Bright Lights & Back Alleys is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Smokie, released on 7 October 1977 in the United Kingdom[2] by RAK Records. Recorded primarily at Whitney Recording Studios in Glendale, California, from March to April 1977, it was produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, as were all the band's previous albums.
| Bright Lights & Back Alleys | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 October 1977 | |||
| Recorded | March – April 1977[1] | |||
| Studio | Whitney Recording Studios (Glendale, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:08[nb 1] | |||
| Label | RAK | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Smokie chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Bright Lights & Back Alleys | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Your Life" | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | 3:33 |
| 2. | "I Can't Stay Here Tonight" | Chris Norman, Pete Spencer | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Sunshine Avenue" | Norman, Spencer | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Think of Me (The Lonely One)" | Norman, Spencer | 4:41^^ |
| 5. | "In the Heat of the Night" | Chinn, Chapman | 4:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Needles and Pins" | Jack Nitzsche, Sonny Bono | 2:43 |
| 7. | "No One Could Ever Love You More" | Norman, Spencer | 2:30 |
| 8. | "The Dancer" | Leo Sayer, David Courtney | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Baby It's You" | Norman, Spencer | 3:49 |
| 10. | "Walk Right Back" | Norman, Spencer | 5:29 |
| Total length: | 39:08 | ||
^^The U.S. edition of the album replaces "Think Of Me (The Lonely One)" with "Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone" written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Now You Think You Know" | Terry Uttley | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone" | Chinn, Chapman | 4:05 |
| 13. | "Here Lies a Man" | Norman, Spencer | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 49:58 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Alone in a Cell" | Norman, Spencer, Alan Silson, Uttley | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 54:50 | ||
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the album's 1977[nb 4] and 2016[nb 3] liner notes.
- Smokie
- Chris Norman – lead vocals and backing vocals, guitars, synthesizers and electric piano
- Alan Silson – guitars and backing vocals
- Terry Uttley – bass and backing vocals
- Pete Spencer – drums, percussions and backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Tom Scott – lyricon and tenor saxophone (on "In the Heat of the Night")
- Technical personnel
- Mike Chapman – production
- Nicky Chinn – production
- Pete Coleman – engineering
- Jimmie Haskell – string arrangements (on tracks 1–3 and 5)
- Phil Dennys – string arrangements (on tracks 4 and 8)
- Cream – sleeve design
- Gered Mankowitz – photography
- Remastering
- Tim Turan at Turan Audio – 2007 remastering
- MM Sound Digital Mastering Studios – 2016 remastering
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[9] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- Notes
^ "Baby It's You" was recorded in July 1976 at Decca Studios (Paris, France), and "Think of Me (The Only One)" — in August 1977 at Bovema Studios (Heemstede, Holland).
- Citations
- ^ Guarisco, Donald A. Smokie: "Bright Lights & Back Alleys" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Hendriks, Phil (2007). Bright Lights & Back Alleys (booklet). Smokie. London: 7T's Records (GLAM CD 39). p. 4.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 279. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Smokie; 'Bright Lights & Back Alleys')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ "British album certifications – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 October 2016.