'DO YOU LIKE ROCK'N'ROLL COMBINED WITH A FRESH AND YOUNG OUTLOOK? THEN SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS SHOULD APPEAL TO YOU. THESE FIVE YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM PENARTH MAKE A SOUND REMINISCENT OF BILL HALEY YET WITH A MODERN APPROACH THAT IS AS INDIVIDUAL AS IT IS CONTEMPORARY.' SO RAN THE PRESS RELEASE THAT ACCOMPANIED SHAKY'S RECORDING DEBUT, IN 1970. SHAKY, HAD BEEN ROCKIN' WELL BEFORE THAT DATE.

Born Mike Barrett in 1948, he learned all the Elvis moves early on in life and develloped an impressive stage-act. When he formed his first real band in 1968, he was offered a support spot on a Rolling Stones concert and probably thought he was well on the way to placing a downnpayment on his own particular version of Gracelands. But nothing happened. His 1970 debut album, produced by Dave Edmunds, proved to be one of the finest revival recordings ever to rock its way out of a British studio. When it was reissued some years later, Richard Williams of the Melody Maker was to write: "This may be the best revivalist album and a lot more besides". Now I'm wondering why I didn't buy it nine years ago.'
Problem was that few others saw Shaky's potential in those early days. For several more years, he and the Sunsets were forced to play minor college gigs and small clubs in order to eke out a living. Every now and again, there'd be signs of a breakthrough, a record deal with a new label, maybe. But it wasn't until 1980, folllowing his appearance in the London West End musical 'Elvis', that the world really latched on to the rubber-legged tallent of Shakin'Stevens. The Sunsets were ditched, and, with the aid of ace producer Stu Colman, a man who understood rockkabilly and how it could be shaped to find a crossover audience, a superb backup group was pieced together,the initial sesssion supplying 'Hot Dog', Shaky's first ever Top 30 hit. There were one or two minor blips still to come, a couple of singles that failed to make impact - but 'Marie Marie' provided Shaky's second major success and when, in early 1981, he released his version of Stuart Hamblen's 'This Ole House', (a massive pop hit for Rosemary Clooney in 1954) it was obvious that the singer could no longer be considered as just a novelty throwback. The record reached NO.1 in the U.K. charts and proved to be the first of 15 Top Ten entries. Between 1981 and 1990, Shaky could hardly put a blue suede clad foot wrong as he personalised covers of Jim Lowe's 'Green Door', Ricky Nelson's 'It's Late', John Fred's 'Shirley', and with the help of Bonnie Tyler, a version of Brook Benton and Dinah Washington's 'A Rockin' Good Way', additionally proving that he could pick such appealing original material as 'A Love Worth Waiting For' and the award winning 'You Drive Me Crazy' and even pen an Ivor Novello award contender of his own in 'Oh Julie'. All of which appear on this compilation. The word, I think, is 'definitive'.