Lipstick, Powder and Paint saw Shaky reunite with fellow Welshman Dave Edmunds who had produced the first Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets album A Legend in 1970. However, despite the inclusion of the rocking title track and covers of Chuck Berry and Billy Fury songs, the album was not a total return to the traditional rock and roll sound of earlier Stevens releases. It was also the first album since Take One! (1980) not to contain any top 10 singles, although the Christmas number 1 single "Merry Christmas Everyone" (not included on the album) was released during this period. Perhaps as an indication of Stevens' fading popularity, Epic chose not to issue the album on compact disc when originally released in 1985 and, as a result, The Epic Masters presents the album's first official CD release.
