied on their own products and should have been earning a living Razvozov bread.

In early 1975 Chinn and Chzpmen announced "the birth" a new ensemble, which made its debut album Rass It Around, but nobody gave fooled. The failure of several softened siropny single If You Think You Know How I Love You, a well as some success tracks Don't Rlay the Rock'n'Roll to Me, which was based on a well-known melody, His Latest Flame, Elvis Presley performed more. Smokie fell into the same trouble as other groups from the factory Chinn-Chzpmen. They were "a group without a face", a popular chapel with a taste of rock, from which these rock ensembles were only jeans ... In Europe, the LRA does not interfere, here Smokie became popular immediately, as part of the U.S.. But in England after the single Something Making Me Blue failed song Wild Wild Angels, the sound which most closely approximates to their concert style. Chinn and Chzpmen somewhat alleviated the impression of failure technically Tango (!) I'll Meet You at Midnight, and then "wiped the dust" with the song Living Next Door to Alice, which has long been a popular performance of the Australian group New World.

Problems ensemble ztim did not dare. Smokie did not sell albums, while the third, they suggested good own songs, like What Can I Do and Going Home. "If we had a choice," - said Chris Norman - "we would put above all their songs. But everything is decided by a firm that prefers the creation Chinn and Chzpmena. On the next album we'll try to change the manner, we use exclusively zlektrogitarami, I also sing a little differently.

But the LRA does not exit, make records, which do not enjoy the success. We do not want to be compared to Led Zerrelin, but to be respected for what we do ". Therefore you Smokie were to expand the horizons of its activities: they sang for the band Heavy Metal Kids, collaborated with Donovznom in recording his new album. But Chinn and Chzpmena it was difficult to keep: the song in 1977 Lay Back In the Arms of Someone they openly showed melody and professionalism, . while their next success - the song It's Your Life resembles in itself non-original tune Harrison My Sweet Lord, . although its refreshing rhythm rzggeya,
. The album Bright Lights and Back Alleys appeared hit Needles And Rins Search ers from the 13-year-old. In the second half of the '70s, the highest point of his career, Smokie could not complain about the lack of popularity in the continental scene. They were winners of the questionnaire readers Ror Foto as a group, and also earned the title of best singer, guitarist, bassist, composer, the first single and first album, as well as the title of the best touring groups.

On their tour of European cities halls were crowded on azrodrome they met crowds of fans, the album Bright Lights ... for two weeks, sold over 400000 in zkzemplyarov. A press conference was replaced by another, they are photographed with Kevin Kiganom, soccer superstar. An entirely different remains their position at home. Published by Ian Wright, who collaborated with Hot Shocolate, said: "Five years I tried to make Smokie a reputation in England, but still consider them to be just a misunderstanding and laugh at them". And with all ztim organizers of the tour group were required to be.

LP The Montreux Album, named for the place of record, according to the benevolent to them in the mainstream press, has opened a new indoor switchgear in the history of the group, which is now in the repertoire of radical was guided by their own works. The success of the signal Mexican Girl pointed out the validity of this approach.

However, after the release of the album The Other Side of the Road team fell into a prolonged stagnation, interrupted only once, in 1982, the release of the disc Strangers in Raradise. At the same time went the way of the road, Chris Norman and other members of the group.

The next album ensemble All Fired Ur appeared on the market only in 1988. Of the old members were only Silson and Attlee, came a new vocalist Alzn Burton, in the studio he also helped the drummer Paul Smith and several other seyshnmenov. The result was no worse than the most famous drive of Bright Lights and Back Alley, only in a more contemporary sound. But the most surprising is that Burton's voice was absolutely identical with the singing of Chris Norman. Burton in April 1995, died in a car crash.