Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Merry Christmas Everyone

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a little bit of Shakin' Stevens, would it?

But does anybody remember Shaky before his hits?

Decades before Duffy's million-selling Rockferry, her rock 'n' rollin' compatriot released the album of covers illustrated below. It didn't trouble the charts.



But Shaky's love of the great Elvis Presley shone through, a full four years before the Welsh wonder rose to prominence in the fitting tribute musical Elvis a full three months after Elvis's death.

On this album he not only covers Presley, he also covers Dylan. The two greatest icons of American popular song! Whaddabout that Shaky, eh?

17 comments:

  1. And he wrote Hamlet.

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  2. I saw him doing that Dylan on 'Big Show' in Spain with all the dancing girls and jugglers.
    Best place for him.

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  3. I don't care who covered what. I just think Shaky would've been better off covering his mouth with ducktape.

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  4. Yes - I wish he had stayed behind the green door and couldn't open it from the inside. Happy Christmas Geoffster. x

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  5. Am I missing the gag?

    Why is there a picture of a Bryan Ferry album???

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  6. Brian Ferry is actually Shaky! It all makes so much more sense now.

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  7. Tim - The mild cigar, from Henson & Bedges.

    Kaz - The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plane.

    Chris - You are talking about the Welsh Elvis!

    Romo - There's an old piano and they play it hot. Happy Christmas!

    Rol - You've never seen the similarity on that album cover? It's one of my oldest and best jokes!

    Murph - Not as shaky as Shane MacGowan of a morning.

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  8. My uncle used to sing 'Green Door' while driving his Morris Oxford estate, and to me, sitting in the back, it seemed a song of an unthreatening but intriguing mystery. I think he picked it up - the song - from Frankie Vaughan in about 1956. Sorry I can't contribute anything more up-to-date. Happy Christmas, Geoff and Betty, and please, please keep up the good work in 2009.

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  9. and it's a haaard

    I am so excited about getting my LP to CD adaptor thingamabob. I have 500 dusty albums just waiting to get digitized!!! I prolly won't blog about anything else for a month.
    I have this album..I used to gear up for school by blasting Roxy and XTC.

    Have a very merry festivus christmakwanzakkuh

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  10. Christopher - Shaky's stage act wasn't a patch on Frankie's. Happy Christmas! We'll be churning it all out 'til someone puts a block on us.

    Donn - We've got an old CD recorder which can transfer LP to CD. You can hear every blemish and you have to time it exactly right or you get unwanted feedback. A very merry one to you too!

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  11. No Slade video then, with that all time Christmas classic?

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!
    SXX

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  12. When you land upon your head then you've been slayed.

    ???

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  13. Much underestimated old Shakey.

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  14. Laura - The ultimate in cool.

    Dick - Not Blobby likely.

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