'It's All Over Now' - Valentinos/Rolling Stones

Robert Webb's Guide to Pop's most Intriguing Cover Versions

Two years after their live debut at Soho's Marquee Club in 1962, The Rolling Stones found themselves a few miles from Soho, in Chicago's Chess Studios. Chess was where their heroes Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry recorded and this, decided Andrew Loog Oldham was where the Stones would make their name. "It's All Over Now", a rousing, girl-done-me-wrong number written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley, had just been released by R&B outfit The Valentinos, aka the brothers Womack. The Stones first heard it from one of America's celebrity DJs and Oldham wasted no time in blagging recording rights. Bill Wyman was delighted: "The atmosphere was so marvellous that we got through the numbers in double-quick time. Then, on the next day, both Chuck and Muddy came in to see us. Fantastic."

Behind Brian Jones's jaunty, country-style picking, Keith's guitar grunts at Jagger's woeful tale. With engineer Ron Malo's help, the Stones transformed "It's All Over Now" from a guttural foot-stomper into an early rock classic. At first Womack was not happy at the prospect of having his song ruined by a bunch of delinquent Brits. But the flood of royalties eased the pain. Although only grazing the Billboard Top Twenty, it was released in the UK in June 1964 to advance orders of 150,000 and swept the charts, providing the Stones with their first number one and giving Womack the recognition he deserved as soul's primary singer-songwriter.