1981. I was the proud owner of This Ole House and You Drive Me Crazy. I LOVED them. Then I heard this amazing new track called Green Door by the same guy. Woh yes! AMAZING! It was set there and then that for me this guy called Shakin' Stevens could do no wrong. He seemed to know exactly what sounds I loved to hear. I rushed down to the record store, a small flea pit of a shop called 'Sounds Familiar' and bought it. 79p it was at the time. I rushed back home (with the odd sniff of the sleeve and vinyl, weird I know but you vinyl'oholics know what I mean) and I played it to death. The B-Side Don't Turn Your Back (penned by Shaky) was superb too. Both tracks were produced by Stu Colman. So now I bring you the classic Green Door under the microscope.

Actually, it's The Green Door which is the original title...

Covered by too many to mention, Green Door is hailed as a rock n' roll classic. It was originally written in 1956 by music composer Bob Davie and the lyrics were by Marvin Moore. Bob's orchestra backed the singer Jim Lowe for the first version and it reached No.1 in America and No.8 in the UK. It was covered in the same year by Frankie Vaughan who had a No.2 smash hit in the UK with it.

Shaky's version is the biggest hit of the track spending 4 weeks at No.1 in 1981. In fact, Shaky's version had an incredible jump to number one at the time which also holds a place in the Guiness Book Of Records. Green Door by Shaky jumped from No.22 to No.1! The only song at the time to beat that kind of jump was Capt Sensible's Happy Talk which holds the record (before downloads were invented) and jumped from no.36 to No.1.

There are many rumours of where the origins of the song came from. There was a popular music club in Dallas, Texas, where the kids who were not allowed in hung around outside a yellow door. The color was then changed to green in the song because it "sounded better." At the time the song was popular, many believed it was inspired by a green-doored restaurant and bar called "The Shack" in Columbia, Missouri, where singer Jim Lowe had attended the University of Missouri. Long-time Shack owner Joe Franke doubts this theory, however. Other origin rumours included a short story by HG Wells.

The song has also been said to refer to the lesbian Gateways club (first opened in 1930), which had a green door and was featured in the movie The Killing of Sister George, though this seems unlikely. There was some years later a porn film made based on the Song and was called 'Behind the Green Door'. If any of you out there have a copy, then shame on you.. lol

Green Door was released on July 17th 1981. It stayed at No.1 for 4 weeks. It also was a massive hit around the world too with a No.1 in Ireland and No.2 in Austria and New Zealand. It reached no.4in South Africa, No.5 in Switzerland and Holland, No.6 in Germany and No.8 in Australia.

There were no limited editions of Green Door in the UK and none even exsist in a hard card picture cover like the singles before it. Green Door was only available in the UK in a matt paper picture sleeve. The early pressings had paper labels and the later were painted on vinyl labels. The Spanish sleeve had the title in their native language (see below)

Worth a note is the Columbian 12" pressings which are mega rare. They were pressed on coloured vinyl and did not have a picture sleeve. So far we only know of Yellow and (of course) Green. They were 2 track, identical to the single with no extended version or bonus tracks.

There is some speculation whether they were official or not and may not even be genuine 'Epic' has the copyrights etc in Columbia were non exsistant. For those of you that really are interested in the details of these type pressings, then read the following which I found on it...

The entire region known collectively as 'South America' encompasses the highest volume of music sales in the world, largely derived from the umbrella of 'Latino Music', or, popular recordings in the Spanish language.

The Colombian music industry began with the formation of the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901, followed by the more familiar Columbia Gramophone Company in 1903. From the early 1900's these companies made "overseas recordings" by sending teams of representatives to foreign countries with stacks of wax blanks and recording machines which, although rudimentary, were quite portable, and then imported back into Colombia.

It was some years later before what we know as 'popular' music forged a path into the industry which had mostly been based around Rumbas, Tangos and Foxtrots! Pressings plants for vinyl were scarce and investment low, thus sound quality was quite inferior to vinyl from other parts of the world at the time. However, most Colombians were happy to play these on their imported American gramophones, crackles and all.

Today, the most desirable aspects of Colombian vinyl are the variants of sleeve and label design and more eye-catching still, the much sought after coloured vinyl pressings which were almost never issued elsewhere. Many sleeves would be printed entirely in Spanish, the native language. There would often be amusing, almost amateurish, but completely official and authorized, sleeve alterations to the original artwork with biography information and track-listings translated into Spanish. Label variations and collaborations throughout the 1970's and 1980's, such as those with Philips, were many as pressing plants diminished, stricken by the poor and corrupt economy.

The paper quality used in sleeve manufacture would vary wildly and some labels would issue their records with built in plastic linings or outers, to help reduce wear and tear. Pushing sales often involved featuring an exclusive or bonus Spanish Version of an English track which would rarely make it onto other worldwide pressings of the same record. Coloured vinyl pressings are few and far between, often only made and distributed to DJs or radio stations.

The variety is endless, from bold one-colour vinyl to some fantastic multi-coloured 'splattered' pressings, where a base colour or transparent vinyl is used with any number of alternate colours radiating across the disc from the label to the outer edge. Really, these have become some of the most elusive and valuable pressings to be found in Colombia. Once again, their pressing quality and condition vary massively since most vinyl ceased pressing entirely in the early 1990's, but they are incredibly sought after for their sheer visual impact and even our buyer has to pinch himself when he stumbles across these.

Labels rarely had the budget to reissue original albums and as a result, collectors and music lovers tend to hang on to their much-loved records. Colombia is most definitely a dark, very dangerous and mysterious place to go hunting for rare records, but brave it we do and as our buyer says, "cómprelo cuando usted lo ve, como nosotros nunca podemos encontrar otro uno", or "buy it when you see it, as you may never find another one..."

HERE'S A FUN FACT YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN... Green Door was eventually knocked off No.1 by 'Japanese Boy' by Aneka. Japanese Boy was written by Bob Heatlie who would later in the future go on to write Cry Just A Little Bit, Breaking up My Heart, Merry Xmas Everyone and co-write Woman (Look What You've Done To Me) and Radio. I guess this was his way of apologising :)