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Miles Ahead session details

[Return to 1980s sessions]

December 26, 1984 (37 items; TT = 114:31)
Record Plant Studios, New York NY
Commercial for Columbia

Miles Davis (tpt, synth, police voices, arr); Bob Berg (ss, ts); Robert Irving III (synth, celeste, org, clavinet, arr); John Scofield (g, arr); Darryl Jones (el-b); Al Foster (d); Vincent Wilburn Jr. (d); Steve Thornton (perc, Spanish voice); Sting (French police voice); Marek Olko (Polish voice); James Prindiville (handcuffs)

1 Intro (Right Off) (inc) 0:30
2 Street Scenes (M. Davis) 6:38
3 One Phone Call - Street Scenes (M. Davis) 6:25
4 One Phone Call - Street Scenes (M. Davis) 6:39
5 One Phone Call - Street Scenes (edit) (M. Davis) 4:34

Issued as "Theme From Jack Johnson (Right Off)/Intro"
6 One Phone Call - Street Scenes (M. Davis) 8:30
7 What's Love Got to Do With It? (take (inc)) (G. Lyle-T. Britten) n/a
8 What's Love Got to Do With It? (take (complete)) (G. Lyle-T. Britten) 5:17
9 What's Love Got to Do With It? (take) (G. Lyle-T. Britten) n/a
10 What's Love Got to Do With It? (take (inc)) (G. Lyle-T. Britten) 4:21
11 You're Under Arrest (take 1 (fs)) (J. Scofield) n/a
12 You're Under Arrest (take 2 (fs)) (J. Scofield) n/a
13 You're Under Arrest (take 3 (inc)) (J. Scofield) 5:17
14 You're Under Arrest (take 4 (2 x fs)) (J. Scofield) 0:04
15 You're Under Arrest (take 4 (complete)) (J. Scofield) 6:34
16 You're Under Arrest (take 4 (edit)) (J. Scofield) 6:14
17 Transition (take 1) n/a
18 Transition - Jean Pierre (take 2) n/a
19 Jean Pierre - You're Under Arrest - Then There Were None (edit) 2:18
20 Jean Pierre - You're Under Arrest - Then There Were None 4:32
21 Jean Pierre - You're Under Arrest - Then There Were None (edit) 3:23
22 Human Nature (rehearsal) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 4:54
23 Human Nature (rehearsal) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 2:58
24 Human Nature (rehearsal) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 0:46
25 Human Nature (rehearsal) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 1:22
26 Human Nature (rehearsal) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 4:15
27 Human Nature (rehearsal) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 5:56
28 Studio chatter + theme (rehearsal) 2:41
29 Human Nature (take 1 (inc)) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 4:46
30 Human Nature (take 2) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 4:30
31 Human Nature (take 3 (fs)) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) n/a
32 Human Nature (take 4 (inc)) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) n/a
33 Human Nature (take 5 (fs)) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) n/a
34 Human Nature (take 6 (inc)) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) n/a
35 Human Nature (take 7) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) n/a
36 Human Nature (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 5:07

Used as part of the issued alternate take
37 Human Nature (alternate take) (S. Porcaro-J. Bettis) 6:00


5 One Phone Call - Street Scenes (edit)
12" LP: Columbia FC 40023, Get on Down GET 51473, CBS/Sony 23AP 3034
CD: Columbia CK 40023, CBS/Sony 32DP 230, CBS/Sony CSCS 5349, Sony SRCS 9137, Sony SRCS 6842, SRCS 9723, Sony SRGS 4530, Sony SICP 1237, Sony SICP 20071, Sony SICP 30278, Sony SICJ 299, Sony SICJ 30109, CBS (EU) 474.316, Columbia 86975 24922 (CD 51)

10 What's Love Got to Do With It? (take (inc))
12" LP: Columbia 19439863841
CD: Sony 19439863852

16 You're Under Arrest (take 4 (edit))
12" LP: Columbia FC 40023, Get on Down GET 51473, CBS/Sony 23AP 3034
CD: Columbia CK 40023, CBS/Sony 32DP 230, CBS/Sony CSCS 5349, Sony SRCS 9137, Sony SRCS 9723, Sony SRGS 4530, Sony SICP 1237, Sony SICP 20071, Sony SICP 30278, Sony SICJ 299, Sony SICJ 30109, CBS(D) 27200262, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 51)

