The next turning point in the group's short history was at a gig played at London's Revolution Club on April 19, 1969. It was here where they were introduced to Lou Reizner, a producer with Mercury Records. He signed the band to a contract in May 1969.

In June, Mercury Records had Smile record some tracks at Trident Studios, with producer John Anthony. The band recorded a new song by Tim Staffell called 'Earth', as well as a song called 'Step On Me' which was from the '1984' period. These recording sessions gave Smile a much-needed shot in the arm and the band felt that they were on their way.

The 'Earth / Step On Me' single was released by Mercury Records in August 1969, but failed to make any significant impact on either side of the Atlantic. This failure was due to a poor marketing effort at that time.

Not to be discouraged, Mercury Records booked another recording session for Smile. This time the band entered De Lane Lea studios to record four more songs, this time with producer Fritz Freyer. Among the songs recorded was a song called 'April Lady'. This particular track was brought to them by Mercury Records and featured an interesting 5/4 time signature.