RHODA DAKAR continues her series of classic covers with a version of the Marianne Faithfull evergreen 'As Tears Go By'.
Originally written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards together with manager Andrew Loog Oldham, the song was a Top 10 hit for Faithfull in the summer of '64. Later recorded by the Stones themselves, it's also been covered by Nancy Sinatra, PP Arnold, Melanie and Avenged Sevenfold. This, however, is the first ever reggae version.
The fourth in Dakar's series of 7" covers for Sunday Best Recordings - which also includes 'Every Day Is Like Sunday', 'The Man who sold The World' and 'Walking After Midnight' - the track was produced by Phoenix City All-Stars guitarist Lenny Bignell and features Roger Rivas of The Aggrolites and Rivas Studios on keyboards.
“Beatles or Stones is a longtime discussion amongst people who remember their Sixties heyday, or near enough," Dakar says. "Producer Lenny and I are firmly in the Stones camp. And, since Lynval saw them in Hyde Park in ’69, I’m claiming him as one of ours as well. Finding a Stones tune to cover successfully is another matter, of course. 'As Tears Go By' was written for a woman, Marianne Faithful, and for that reason didn’t require any great rethinking. We approached it with a Rocksteady / Early Reggae vibe, including the strings the UK versions always had. By the time we recorded the vocal, I’d had a year off thanks to Covid. So, it was indeed a week without cheese and daily practise!”
Mastered by dubstep pioneer Jason Goz at Transition Mastering, and featuring a dub version on the B-side, the series will continue until the release of Dakar's new album in early 2023.
'As Tears Go By' is available to pre-order/stream/download here.