21 Jean Pierre - You're Under Arrest - Then There Were None (edit)
12" LP: Columbia FC 40023, Get on Down GET 51473, CBS/Sony 23AP 3034
CD: Columbia CK 40023, CBS/Sony 32DP 230, CBS/Sony CSCS 5349, Sony SRCS 9137, Sony SRCS 9723, Sony SRGS 4530, Sony SICP 1237, Sony SICP 20071, Sony SICP 30278, Sony SICJ 299, Sony SICJ 30109, CBS(D) 27200262, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 51)

30 Human Nature (take 2)
12" LP: Columbia FC 40023, Get on Down GET 51473, CBS/Sony 23AP 3034, Columbia (EU) 467.958, Curcio GdJ-01
CD: Columbia CK 40023, Columbia Legacy CK 65449, CBS/Sony 32DP 230, CBS/Sony CSCS 5349, Sony SRCS 9137, Sony SRCS 9723, Sony SRGS 4530, Sony SICP 1237, Sony SICP 20071, Sony SICP 30278, Sony SICJ 299, Sony SICJ 30109, Columbia (Eu) 467.958, Columbia Legacy 86975 24922 [= Columbia (F) 86975 52492] (CD 51)

37 Human Nature (alternate take)
12" LP: Columbia 19439863841
CD: Columbia 19239863852


"One Phone Call" / "Street Scenes"

Rhythm only on "Intro (Right Off)." "Speak" is probably from an overdub session: voices and siren are not included. Siren included (but no voices) on items 3, 4, and 6. The issued version of "Speak" (item 5) is faded in (1:09 + 5:30).

The track released as "Theme from Jack Johnson (Right Off)/Intro" on That's What Happened: Bootleg Series, Vol. 7 uses a different take or edit of "Speak" than what was used on the original LP release. It is longer than the released version and includes only music (no voices and noise effects) (1:02 + 7:24).

"James Prindiville" with handcuffs was Davis' road manager, Jim Prindiville Rose.

The sequence with Davis' voice is used in many live performances in 1985.

At a later overdub session (January 15, 1985) the tpt, ss, and perc tracks were added.

"You're Under Arrest" / "What's Love Got to Do with It?" / "Jean Pierre"

"You're Under Arrest" is listed in the Columbia files as "John's Tune." The version included on the LP is edited: the first 0:20 and the keyb tone (0:14) are missing. The DX7 brass parts were overdubbed on January 18, 1985.

"Transition" and "Transition/Jean Pierre" are probably unedited takes of the medley listed.

All three medleys include an unlisted short version of "Jean Pierre" at the start of "Then there were None."

The sound effects on "Then There Were None" were recorded at Cinema Sound Ltd. (a Robert Irving project). The entire project includes "Atomic Bomb"; "Children in City Playground"; "Central Park"; "Apollo 11 Countdown"; "Electronic Beeping (fast)"; "Screaming, Panicky Crowd"; and "Baby Cry (hungry)." The first 0:10, and an excerpt from 8:20-10:56, are included on Columbia FC-40023 and equivalents. The remainder is unreleased. The sound effects were probably added in January 1985.

The first listed version of "Medley" is probably the original recording without the sound effects added later to produce the released version (3:23).

Columbia mistakenly lists Berg among the participants on "What's Love Got to Do With It?" The date is listed as December 26, and Wilburn is listed on drums. If the date is correct, then Foster should be the drummer. If Wilburn is indeed the drummer, then either he's overdubbed later or the recording was made after Foster left the session. See January 15, 1985.

"Human Nature"

Bob Berg is wrongly listed as participating on "Human Nature." The rehearsals are unslated and many contain several excerpts. The rehearsals include only tpt, keyb, g, el-b, and the sound from the "click track" -- the drums were added later. Foster left the session after take 1 and Wilburn, who was in the control room, took over. He played drums with Davis until end of March 1987.

The "alternate version" of "Human Nature" includes an introduction (0:52) which is not included in the take as issued (5:07).

"Human Nature" remake sessions were scheduled for January 14 and 15, 1985. The date for this session has been listed by Columbia as December 27, but the tape boxes all list the date as December 26. Columbia CK-65449 and CK-84784 wrongly list the recording date as September 1984.

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