Johnny Kidd & The Pirates Shakin' All Over - The Early Singles 1959 - 1961

140 gram LP. It may be surprising that the Beatles were not the first British rock act to top the charts with one of their own compositions: that honor goes to Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, whose No.

1 "Shakin All Over" is also the first British-penned rock and roll hit to ever reach US top 20.

Johnny, who wore an eye patch and calf length cowboy boots on stage to enhance his pirate image, was offered a contract by HMV in 1959 to record their first single, "Please Don't Touch", a song that 22 years later revisited the UK charts by heavy metal heroes Motorhead & Girlschool.

Unfortunately, like many other labels of that era, EMI was never sure how best to deal with rock & roll success and though the group was among the finest rock combos of the early '60s, with a wild stage act that had them playing in pirate regalia, it never had enough consistent chart success to put it back in the top ranks of Britain's rock hierarchy, though they received a great deal of respect from the younger generation of rock & rollers.

This LP collects all their early singles between 1959-1961, including all of Johnny Kidd's unforgettable hits.