Our Love Is Alive

Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro : Stumblin' In

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On November 5, 1978 the Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro duet, "Stumblin ' In", entered the U.K. charts at #71. The song, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn,  would peak at UK#41 but in the United States it would hit #4 on both the Billboard charts and the adult contemporary charts. In Canada it would peak at #1.

On the making of her only U.S. hit with Smokie's lead singer, Quatro remembers:

We were with the same record label ( RSO)and shared the same producer, so we all knew each other. One night while in Germany, we were all at a VIP after awards party. There was a house band there and I dragged Chris Norman up to sing. Mike Chapman liked the way we looked and sounded together. He then went back to his hotel and wrote "Stumblin' In" that same night. The next day he brought in the chorus. Since we were already recording an album ( If You Knew Suzi...) at the time, Chris and I put down the demo and my band played on the record--and the rest us history.

The Charms of Someone

Smokie : Lay Back in the Arms of Someone

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On March 13, 1977 Smokie's "Lay in the Arms of Someone " entered the UK charts at #45, the same week The Manhattan Transfer held on to the #1 spot with "Chanson D'Amour". The single, cow-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman,  would peak at UK#12 and top the charts in Austria, Europe, Germany and the Netherlands. A pure pop confection for those who haven't completely gone punk.

The song would appear on the greatest hits album, released later that year.

A few American country artists tried to make the song a Stateside hit, including Rick Nelson, Tanya Tucker and Randy Barlow who hit #13 in the country charts.

Two Kids in the Park

Smokie : Living Next Door to Alice

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This week in 1976, Smokie hit the UK Top 10 for the third time with a cover of the Australian Band, New World's single, "Living Next Door to Alice", the Yorkshire band's only TOP 40 hit in the United States. In 1995, the Dutch band Gompie added the chant "Alice? Who the Fuck is Alice?" , topping the charts in Netherlands.

40 Year Itch : Top of the Pops

  Here's a rare opportunity to watch an entire episode of Top of the Pops forty years to the day it originally aired. 72 year old Bing Crosby performs. We meet a band we have yet to mention called Smokie. And Sparks gives us the first single off their forthcoming album Indiscreet. Here's a list of the songs played and where they stood in the charts that same week in July.

1. Sweet : Action (UK#17)

2. Typically Tropical : Barbados (UK#2)

3. The Wombles : Superwomble (eventual UK#20)

4. The Bee Gees : Jive Talkin' (UK#11)

5. Sparks : Get in the Swing (UK#46)

6. Linda Lewis  It's in His Kiss (UK#13)

7. Smokie : If You Think You Know How to Love Me (UK#16)

8. Roger Whittaker : The Last Farewell (UK#47)

9 . Linda Carr and the Love Squad : Highwire (UK#50)

10. Bing Crosby : That's What Life Is All About ( eventual UK#41)

11. Pan's People : Hamilton Bohannon's Foot Stompin' Music  (UK#15)

12. Bay City Rollers : Give A Little Love (UK#1) 

Six Degrees of Separation: Jack Bruce to Suzi Quatro

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1. In 1971 ex-Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce records his proggy solo album Harmony Row with session guitarist Chris Spedding adding tasteful licks on tunes like "The Consul At Sunset".




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2. Chris Spedding establishes himself as one of the first guitar heroes of the punk rock era with his 1975 UK #14 hit "Motor Bikin'", produced by the famed Mickie Most.





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3.Two years later Mickie Most produces the 1979 UK #2 Racey hit "Some Girls" written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, whose "Chinnichap" brand of music created a series of 70's hits for artists including Sweet, Mud and Smokie.





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4. Apparently not above getting really baked before a TV appearance, Smokie had a five year hit-making stretch with the help of Chapman and Chinn. The 1977 single "Lay Back in The Arms of Someone" hit #1 on the European charts, thanks in part to Chris Norman's Rod Stewart-ish vocals.




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5. In 1978 Chris Norman joins Suzi Quatro on another Chapman and Chinn song called "Stumblin' In". The song peaked at #4 on the US charts and appeared on the album If You Knew Suzi.




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6.UK Pop Music fans did know Detroit's Suzi Quatro by then. Not so much in the US. Suzi scored a string of Chapman Chinn hits in the UK including the #3 hit "48 Crash" from her 1973 debut album.

Odds And Sods: Who The F**k is Alice?

Some songs really do have a life of their own. After Smokie's 1976 cover of an Australian band's single "Living Next Door to Alice" became the group's biggest hit (UK#5, Billboard #25), that should have been the end of it. But while visiting a bar called Gompie in the Netherlands, some dutch musicians heard the disc jockey who was playing "Living Next Door to Alice" turn down the volume at "Alice" and the crowd chant 'Alice, who the fuck is Alice?'. They released "Who the F is Alice", as Gompie and had a European hit. Not to be outdone, what was left of Smokie teamed up with foul-mouthed comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown to record their own version ...which hit #3 in 1995. Smokie now holds  the record as the first group to get a record in the Top Ten with the word "fuck" in it