Artist:Smokie
Song:Living Next Door To Alice
Album:Needles & Pins: The Best of Smokie
Smokie scored five top ten hits in their native England. Here in North America, the 1976 single Living Next Door To Alice was their only significant hit. So obviously they were a much bigger deal at home. When they started out in Bradford, Yorkshire, England in 1963, they were called The Yen. When lead singer Chris Norman first joined the band in 1965, they were called The Sphynx and they played gigs as Essence before they split up in 1966. Norman, drummer Ron Kelly and lead guitarist Alan Silson joined The Black Cats and the band name was changed to The Four Corners. They got a manager and he suggested the name The Elizabethans. After they appeared on TV a couple of times, RCA suggested a name change to Kindness and they released a single in 1970. After going through a couple of management changes, Decca released a 1972 single which went nowhere. The band's fortunes finally changed when Pete Spencer replaced Kelly and they met producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman while playing a show in Germany. They had produced Sweet, Mud and Suzi Quatro. Chinn and Chapman changed the band name to Smokey and then Smokie after Smokey Robinson threatened to sue. Smokie toured to support the 1975 album Changing All the Time. The single If You Think You Know To Love Me reached #3 on the British singles chart. So finally they are getting somewhere. After the 1976 album Midnight Cafe didn't do as well, Living Next Door To Alice was released as a standalone single. After it reached #5 on the British Singles chart, Smokie signed with RSO Records in the US. The single reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be Smokie's only big US hit. The song was originally recorded by the Australian band New World who were also produced by Chinn and Chapman. Smokie had a couple more hits in England. But then Norman left in 1982. You can get all their hits on this 2CD budget comp. The band has continued though at this point, they are mostly a nostalgia act in England. There are no original members in the current version of Smokie. Here's the video of Living Next Door To Alice by Smokie.
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