Shakey

AMG Review of Shakey

Dave Thompson
All Music Guide

Shakin' Stevens' third major-label album was cut with the singer firmly established among the decade's biggest sellers -- an unusual position, perhaps, for a simple rock revivalist to find himself in, but a deserved one regardless. Three major hits peeled off the album, "You Drive Me Crazy", which went to number two in the U.K. in May 1981, "Green Door," which climbed one higher in July, and "It's Raining," which made number ten in October. But all 15 songs here are minor jewels, pushing Shakey itself to the top of the chart, while soundtracking an entire generation's memories of the year -- at last, a pop idol that parents didn't simply just like, they recognized him as well, as Stevens and Shakey distilled the '50s experience wholesale, and proved it could still sound as fresh as tomorrow.