diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c3b324ed985e6..e7dd45a98b8d9 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ else # !mixed-build
 include $(srctree)/scripts/Kbuild.include
 
 # Read KERNELRELEASE from include/config/kernel.release (if it exists)
-KERNELRELEASE = $(call read-file, include/config/kernel.release)
+KERNELRELEASE = $(shell cat include/config/kernel.release 2> /dev/null)
 KERNELVERSION = $(VERSION)$(if $(PATCHLEVEL),.$(PATCHLEVEL)$(if $(SUBLEVEL),.$(SUBLEVEL)))$(EXTRAVERSION)
 export VERSION PATCHLEVEL SUBLEVEL KERNELRELEASE KERNELVERSION
 
@@ -1168,11 +1168,8 @@ vmlinux: vmlinux.o $(KBUILD_LDS) modpost
 # make sure no implicit rule kicks in
 $(sort $(KBUILD_LDS) $(KBUILD_VMLINUX_OBJS) $(KBUILD_VMLINUX_LIBS)): . ;
 
-ifeq ($(origin KERNELRELEASE),file)
-filechk_kernel.release = $(srctree)/scripts/setlocalversion $(srctree)
-else
-filechk_kernel.release = echo $(KERNELRELEASE)
-endif
+filechk_kernel.release = \
+	echo "$$($(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/setlocalversion $(srctree))"
 
 # Store (new) KERNELRELEASE string in include/config/kernel.release
 include/config/kernel.release: FORCE
diff --git a/init/build-version b/init/build-version
index 537d458150832..13c54ea1d12bb 100755
--- a/init/build-version
+++ b/init/build-version
@@ -3,8 +3,13 @@
 
 prev_ver=$(cat .version 2>/dev/null) &&
 ver=$(expr ${prev_ver} + 1 2>/dev/null) ||
-ver=1
-
+#ver=1
+if [ X$prev_ver = "X" ]
+then
+	ver=1
+else
+	ver=$prev_ver
+fi
 echo ${ver} > .version
 
 echo ${ver}
diff --git a/scripts/package/mkdebian b/scripts/package/mkdebian
index 5044224cf6714..7983aeac3f085 100755
--- a/scripts/package/mkdebian
+++ b/scripts/package/mkdebian
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ version=$KERNELRELEASE
 if [ -n "$KDEB_PKGVERSION" ]; then
 	packageversion=$KDEB_PKGVERSION
 else
-	packageversion=$(${srctree}/scripts/setlocalversion --no-local ${srctree})-$($srctree/init/build-version)
+	packageversion=$($srctree/init/build-version)
 fi
 sourcename=${KDEB_SOURCENAME:-linux-upstream}