Vic, Paul and Lem left the group after Fool's Gold, and soon after this, a decision was made to use non-original songs. This single was the first to be released after the break-up of the "core" band. In many countries, this single came in a sleeve which featured only Jeff's face on the cover, reinforcing the theory that the group had already splintered at this stage. Conversely, other record covers for this single feature Vic, Lem and Paul, who did not play on the actual tracks.
   The Christie name was still being used though, even though there was no reference to who actually played on the single. In fact, a session drummer and guitarist were employed to help Jeff and Roger Flavell, who had replaced Lem. To promote the single via live gigs, new members were needed, and in came Terry Fogg and Danny Krieger.
   The song The Dealer itself was originally a slow ballad, covered initially by Judy Collins. But recognising the underlying strong, lilting melody of the piece, Jeff reshaped it into a bouncy arrangement that fits perfectly into the Christie mould. Indeed, it would be easy to think that the song — comparing life to a game of cards — was written by Jeff if we didn't know otherwise.

Pleasure and Pain (J Christie)