Bright Lights & Back Alleys

Bright Lights & Back Alleys
Bright Lights & Back Alleys
Studio album by Smokie
Released	7 October 1977
Recorded	March – April 1977
Studio	Whitney Recording Studios; (Glendale, California)
Genre	Pop rock ; country rock ;
Length	39:08
Label	RAK
Producer	Mike Chapman ; Nicky Chinn ;
Smokie chronology
Singles from Bright Lights & Back Alleys
	"It's Your Life"; Released: June 1977; "Needles and Pins"; Released: 30 September 1977;

Last updated August 30, 2025

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 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.

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 Lonely 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

^^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.

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 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

Weekly charts

Chart (1977)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[3]	36
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[4]	6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[5]	6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[6]	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[7]	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1978)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[8]	31

Certifications


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

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.
↑ 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.

External links

Discography 1975-1982

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[1st_Europe_CD-1] Ariola 261028-217

[2007_7T's-4] 7T's GLAM CD 39

[2016_Sony_Music-5] 1 2 Sony Music 88985321942

[1st_UK_LP-6] RAK SRAK 530

[AllMusic-2] Guarisco, Donald A. Smokie: "Bright Lights & Back Alleys" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

[Phil_Hendriks-3] Hendriks, Phil (2007). Bright Lights & Back Alleys (booklet). Smokie. London: 7T's Records (GLAM CD 39). p. 4.

[aus-7] 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.

[ac_Austria_Smokie-8] "Austriancharts.at – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

[German_Albums-9] "Offiziellecharts.de – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

[ac_Norway_Smokie-10] "Norwegiancharts.com – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

[ac_Sweden_Smokie-11] "Swedishcharts.com – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

[12] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.

[GermanySmokieBright_Lights_&_Back_AlleysalbumCertRef-13] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Smokie; 'Bright Lights & Back Alleys')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 4 October 2016.

[United_KingdomSmokieBright_Lights_&_Back_AlleysalbumCertRef-14] "British album certifications – Smokie – Bright Lights & Back Alleys". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 4 October 2016.

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v t e Smokie
Terry Uttley Martin Bullard Steve Pinnell Mike Craft Mick McConnell 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 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Wild Horses – The Nashville Album Take a Minute
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits
Singles	"Pass It Around" "If You Think You Know How to Love Me" "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me" "Something's Been Making Me Blue" "Wild Wild Angels" "I'll Meet You at Midnight" "Living Next Door to Alice" "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone" "It's Your Life" "Needles and Pins" "For a Few Dollars More" "Oh Carol" "Mexican Girl" "Do to Me" "Babe It's Up to You" "San Francisco Bay" "Take Good Care of My Baby" "Run to Me" "Little Town Flirt" "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Related articles	Smokie discography