Bright Lights & Back Alleys

Studio album by Smokie

Released

29 September 1977

Recorded

March — April 1977

Studio

Whitney Recording Studios
(Glendale, California)

Genre

Length

39:08^{[nb 1]}

Label

RAK

Producer

Smokie chronology

Greatest Hits
(1977)

Bright Lights & Back Alleys
(1977)

The Montreux Album
(1978)

Singles from Bright Lights & Back Alleys

"It's Your Life"
Released: June 1977
"Needles and Pins"
Released: 30 September 1977

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

Bright Lights & Back Alleys is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Smokie, released on 29 September 1977 in continental Europe^[2] and 7 October in the United Kingdom^[3] 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 the band's all previous albums.

Track listing

Side one
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 Only One)"	Norman, Spencer	4:41
5.	"In the Heat of the Night"	Chinn, Chapman	4:45

Side two
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

2007 remastered edition bonus tracks^{[nb 2]}
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

2016 remastered edition bonus tracks^{[nb 3]}
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Alone in a Cell"	Norman, Spencer, Alan Silson, Uttley	4:48
Total length:			54:50

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's 1977^{[nb 4]} and 2016^{[nb 3]} liner notes.

Smokie

Chris Norman – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars, keyboards
Alan Silson – vocals, backing vocals, guitars
Pete Spencer – backing vocals, drums, percussions
Terry Uttley – backing vocals, bass guitar

Additional musicians

Tom Scott – lyricon and tenor sax (on "In the Heat of the Night")

Technical personnel

Mike Chapman – production
Nicky Chinn – production
Pete Coleman – engineering
MM Sound Digital Mastering Studios – 2016 remastering
Jimmy Haskell – string arrangements (on tracks 1-3 and 5)
Phil Dennys – string arrangements (on tracks 4 and 8)
Cream – sleeve design
Gered Mankowitz – photography

Charts

Chart (1977)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[4]	6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[2]	6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[5]	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[6]	3

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Germany (BVMI)^[7]	Gold	250,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[8]	Silver	60,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

References

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).

↑ Ariola 261028-217
↑ 7T's GLAM CD 39
1 2 Sony Music 88985321942
↑ RAK SRAK 530

Citations

↑ Guarisco, Donald A. Smokie: "Bright Lights & Back Alleys" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
↑ Hendriks, Phil (2007). Bright Lights & Back Alleys (booklet). Smokie. London: 7T's Records (GLAM CD 39). p. 4.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys" (in German). Hung Medien. 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.
↑ "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. Enter Bright Lights & Back Alleys in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search

External links

Discography 1975-1982

Smokie

Terry Uttley Martin Bullard Steve Pinnell Mike Craft Mick McConnell Past members: Alan Silson Chris Norman Clarence Dawson Ron Kelly Arthur Higgins Pete Spencer Alan Barton

Studio albums	Pass It Around Changing All the Time Midnight Café Bright Lights & Back Alleys The Montreux Album The Other Side of the Road Solid Ground Strangers in Paradise Midnight Delight All Fired Up Boulevard of Broken Dreams Whose Are These Boots? Chasing Shadows Burnin' Ambition The World and Elsewhere Light a Candle - The Christmas Album Wild Horses – The Nashville Album Uncovered Uncovered Too On the Wire Take a Minute

Live albums	Greatest Hits Live Live in Concert 1995-1997 - Who the Fuck is Alice

Compilation albums	Greatest Hits The Very Best of Smokie - 14 Hit Singles The Very Best of Smokie

Singles	"Pass It Around (1975) "If You Think You Know How to Love Me" (1975) "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me" (1975) "Living Next Door to Alice" (1976) "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone" (1977) "Needles and Pins (1977)

Related articles	Smokie discography

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