{{Short description|English pop group}} {{About||the 2014 film|The Smoke (film)|the mini-series|The Smoke (TV series)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}} {{Use British English|date=June 2016}} {{more citations needed|date=July 2015}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = The Smoke | image = TheSmoke1967.png | caption = L to R: Rowley, Gill, Lund, Luker | background = group_or_band | origin = York, England | genre = {{hlist|Psychedelic rock|freakbeat|psychedelic pop}} | years_active = {{start date|df=yes|1965}}–{{end date|df=yes|1976}} | label = {{hlist|Columbia|Metronome}} | associated_acts = The Shots | past_members = {{unbulleted list|Mick Rowley|Mal Luker|John "Zeke" Lund|Geoff Gill}} }}
'''The Smoke''' were an English psychedelic pop group from York. They consisted of Mick Rowley (lead vocals), Mal Luker (lead guitar), John "Zeke" Lund (bass) and Geoff Gill (drums and compositor).<ref name="Larkin60"/>
The band originally performed around Yorkshire as The Moonshots, changing their name to The Shots when they moved to London.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1106}}</ref> There were two bands playing R&B and other cover versions, one called Tony Adams and the Viceroys, which included John 'Zeke' Lund on bass, Mal Luker on lead guitar and Geoff Gill on drums. The other band was The Moonshots, which included Mick Rowley on lead vocals and Phil Peacock on rhythm guitar (born Philip Peacock, 7 June 1946, Newcastle, Northumbria). These bands then came together to form The Shots and made a single for Columbia, "Keep A Hold Of What You've Got", which flopped.<ref name="Larkin60">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0149-X|pages=414/5}}</ref> Peacock left the band, and they then changed their name to The Smoke.<ref name="Larkin"/>
The Smoke's biggest hit was "My Friend Jack" (German Chart: No. 2, UK Singles Chart: No. 45); the BBC banned airplay of the song over its then alleged, though highly apparent, drug references.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jkhMAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22My+Friend+Jack%22+-+The+Smoke&pg=PT10|last=Brown|first=Phill|title=Are We Still Rolling?: Studios, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll – One Man's Journey Recording Classic Albums|page=10|isbn=978-1-4768-5609-4|year=2010|accessdate=5 July 2015|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation}}</ref> Later singles released under the band name often had variations on the remaining trio of Lund, Luker and Gill, performing along with session musicians to pad out the sound.<ref name="Larkin60"/> All failed to sell in any numbers.<ref name="Larkin"/>
Guitarist Lund later became a sound engineer for Boney M., who recorded a cover version of "My Friend Jack".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2IBSoKMsgQC&dq=%22My+Friend+Jack%22+-+Boney+M&pg=RA1-PT293|last=Davis|first=Sharon|title=Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies|page=293|isbn=978-1-78057-410-3|year=2012|accessdate=5 July 2015|publisher=Random House}}</ref>
The Smoke's demo recording of Nirvana's "Girl in the Park" opens ''Secret Theatre'', a 1995 Nirvana rarities album.
==Discography== ===Albums=== * 1967: ''It's Smoke Time'' (Metronome, Germany-only)<ref name="Larkin60"/>
===Singles=== ;as ''The Shots'' * 1965: "Keep A Hold Of What You've Got" / "She's A Liar" (UK) * 1965: "There She Goes" / "Walk Right Out The Door" (UK) ;as ''The Smoke'' * 1967: "My Friend Jack" / "We Can Take It" (D) * 1967: "High In A Room" / "If The Weather's Sunny" (D) * 1967: "If The Weather's Sunny" / "I Would If I Could, But I Can't" (UK) * 1967: "Victor Henry's Cool Book" / "Have Some More Tea" (D) * 1967: "It Could Be Wonderful" / "Have Some More Tea" (UK) * 1968: "Utterly Simple" / "Sydney Gill" (UK) * 1968: "Sydney Gill" / "It Could Be Wonderful" (D) * 1971: "Ride, Ride, Ride" / "Guy Fawkes" (UK) * 1972: "Sugar Man" / "That's What I Want" (D) * 1972: "Jack is Back" / "That's What I Want" (F) * 1974: "Shagalagalu" / "Gimme Good Loving" (D) * 1974: "My Lullaby" / "Looking High" (UK) * 1976: "My Friend Jack" (1976 version) / "Lady" (F)
===Compilations=== * 2015: ''My Friend Jack Eats Sugar Lumps: An Anthology'' (Morgan Blue Town, UK)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Cite web|url=http://www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/smoke.htm|title=The Smoke|website=Marmalade-skies.co.uk}} *{{Cite web|url=https://myspace.com/thesmokeuk|title=The Smoke (UK) | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos|website=Myspace}} *{{discogs artist|Smoke, The|The Smoke}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoke, The}} Category:English rock music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1966 Category:British rhythm and blues boom musicians Category:Freakbeat groups Category:Island Records artists Category:1966 establishments in England