The Epic Masters
   HOME
*





The Epic Masters
''The Epic Masters'' is a box set compilation comprising ten remastered albums by Shakin' Stevens. Released on 16 November 2009, the set contains nine albums originally released by Epic Records between 1980 and 1990, plus an exclusive CD of 12" extended mixes. The set was also made available as a download through iTunes. Background Although one of the most popular acts of the 1980s, Shakin' Stevens' major period of success came just before the emergence of the compact disc as a major format. Three of Stevens' albums, '' This Ole House'' (1981), ''Shaky'' (1981) and ''Give Me Your Heart Tonight'' (1982), had made the top 3 of the UK charts during 1981 and 1982 and, as a result, his 1983 release ''The Bop Won't Stop'' was one of the earliest of Epic's albums to be transferred to the CD format. However, despite producing three Top 5 hit singles, the album itself stalled at number 21 in the charts. In response to this relative failure, Epic ignored Shaky's next two album relea ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Shakin' Stevens
Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that his commercial success began. His most successful songs were nostalgia hits, evoking the sound of 1950s rock and roll and pop. In the UK alone, Stevens has charted 33 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits "This Ole House", "Green Door", " Oh Julie", and "Merry Christmas Everyone". Aside from "Merry Christmas Everyone" remaining popular during the Christmas season, his last Top 40 single was "Trouble" in 2005. Early life Michael Barratt, who would later adopt the stage name "Shakin' Stevens", was the youngest of 11 children born to Jack and May Barratt. His father was a First World War veteran who by 1948 was working in the building trade, having previously worked as a coal miner. The oldest of ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Greatest Hits (Shakin' Stevens Album)
''Greatest Hits'', also known as ''Greatest Hits Volume 1'', is a greatest hits album by Welsh rockabilly singer Shakin' Stevens, released in November 1984. Three singles were released from the album, all of which were Top-20 hits. The album peaked at number 8 for four weeks on the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the BFI. The album was released on CD in 2001 by Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment .... Track listing Charts Certifications and sales References {{Authority control 1984 greatest hits albums Shakin' Stevens albums Epic Records compilation albums ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Loudness War
The loudness war (or loudness race) is a trend of increasing audio levels in recorded music, which reduces audio fidelity and—according to many critics—listener enjoyment. Increasing loudness was first reported as early as the 1940s, with respect to mastering practices for 7-inch singles. The maximum peak level of analog recordings such as these is limited by varying specifications of electronic equipment along the chain from source to listener, including vinyl and Compact Cassette players. The issue garnered renewed attention starting in the 1990s with the introduction of digital signal processing capable of producing further loudness increases. With the advent of the compact disc (CD), music is encoded to a digital format with a clearly defined maximum peak amplitude. Once the maximum amplitude of a CD is reached, loudness can be increased still further through signal processing techniques such as dynamic range compression and equalization. Engineers can apply an incre ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Green Door
"The Green Door" (or "Green Door") is a 1956 popular song, with music composed by Bob "Hutch" Davie and lyrics by Marvin J. Moore. It was first recorded by Jim Lowe which reached number one on the US chart in 1956. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including a version by Shakin' Stevens in 1981. Jim Lowe version The song was first recorded by Jim Lowe, whose version reached number one on the US pop chart. The lyrics describe the allure of a mysterious private club with a green door, behind which "a happy crowd" play piano, smoke and "laugh a lot", and inside which the singer is not allowed. "Green Door" was backed by the orchestra of songwriter Davie, with Davie also playing piano, and by the vocal group the High Fives. The track was arranged by Davie, who added thumbtacks to the hammers of his piano and sped up the tape to give a honky-tonk sound. Released by Dot Records, the single reached #1 on the Billboard charts for one week on November 17, 1956, re ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


