Smokie

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hey there,,,,,,,,first of all i wish u all a great day and second i just have one thing to ask......if anyone has a poster with smokie the original band i would be more then happy to even pay for it......thanks and take care buh bye

>>By chrisnorman   (Wednesday, 12 Feb 2003 11:04)



Hi, I live in the UK and Enjoy listening to the sound that was born in the Bradford area but its sad that Smokie today and the "smokie" I know and love are now sadly very distant.
To me Smokie is the voice of Alan Barton not Mike Kraft . But Alan will live forever in the words of the songs he sung and wrote.The funny thing about Alan is he wanted so much to be in smokie that if you listen to "Mary Anne" sung by Alan and then "Oh Carol" you will see my point(hear the point).
Chris Norman I wonder if he would rejoin Smokie (I hope he would consider it) he would be a great improvement on Mike Kraft, I say this as a life long fan of Smokie

>>By Kev   (Sunday, 16 Feb 2003 18:09)



KEV GET A GRIP

>>By ALICE   (Saturday, 22 Feb 2003 13:20)



For me >SMOKIE<is the best & the greatest bend on the world!!!
It is diferent when was oldie SMOKIE and now,but to me >SMOKIE< will be forever >SMOKIE<
My best wishes to >SMOKKIE< from DARKO MORI from Slovenia!

>>By DARKO   (Wednesday, 12 Mar 2003 00:25)



Is great!!!!

>>By fan smoke   (Saturday, 15 Mar 2003 21:25)



S¹ wspaniali! Ich muzyka jest œwietna. Chris Norman ma super solówki. Jego p³yty nawet bez swoich kumpli z grupy Smokie s¹ w dechê i odnosz¹ sukcesy. Jestem jego zagorza³aym fanem ju¿ od wczesnej m³odoœci. Smokie mimo wielu lat s¹ niezmiennie dobrzy w tym co robi¹. Maj¹ talent nie s¹ wykreowani przez telewizje jak nowoczesne gwiazdy pop lub innego stylu. Mam nadzieje, ¿e jeszcze d³ugo bêd¹ graæ, ale nawet jeœli przestan¹ ludzie i tak ludzie bêd¹ pamiêtaæ ten styl. Ich niepowtarzalny styl. Uwa¿am, ¿e s¹ œwietn¹ grup¹. SMOKE IS THE BEST OF!!!

>>By viruss   (Saturday, 15 Mar 2003 21:37)



Hey alice,
I gotta grip,Just prefer Alan Barton, Mikes to SAD....

Have fun

>>By Kev   (Friday, 11 Apr 2003 18:10)



I used to live next door to a girl called Alice, that was a long time ago.
I live with a lady called Carol now

>>By Kev   (Friday, 11 Apr 2003 18:13)



Hello Kev
Like you I also like Smokie and think old Smokie are better than new Smokie.
Got to Bradford quite too mate in Cross Flatts. When Chris & Alan Silson was in the band they wrote loads of music now they are struggling to find songs to sing.
Look at the last two albums they have brought out.
Alan Barton was a nice guy always happy.
All the best to all you Smokie lovers

>>By Bryan   (Monday, 5 May 2003 01:01)



Dear Kev you talk like a twat. Are you a shirtlifter or something?

>>By Alf Hooker   (Thursday, 22 May 2003 23:23)



Just to clear up a few things

1 Mike Craft is the BEST singer Smokie have ever had
2 I live in Bradford
3 I am not a shirtlifter
4 Alan Silson is a saddoe
5 Chris Norman thinks he is Waylon Jennings

>>By Alf Hooker   (Friday, 23 May 2003 21:48)



Smokie s¹ najlepsz¹ grup¹ lat 70. Ich ka¿dy przebój jest wg mnie niekwestionowanym hitem. Mam nadziejê, i¿ ich kariera nie skoñczy siê tylko na przeróbkach innych œwietnych nagrañ i jeszcze raz poka¿¹ œwiatu na co ich staæ. A staæ ich na naprawdê wiele pomimo wieloletniego pobytu na scenie i na topie.   (Tuesday, 3 Jun 2003 12:10)



What's all that about then pal?

>>By Alf Hooker   (Wednesday, 4 Jun 2003 23:04)



Alf, you need to read Discussion Guidelines before making your "great" comments. Your IP is controlled and you may be sued for public insults by musicians or forum members. If you'll do this again I'll make sure you were.

