Smokie

Smokie's historical reputation as northern England's answer to America's west coast sound is done no disservice whatsoever by this sharp collection not of their all-time greatest hits, but of the songs and singles that stand the loudest in the memory of anybody who had an ear tuned to UK radio in the mid-1970s. Pick of the pack, as with any Smokie collection, has to be the sublime "Living Next Door to Alice", with the title track and "Changing All The Time" coming in a close second. But, by drawing more from the band's own songwriting canon than from their original mentors Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, the compiler allows such jewels as "Back To Bradford", "Poor Lady" and "I Can't Stay Here Tonight" to shine forth, and Don't Play Your Rock'n'Roll To Me emerges a pointed reminder of the days when the term "Adult Oriented Rock" didn't necessarily signify something you'd rush to the hills to avoid. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide