Smokie

This three-disc budget-priced (and packaged) set of material from Yorkshire-based pop/rock outfit Smokie may appeal more to European listeners than the U.S market, where the band never managed to climb high enough chart-wise to develop the kind of following that similarly themed acts like America, the Hollies, and Bread did. They did, however, land an impressive number of U.K. hits, including "If You Think You Know How to Love Me," "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me," "Living Next Door to Alice," "It's Your Life," and "Oh Carol," all of which appear here. That said, 52 tracks is more Smokie than any listener has the right to inhale, making the more streamlined collections like Paradiso's The Best of Smokie and BMG International's With Love from...Smokie: The Best of the Ballads better bets for the casual fan. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide