GEMS/REDFERNS/GETTY IMAGES
Destined to be a classic of English rock’n’roll, Shakin’ All Over was recorded in just one take with minor overdubs, mainly from the band’s lead guitarist Joe Moretti. When Johnny Kidd and his four-piece outfit were offered the chance to write their next B-side by the HMV label, they hastily came up with Shakin’ All Over in the basement of Chas McDevitt’s Freight Train coffee bar before their recording session the following day. Regarding the song’s genesis, Kidd explained: “When I was going round with a bunch of lads and we happened to see a girl who was a real sizzler, we used to say that she gave us ‘quivers down the membranes’. It was a standard saying with us, referring to any attractive girl. I can honestly say that it was this more than anything that inspired me to write Shakin’ All Over.”