SINCE THE EIGHTIES BEGAN, SHAKIN´STEVENS HAS BECOME THE BIGGEST SOLO SUCCESS IN THE BRITISH CHARTS WITH MORE THAN 20 HIT SINGLES TO DATE - INCLUDING THREE NUMBER ONES. THIS OLE HOUSE, GREEN DOOR, OH JULIE - AND A VOLLEY OF BIG - SELLING ALBUMS TOO. WITH DOZENS OF TELEVISON APPEARENCES BEHIND HIM, AND A GUARENTEE OF BEING A SELL-OUT WHEREVER HE APPEARS, THE BEST KNOWN SINGING WELSHMAN SINCE TOM JONES CAN JUSTLY CLAIM TO BE IN THE UPPER ECHELON OF SHOWBUSINESS ARTISTS.
AND YET, LIKE WITH SO MANY TOP NAMES, SHAKY´S SUCCESS WAS BY NO MEANS OVERNIGHT - WHEN HIS FIRST TOP 30 HIT HOG DOG FINALLY CAME ALONG IN EARLY 1980 HE WAS ALREADY A VETERAN OF THE LIVE ROCK AND ROLL SCENE, AND HAD MADE SEVERAL DOZEN RECORDINGS, ALL OF WHICH HAD SOLD WELL TO DEVOTEES OF HIS RAUNCHY STYLE.

In fact one of Shakin´Stevens first major appearances was as far back as 1969 when he was one of the support acts to the Rolling Stones at London´s Saville Theatre. Such an early break proved to be a false alarm however and it wasn´t until eight years later when he took the part of Elvis Presley in the London Astoria musical production based on the life of the King Of Rock that shaky finally began to get the attention he deserved.
It was while appearing there, and nightly attracting standing ovations from the Presley devotees, that Stevens was asked by the legendary TV music producer Jack Good to star in a new series of the revived Fifties rock and roll hit television programme, Oh Boy! After years of slogging it out on the road, playing relatively obscure clubs the length and breadth of the country, Shakin´Stevens was at last to become; a national name.
The Oh Boy! Series was a major hit with the viewers, and also brought Stevens important TV exposure in the US. Soon afterwards he signed a management deal with Freya Miller, who promised to make him a major star, and that promise has held true. There can be few people of any generation who have not heard of Shakin´Stevens or his music. This new Collection features Shaky with his former group The Sunsets, and the recordings are an important part of his long career. Rock ´n´ Roll classics like Sweet Little Sixteen, Reet Petite, Jungle Rock and Rock Around With Ollie Vee, plus a handful of Shakin´ Stevens own compositions, illustrate amply why he was destined for major success. It may have taken more than a decade for him to get there bus Shaky is now at the top - and will be there for a long time yet!

CHRIS WHITE (Music Week)