This Ole House
"This Ole House" (sometimes written "This Old House") is an American popular song written by Stuart Hamblen, and published in 1954. Rosemary Clooney's version reached the top of the popular music charts in both the US and the UK in 1954. The song again topped the UK chart in 1981 in a recording by Shakin' Stevens. Stuart Hamblen version Hamblen recorded the song in March 1954 and released it as a single in May 1954. It became very successful, peaking at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Country & Western chart, as well as being a Top 30 hit on the Hot 100, known then as the ''Best Sellers in Stores''. It was his last hit on the country charts and with the royalties he bought the mansion that had been owned by the late Errol Flynn. Composition Hamblen was supposedly out on a hunting expedition in the Sierra with guide Monte Wolfe, when he and his fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, came across a hut in the mountains. Inside was the body of a man, and the man's dog was still there, ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Merry Christmas Everyone
"Merry Christmas Everyone" is a festive song recorded by Welsh singer-songwriter Shakin' Stevens. Written by Bob Heatlie and produced by Dave Edmunds, it is the fourth and to date last number one single for Shakin' Stevens on the UK Singles Chart. It was released on 25 November 1985 and was the List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones, Christmas number one for that year. Ever since it has been included on many top-selling Christmas collections and received frequent airplay every Christmas. In 2007, the song re-entered the UK top 30 and reached number 22 on the Christmas chart. This is because Music downloads#United Kingdom, downloads are now included in the UK Singles Chart; whereas in past years this would have been impossible unless there was a physical re-release of the song. From 2007 to 2017, the song charted in the UK at peak positions 22, 36, 47, 68, 42, 46, 54, 38, 26, 17 and 10. Originally only in the chart for eight weeks, it has since amassed over 70. In December ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Blue Christmas (song)
"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and most famously performed by Elvis Presley; it was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948. It is a tale of unrequited love during the holidays and is a longstanding staple of Christmas music, especially in the country genre. History Initial recordings and major versions The song was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948, and was popularized the following year in three separate recordings: one by country artist Ernest Tubb, one by musical conductor and arranger Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra and chorus, and one by bandleader Russ Morgan and his orchestra (the latter featuring lead vocals by Morgan and backing vocals by singers credited as the Morganaires). Tubb's version spent the first week of January 1950 at No. 1 on '' Billboard'' magazine's Most-Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records chart, while Winterhalter's version peaked at No. 9 on ''Billboard'''s Records Most Played by Disk J ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Lipstick, Powder And Paint
''Lipstick Powder and Paint'' is an album by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens, released in November 1985 by Epic Records. It peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart. Release Only two singles were released from the album: the title track, a cover of Big Joe Turner's " Lipstick, Powder and Paint", and a cover of the Tim Krekel song "Turning Away" (also covered by Crystal Gayle). Neither of these reached the Top-Ten in the UK, making it Stevens' first album since ''Take One!'' (1980) not to have a Top-Ten single. Despite this, in between the release of the two singles, Stevens released " Merry Christmas Everyone", which topped the charts. Unlike with his previous album, ''The Bop Won't Stop'', Epic decided not to release the album on CD, so it was not until the 2009 '' Epic Masters'' box set that the album was officially released on CD. The box set has several bonus tracks, including two singles, " Teardrops" and "Breaking Up My Heart", that had been released from ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Take One! (Shakin' Stevens Album)
''Take One!'' is a 1980 album by British rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens. It was his first release on Epic Records and his first album to enter the UK charts. The album also featured Stevens' first UK charting single "Hot Dog". Background Often erroneously dated as being released in October 1979, ''Take One!'' was not released until February 1980, after the "Hot Dog" single had become Stevens' first UK hit single. Produced by Mike Hurst, the album contained a host of experienced session men, including lead guitarist Albert Lee, pianist Geraint Watkins, steel guitarist B.J. Cole and bassist and arranger Stuart Colman. The album charted at No.62 in March 1980 and remained on the UK albums chart for two weeks. In April 1982 the album was re-released under the new title of ''Hot Dog'' with "That's All Right" and "Ah, Poor Little Baby" being replaced by "You and I Were Meant to Be" and "Make it Right Tonight" respectively. In 2009, Sony Music released a box set of Stevens' ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages and performance areas. Films and albums have been recorded at the festival, and it receives extensive television and newspaper coverage. Glastonbury is attended by around 200,000 people, thus requiring extensive security, transport, water, and electricity-supply infrastructure. While the number of attendees is sometimes swollen by gatecrashers, a record of 300,000 people was set at the 1994 festival, headlined by the Levellers who performed on The Pyramid Stage. Most festival staff are volunteers, helping the festival to raise millions of pounds for ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




The Collection (Shakin' Stevens Album)
''The Collection'' is a compilation album by Welsh rockabilly singer Shakin' Stevens, released in April 2005. A live performance DVD was also released with the CD in Europe and was only available in the UK via import versions. In May 2005, a different DVD, called ''The DVD Collection'', was released, which included 27 songs and bonus material. ''The Collection'' peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. Reception Reviewing the album for AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ..., Thom Jurek described it as a "dynamite find" and that "there have been many compilations over the years, but none are this extensive or pervasive in covering his underappreciated career. The DVD included with the import version offers proof as to why Stevens sold out concert halls all ov ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Hit Me, Baby, One More Time (TV Series)
''Hit Me, Baby, One More Time'' is a television entertainment show first broadcast on the British television network ITV and later, as a new version, by NBC in the United States; both were presented by Vernon Kay. During each programme, five former pop stars sing their biggest hit along with a cover version of a contemporary hit. Each week one winner is picked from each show by a phone vote (in the British version) or a studio-audience vote (in the American version), leading to the grand final when the overall winner can release a single featuring both songs (in the British version) or have $20,000 donated to a charity of their choice (in the American version). The show's title was derived from a line in the Britney Spears song " ...Baby One More Time". The show proved to be a summer hit for NBC hitting the top spot in the ratings on its first outing. UK version Week 1 (2 April) The first week heat was won by Tiffany. Week 2 (9 April) This heat was won by Shakin' Steve ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]