The Shakin' Stevens EP

The Shakin' Stevens EP
EP by
Shakin' Stevens
Released3 December 1982 (1982-12-03)
RecordedOctober–November 1982
VenueGaumont Theatre, Southampton (tracks 2–4)
StudioEden Studios, London (track 1)
Genre
Length11:51
LabelEpic
ProducerStuart Colman
Shakin' Stevens chronology
Give Me Your Heart Tonight
(1982) 		The Shakin' Stevens EP
(1982) 		The Bop Won't Stop
(1983)

The Shakin' Stevens EP is a 4-track EP by Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens, released in December 1982 only in the UK and Ireland. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks behind Renée and Renato's "Save Your Love".[1]

Title

The EP doesn't have an official title and was widely referred to at the time as 'The Shakin' Stevens EP' despite the fact that this title isn't mentioned anywhere on the sleeve or record. The sleeve indicates that the title is 'Special Edition EP', though both titles "could be seen as descriptions rather than titles". The record label only lists the song titles and doesn't give an overall title.[2] On the 2009 box set, The Epic Masters, which includes "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" as a bonus track, the EP is referred to as the 'Shakin' Stevens Special Edition EP'.

Content and release

The EP features three cover songs: "Blue Christmas", best known for the version by Elvis Presley in 1964; "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", originally by Lloyd Price in 1952; and "Que Sera, Sera", originally by Doris Day in 1956. The other song on the EP, "Josephine" was written by Stevens. The record has "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Que Sera, Sera" on the A-side, with "Blue Christmas" and "Josephine" on the AA-side.[3] However, the record label lists the AA-side first.[4]

"Blue Christmas" was recorded on 22 November 1982 at Eden Studios. The other three songs are live recordings from the Gaumont Theatre (now called the Mayflower Theatre) in Southampton during Stevens' October and November 1982 British Tour. Two of the songs, "Que Sera, Sera" and "Josephine" had featured on Stevens' album Give Me Your Heart Tonight.[3]

It was originally released in a gatefold sleeve with later releases coming as a single sleeve. A promo single was also released with "Blue Christmas" as the A-side and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" as the B-side.[5]

Track listings

Side AA
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blue Christmas"
  • Billy Hayes
  • Jay W. Johnson
2:48
2."Josephine" (Live)Shakin' Stevens2:59
Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
3."Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (Live)Lloyd Price3:04
4."Que Sera, Sera" (Live)
3:00
Total length:11:51
Promo single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blue Christmas"
  • Billy Hayes
  • Jay W. Johnson
2:48
2."Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (Live)Lloyd Price3:04

Charts

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 2

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "Shakin Stevens: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  2. ^ Binnie, Steve (5 November 2018). Sound of the Crowd: a Discography of the '80s (Fourth ed.). Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0-244-12965-1.
  3. ^ a b "Shakin' Stevens - Special Edition EP". Discogs. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Shakin' Stevens CD & Mini Disc Discography". www.forevershaky.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Shakin' Stevens - Blue Christmas". Discogs. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  6. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Shakin Stevens EP". Irish Singles Chart.
  7. ^ "British single certifications – Shakin' Stevens – The Shakin' Stevens Ep". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 December 2021.