>>By Oliver Crossby   (Thursday, 12 Jun 2003 16:36)



Dear Oliver - I'm sorry if I offended anybody with my comments and please pass on my apologies to all concerned.

My opinion is that Mike Craft is the best Smokie singer and that when Alan formed Sounds of Smokie that I thought it was an insult to the band. For what it is worth I also think that Chris Norman is a good singer and musician but his style nowadays is very Country and Western. The guy (Mick) who currently plays lead guitar is, in my opinion a better guitarist because of his all round ability than Alan Silson who himself is a fine guitar player. I also think that whilst Kev is entitled to his opinion that he is sadly wrong.

Having cleared all this up I look forward to speaking to you again in the future.

>>By Alf   (Tuesday, 17 Jun 2003 23:07)



My dear Oliver

To make my point a little bit clearer, my previous comments were meant to be taken in a light hearted way and I was surprised that certain members of your forum took offence at them. For this I have apologised. Whether or not I have broken any laws of defamation is a matter of legal debate. Contrary to what you may think my friend I am not on a downer or crusade against the fans that liked the original line up that is up to them but let's get with reality guys.

Anyway my friend enough of this nonsense and let us get on with the great debate.

Is the current line up for Smokie better than the original line-up?

The answer, in my opinion, is yes. .

Times have moved on Oliver and with that we have now better musicians. Technology takes us nearer to perfection and the current line are technically better musicians than the original line up from the 70's and with Martin Bullard on keyboards now produce an even fuller "live" sound. I'm disappointed that Bryan and Kev are n't fans of Mike Craft but it's a fact that Mike is the singer with the band and there is absolutely NO CHANCE of Chris Norman rejoining. Mike is a fine singer with a wide vocal range and he is capable of reproducing old and new material on a higher level. For example The Rolling Stones are a better band because Ronnie Wood plays for them, The Eagles were better when Joe Walsh joined them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

On another point I would concede that Chris Norman has matured as a vocalist and is now performing a style more suitable to his talents. He would simply not fit in with the current profile of the band - in other words he has moved on.

Terry Uttley - the only original left in the current line up - has done an excellent job surrounding himself with competent musicians capable of carrying on the Smokie tradition of delivering what the fans want.

Whether Alan Barton was a better singer than Mike Craft is open to debate and tragically for the music world Alan is no longer with us. Barton did an excellent job in his time with the band and was without doubt an excellent vocalist, front man and crowd pleaser, he is sadly missed by all.

In respect of Alan Silson who is a talented musician. Alan seems to me to not know what he wants. He played with Mickey Finns T Rex and also Chip Hawkes. Both totally different styles of music to Smokie. Did this mean he wanted another challenge? Was he undecided about the type of music he wanted to play? The harsh reality is that technically Mick is the superior guitarist but it's open to debate is n't it? How long have people been asking who is the better guitarist Page or Blackmore/ Van halen or Vai? I don't think we'll ever get an answer but I suppose if you asked a guitarist then Mick would win hands down. Anyway I always though t that Geoff Lyth who played with the John Verity Band and also Smokestack knocked spots off him.. You see I know a lot about Smokie as I am from Bradford and was around in the 1970's when they started out.

Finally Pete Spencer was probably the best musician out of any of the line ups. He is a competent drummer and I believe still doing a lot of work with Chris Norman these days.. The curent drummer is a fine percussionist.

>>By alf   (Wednesday, 18 Jun 2003 12:49)



Is there anybody there?????????????????????

>>By Alfie H   (Thursday, 19 Jun 2003 20:23)



Hey Alf.....since u like Mike Craft so much why don't u try listening to him live?u might change your mind.....that is if u won;t go def after the first minute.....i almost did......his way of singing I'll meet u at midnight made me turn off my tv....Chris Norman WAS IS WILL BE the best....alan barton (god rest his soul) was great too......smoki'e real fans(like myself) miss him a lot....we also hope that Chris would consider re-joining Smokie.....his voice gave the band that unique so loved sound......Anyway take care all of you

>>By JetLagged   (Thursday, 25 Sep 2003 13:22)



By the way ALF what does SADDOE mean?it;'s not from the english language.....and u said u are from bradford.....u make me laugh....go learn english and then maybe u will be able to write......

>>By JetLagged   (Thursday, 25 Sep 2003 13:23)



Any1 who thinks Mike Craft is a crap singer needs their ears checking immediately. Just coz Alan B is dead does not alter the fact that he couldn't sing. Chris Norman not even worth mentioning.

>>By Craft03   (Tuesday, 27 Apr 2004 10:53)



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