Shaky was performing rock’n’roll non-stop since 1969, but only made it big in the charts in 1980. Financial pressures explaining no doubt, he soon began veering away from rock’n’roll, starting with the pap ‘give me your heart tonight’ in 1982. Teds were disappointed, my friend Carmen couldn’t believe how few rock’n’roll songs he sang when he performed in Saint Davids Hall, Cardiff, in the early 2000s. The last album I bought (chronologically) was ‘Marie Marie’ in 1980, apart from some compilations LPs of his 1970s stuff with the Sunsets. All that said, and despite the musical changes decided upon in the early 1980s, we forgive him because he did give his life to rock’n’roll, and he often returned to perform some old favourites even if that’s not reflected in the single releases. Case in point is his ‘rockin’ little Christmas’ from 1991.
1974/11/07 ‘mean woman blues’ | ‘baby, I don’t care’
A sprinkling of teds at the performance by Shakin’ Stevens and the Sunsets of ‘mean woman blues’ and ‘baby, I don’t care’ on the 7 of November 1974 on the pop programme ‘Geordie Scene’ on TyneTees tv. Good performance by shaky, marred a little by the overlong guitar ‘showoff’ solo typical of the late 1960s and early 1970s on ‘mean woman blues’. How were you expected to dance through that?
Spot the colourful drapes and the two teds standing guard immobile throughout the performance at the back of the stage (but looking good!).
1977 ‘somebody touched me’ promo video
1980 ‘hot dog’ on ‘Top of the Pops’
c.1979-80 ‘Dixieland rock | whole lotta lotta lovin’ to do | wear my ring | ready teddy | ggod rockin’ tonight | hey Mae!’ on ‘Jack Good’s Oh Boy!’ (ITV)
c.1979-80 ‘summertime blues | something else | twenty flight rock | is a bluebird blue?’ on ‘Jack Good’s Oh Boy!’ (ITV)
1980 ‘shooting arcade’ on ‘Cheggers’
1980 ‘Marie, Marie’ video
1981 ‘this ole house’ video
1981 ‘this ole house’
1981 ‘this ole house’ on ‘Summertime Special’ (BBC)
1981 ‘you drive me crazy’ 27th of April on ‘Cheggers Plays Pop’
1981 ‘you drive me crazy’ 21st of May on ‘Top of the Pops’
1981 ‘you drive me crazy’ on a tv show somewhere in Europe …
1981 ‘you drive me crazy’ on tv show ‘Tritsch Trasch’, Austria
1981 ‘you drive me crazy’ on ‘Top of the Pops Christmas Party’
1981 ‘green door’ video
1981 ‘green door’ on ‘Top of the Pops’
1981 ‘green door’ 6th of August on ‘Summertime Special’ (BBC)
1981 ‘it’s raining’ video
1982 ‘Shirley’ on ‘Musikladen’
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1982 ‘oh, Julie’ on ‘Childrens Royal Variety’
1982 ‘green door / teardrops / you drive me crazy / oh Julie’ on the ‘Astro TV Show’, Germany
1982 ‘lawdy, miss Clawdy’ at Dell festival
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1982 ‘blue Christmas’ on ‘Top of the Pops’
1983 ‘it’s late’
1983 ‘the bop won’t stop’ (NRK, Norway)
1983 ‘rockin’ good way’ video (with Bonnie Tyler’)
1983 25th of December ‘rockin’ good way’ (with Bonnie Tyler) on ‘Jimmy Tarbuck’s Christmas All Stars’ (LWT)
1984 ‘rockin’ good way’ (with Bonnie Tyler) on ‘Top of the Pops’
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1984 ‘rockin’ good way’ (with Bonnie Tyler) 21st of January on ‘Wogan’
In our humble opinion, the mixing is better on this performance than the released version, with the orchestral part dialled down.
1984 ‘teardrops’ video
1984 ‘teardrops’
1985 20th of October ‘lipstick, powder and paint’ | ‘blueberry hill’ (with Jimmy Tarbuck) on ‘Live from her Majesty’s’
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1985 ‘merry Christmas everyone’ on ‘Top of the Pops’
1987 ‘what do you wanna make those eyes at me for?’ video
1990 ‘my cutie, cutie’
1990 ‘the best Christmas of them all’ on ‘Top of the Pops’
1991 ‘rockin’ little Christmas time’
POSTED April 2026
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