Shakin' Stevens deserves lasting admiration for staying true to his musical roots. long after rock'n'roll had passed its initial sell-by date, he refused to climb aboard any fancy bandwagon or fool with some trendy fad, resulting in his classic recordings transcending the eras with their unique freshness safely intact. Alongside the pick of the hits from the Shaky catalogue, this exclusive 3-CD set seeks to highlight some of his many fine sides that were previously only available on b- sides, albums, extended players and export singles.

In a sense the valleys of Shaky's homeland in South Wales, represent the Tennessee hills of his mentors. Indeed, he is the country boy who was thrust into the city, where he discovered the road to stardom. The Shakin' Stevens hit trail began in 1980 when the style- setting 'Hot Dog' first came off the back burner. Written by country supremo, Buck Owens, the track exemplifies just how a teenage sock hop anthem could be rejigged for a contemporary audience without losing its original bite. The same adage applies to 'This Ole House', a gospel hoedown that became Shaky's calling card during the spring of '81. In contrast to further artistic eulogies such as 'It's late' and 'Sea Of love', the somewhat out-of-left-fieid 'Shirley' came about purely by chance. One evening, whilst we were working together on an open-air TV spectacular in Brighton, Shaky raised the subject of girl's names. In amongst the various 8arbara Ann's and Donna's, we suddenly found ourselves agreeing that the john Fred song, 'Shirley', would be ripe for recording. The moment was sealed when the compere of the show - the legendary comedian, Frankie Howerd - strode past Shaky's dressing room trailer with his script firmly clasped in his hands, nervously rehearsing his links for the TV show, with many "Oohs" and "Aahs" attached! Aside of being associated with a litany of tried and tested favourites, the name of Shakin' Stevens is synonymous with such self-penned successes as 'Teardrops' and the chart-topping, 'Oh Julie'. By way of endorsement, the latter title has proved its worth on more than one occasion, having been covered in recent years by Barry Manilow and Sandford Clark. Shaky's songwriting stems back to a clutch of core value 'lower decks', that sulfaced at a time when vinyl was king. Both the barnstorming 'You And I Were Meant To Be' plus the moody 'Don't Turn Your Back' evolved this way, and they epitomise the confidence and the savvy that was associated with each side of a Shakin' Stevens 45.

Albums too benefitted from Shaky's fertile thought process, with the lyrics of titles like 'Don't Tell Me We're Through' and 'I'm Knockin' often starting life. in the time honoured fashion, on the back of a paper napkin. In addition to becoming voted the top-selling artist of a decade, Shakin' Stevens was also recognised as being one of the most travelled performers of that particularly hectic period. His global itinerary, which encompassed everywhere from japan and Australia to the Far East and every inch of Europe, created a schedule that most of his peer group would have backed well away from. All the more reason therefore to appreciate that many of the recordings contained within, were laid down In those rare moments in between Shaky's ceaseless touring. 'Que Sera Sera' and 'josephine' - the studio versions of which are presented here - went on to become roof raisers with the fans at live concerts.

Whilst a great deal of attention was always applied to tempos and key signatures, 'Don't She Look Good' was one instance where a pre-determined arrangement managed to slip under the radar. Governed by the song's quirky chord structure, no individual approach was possible or, for that matter, necessary. Shaky read his part straight down the line and nailed one of the choice of his career. A not disimilar scenario surrounds some of the other freshly-scribed titles, that made their way over the Atlantic into Shaky's song cache. Selected from the jukebox of his mind, 'Marie Marie', 'Turning Away' and 'A Letter To You', were all committed to tape in the same honest-to-goodness manner and each charted accordingly. An important facet of the Shakin' Stevens enigma has always been his ability to remain a fan of the music he so eagerly perpetuates. From a weli-stocked Rock-ala at home, to a car loaded with tapes and CD's, Shaky makes sure he is constantly surrounded by every genre of music. 'Lipstick, Powder & Paint', 'A Rockin' Good Way' and 'The Shape I'm In', ali entered the Stevens balipark in this way. Joe Turner, Brook Benton, Dinah Washington and Johnny Restivo, would doubtless have been flattered to learn that a street-wise protagonist from Cardiff was still flying their collective flags.

The season of goodwill is a traditional celebration in the Shaky household, so it's hardly surprising that a gathering of Yuletide favourites would be part of his ultimate gameplan. 'Blue Christmas' and 'Merry Christmas Everyone' have been dusted off just about every holiday season since they first entered the public arena. One particular present that Shaky carefuliy gift- wrapped, was his raunchy rendering of the perennial chestnut, What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For'. However, his ploy of jiving-up Tin Pan Alley standards never worked better than when he made his way through that most famous of entrances - 'Green Door'. Thanks to a customized makeover, he made the piece ali his own and duly crested the international singles chart during the summer of 1981. Although his stock-in-trade has frequently been floor- filling rockers, Shaky is by no means a slouch in the ballad department. The Chips Moman-penned 'This Time' and Irma Thomas's evocative 'It's Raining', take on a whole new glow when given the benefit of the Stevens veneer. In recent times, the latter title has won an entirely new audience thanks to its inclusion in Shaky's 21 st. century live set.

Given the length, breadth and scope of his success quotient, it has never been that easy to pin down just what constitutes a Shakin' Stevens recording The logical conclusion is perhaps to focus on some of the many purpose-written items like 'You Drive Me Crazy', 'Give Me Your Heart Tonight' and 'Cry Just A Little Bit'. Essentially these are all scenes from Shaky's theatre of angst, an area where he knows just how much heart to wear on his sleeve. 'A Love Worth Waiting For' and 'I Guess I Was A Fool' admirably take care of that department, and then some For many though, Shaky is at his best when he turns his authority to pulse-raisers like 'I'll Be Satisfied' and the European- only single, 'Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night'. All of the key elements are on show - they're sassy, brassy and certainly classy. Fretboard wizards, Albert Lee and Hank Marvin, have both guested on Shaky's recordings at one time or another, as has Bonnie Tyler and Roger Taylor. This legendary drummer from Queen was 'in the traps' for that paean to Shaky's favourite promotional medium, 'Radio': One of Shaky's final pieces of vinyl before the world went wholly digital. With over 30 million units sold, plus an array of platinum albums, industry awards and world-wide status to his name, it has been a whirlwind experience for the country boy from Cardiff. What is most remarkable of all is that the exuberance and upbeat feel captured in Shaky's recorded legacy, can still work its magic on a current day audience. Indeed, it is reassuring to know that as the next phase of his career unfolds, the Shakin' Stevens feelgood factor is very much in place.