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Following the March release of her excellent Ska version of ‘Walking After Midnight’, Sunday Best Recordings are pleased to announce the release of their fourth Rhoda Dakar single, ‘As Tears Go By’.

Originally recorded by Marianne Faithfull, ‘As Tears Go By’ is an early Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ composition (specifically written by Jagger/Richards and their manager Andrew Loog Oldham – later recorded by the Stones themselves), a pop ballad nearly 60 years of age. Covered by the likes of Nancy Sinatra, P.P. Arnold and Melanie, the song has never received the reggae treatment.

As with Rhoda’s previous three Sunday Best singles (the first being a cover of ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’, the second ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, third ‘Walking After Midnight’), Rhoda and her band recreate the classic sound of early Jamaican reggae. The song was recorded at Iguana, OneCat and Perry Vale Studios in London and produced by guitarist Lenny Bignell, who has worked with almost every legacy Reggae artist. They were accompanied by bassist Andi McLean, drummer Marley Drummond, Roger Rivas* on keyboards, cellist Hannah Ashendon, violinist Marianne Haynes – with string arrangements by Louis Vause – and Nathan Austin Thomas (backing vocals).

Rhoda on recording ‘As Tears Go By’: “Beatles or Stones is a longtime discussion amongst people who remember their Sixties heyday, or near enough. 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!”

Listen to ‘As Tears Go By’ – BELOW:

‘As Tears Go By’ is the fourth in a series of five 7” singles all mastered by dubstep pioneer Jason Goz at Transition Mastering – each b/w dub versions – which will be released from now up until Rhoda’s new album early next year. Each sleeve will be exclusively designed by renowned Sheffield artist Pete McKee.