Artist: CHRIS NORMAN
Album: THE COMPLETE STORY OF ... (5CD BOX)

Release date: 2008
Media type: CD

His husky voice is unmistakable, his feel for great melodies almost infallible and his magnetism disarming: Chris Norman is among the most successful and charismatic vocalists on the international pop music scene. For more than thirty years, the singer from Britain has been a real crowd puller. Wherever he appears, he sells out venues, his fans are enthusiastic and the critics full of praise. Chris Norman has impressed his followers not only in Europe, but also in Asia, with more than 70,000 people packing out each of his two shows in Mongolia a few years ago. There’s hardly a radio station worldwide which doesn’t count at least one of his hits among their standard repertoire.

Having met Alan Silson and Terry Uttley at St. Bede’s Grammar School, two young musicians with whom he was to form Smokie a few years later, Normans musical career began to take shape. Together with drummer Ron Kelly, the three initially formed a band called The Elizabethans, which performed at a large number of live radio shows and signed its first recording deal after a change of name (the band was henceforth known under the moniker of Kindness). Kindness brought out three singles, initially on RCA, later on Decca Records.

Ron Kelly left the band in 1973, was replaced by Pete Spencer, and the band was renamed Smokie. With the help of their manager Bill Hurley, they landed a deal with Mickie Most’s RAK label and went on to work with the songwriters/producers Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman. Smokie soon developed their own sound: catchy guitar rock with harmonies for three voices and Norman’s unmistakable vocals. 1975 saw the arrival of Smokie’s debut album, Pass It Around. Over the next ten years, the group churned out world hits such as ‘If You Think You Know How To Love Me’, ‘Don’t Play Your Rock & Roll To Me’, ‘Living Next Door To Alice’, ‘I’ll Meet You At Midnight’, ‘Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone’, ‘Oh Carol’, ‘Mexican Girl’ and ‘Needles And Pins’. Sold-out tours followed, as well as major arena shows, and concerts around the globe until 1985. “These songs earned us a place in the sun,” Norman recalls, “and we had an extremely successful time which at the end of the day allowed me to embark on my own path.”

In spring 1986, Norman started his solo career the way he had finished the Smokie era: with resounding success. His debut single ‘Midnight Lady’ was a mega-hit all over Europe and stayed at no. 1 in the German singles charts for six weeks. “A fantastic singer with a fantastic talent for putting emotions into his voice,” composer Dieter Bohlen lauded him, “somebody who played in a different league from all the artists with whom I had worked with before.” The song became the soundtrack of an episode of the German crime series, ‘Tatort’, and went on to become a radio favourite

More singles followed and continued his series of extremely successful titles, among them ‘Some Hearts Are Diamonds’, ‘Broken Heroes’, ‘Sarah’ and ‘Baby I Miss You’, all of them featured on brilliantly produced solo albums such as Different Shades (1987), Break The Ice (1989), The Interchange (1991), The Growing Years (1992), Reflections (1995), Breathe Me In (2001), Handmade (2003) and Break Away (2004).

Naturally, Chris Norman has garnered countless awards in the course of his long career. In 1994, he received the International Video Star Of The Year award from CMT Europe for his ‘Jealous Heart’, ‘The Growing Years’ and ‘Red Hot Screaming Love’ video clips, and Radio Regenbogen voted him an exceptional singer with the “best male voice”.

The highlights which have marked the career of Chris Norman, who lives with his family on the Isle of Man and does charity work as an ambassador for a children’s hospice in Germany, haven’t ceased. His releases continue to make the charts, his live double DVD, One Acoustic Evening With Chris Norman (2005), for example making no. 5 of the DVD charts. And now he’s back with this lavish 5-CD set, featuring a total of sixty tracks. It would be impossible to come up with a more prestigious retrospective of the career of this unusual musician. As Norman says: “I enjoy what I do.” And who would doubt him.

TRACKLIST CD 1:

1. “Midnight Lady” 4:10
2. “Baby I Miss You” 3:30
3. “Sarah (You Take My Breath Away)” 4:42
4. “Some Heart’s Are Diamonds” 3:42
5. “For You” 4:00
6. “Hearts Livin’ On Emotion” 4:14
7. “Into The Night” 3:42
8. “Stay One More Night” 4:06
9. “Lost In Flight” 4:20
10. “No Arms Can Ever Hold You” 3:43
11. “She Said She Was A Lucky Girl” 3:15
12. “Send A Sign To My Heart” (Duet With Lory Bonnie Bianco) 4:02

TRACKLIST CD 2:

1. “Needles And Pins” 2:40
2. “Oh Carol” 3:42
3. “If You Think You Know How To Love Me” 3:51
4. “Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone” 4:20
5. “Don’t Play Your Rock n’ Roll To Me” 3:27
6. “I’ll Meet You At Midnight” 3:16
7. “Mexican Girl” 3:55
8. “Babe It’s Up To You” 3:50
9. “For A Few Dollars More” 3:40
10. “Baby It’s You” 4:04
11. “Living Next Door To Alice” 3:28

TRACKLIST CD 3:

1. “Stay” 4:12
2. “Running Scared” 4:09
3. “Dangerous Heart” 3:38
4. “Baby Don’t Change” 3:42
5. “Follow Me” 4:02
6. “I’ll Be There” 5:15
7. “I Cry A Lot More Now” 3:08
8. “Tomorrow’s Another Day” 3:46
9. “Love Is A Bridge Between Two Hearts” 3:54
10. “Coming Back To You” 3:52
11. “All Out Of Tears” 4:12
12. “Babe” 3:50

TRACKLIST CD 4:

1. “Wings Of Love” 4:25
2. “Ordinary Heart” 3:53
3. “A Bridge At Midnight” 4:32
4. “Wheels Of Fire” 4:08
5. “Hands Tied” 4:13
6. “Never Make My Angel Cry” 4:05
7. “Here Comes The Night” 4:53
8. “Woman In Love” 4:25
9. “Tell Me Why” 3:31
10. “Seven Year Ache” 4:05
11. “Beware The Thorn” 3:48
12. “For The Good Years” 4:42

TRACKLIST CD 5:

1. “It’s A Tragedy” 3:43
2. “Hunters Of The Night” 4:03
3. “Love Is…” 3:29
4. “Chain Reaction” 3:40
5. “Stop At Nothing” 3:29
6. “Broken Heroes” 3:20
7. “Don’t Fence Me In” 3:36
8. “Ave Maria” 5:29
9. “Midnight Lady” (Maxi Version) 5:57
10. “Sarah (You Take My Breath Away)” (Maxi Version) 5:57
11. “For You” (Maxi Version) 5:32
12. “Into The Night” (Unplugged Version) 3:41
13. “Baby I Miss You” (Unplugged Version) 3:32