Session details: Unknown studio (Early September 1985)

Miles Ahead session details

Early September 1985 (11 items; TT = 79:48)

Unknown studio, New York NY

Commercial for Manhattan

Miles Davis (tpt, talking); Afrika Bambaataa (voc); Ray Barretto (cga, voc); Stiv Bator (voc); Pat Benatar (voc); Big Youth (voc); Rubén Blades (voc); Keith Le Blanc (voc); Kurtis Blow (voc); Bono (voc); Duke Bootee (voc); Jackson Browne (voc); Ron Carter (b); Clarence Clemons (saxophone); Jimmy Cliff (voc); George Clinton (voc); Will Downing (voc); Bob Dylan (voc); The Fat Boys (voc); Peter Gabriel (voc); Peter Garrett (voc); Bob Geldorf (voc); Daryl Hall (voc); Herbie Hancock (keyb); Richard Scher (keyb); Nona Hendryx (voc); Linton Kwesi Johnson (voc); Stanley Jordan (g); Kashif (voc); Eddie Kendrick (voc); Robbie Kilgore (keyb); Little Steven (g); Darlene Love (voc); Malopoets (voc); Grandmaster Melle Mel (voc); Michael Monroe (voc); John Oates (voc); Sonny Okosuus (talking drum, voc); Bonnie Raitt (voc); Joey Ramone (voc); Lou Reed (voc); David Ruffin (voc); Run-DMC (voc); Richard Scher (keyb); Scorpia (voc); Gil Scott-Heron (voc); Shankar (vln); Bruce Springsteen (voc); Zak Starkey (d); Ringo Starr (d); Tina B (voc); Pete Townshend (g); Via Afrika (voc); Tony Williams (d); Doug Wimbish (g); Peter Wolf (voc); Bobby Womack (voc); Zoe Yanakis (keyb); Others (voc)

1	Sun City (M. Davis)	7:10
2	Sun City (version 2 (edit)) (M. Davis)	5:42
3	Sun City (last remix) (M. Davis)	9:37
4	Let Me See Your I.D. (Album mix) (G Scott-Heron)	7:29
	Manhattan B-50026 edited to (4:13)
5	Let Me See Your I.D. (Street mix) (G Scott-Heron)	6:42
	Manhattan B-50026 edited to (4:14)
6	Let Me See Your I.D. (Beat and Scratch) (G Scott-Heron)	5:12
7	Let Me See Your I.D. (Extended mix) (G Scott-Heron)	9:51
8	The Struggle Continues (S. Van Zandt)	7:03
9	The Struggle Continues (Extra Miles Davis version) (S. Van Zandt)	9:51
	Extended version added Miles Davis inserts
10	Revolutionary Situation	6:16
11	Soweto Nights	4:55
	It is not known whether Davis participated on this title


1 Sun City 12" LP: Manhattan 1CK 060-2009276, Manhattan 1C 064 24467, Manhattan ST-53019 CD: Manhattan ST-53019, Razor & Tie RE 2007
2 Sun City (version 2 (edit)) 45 rpm: Manhattan 1A0067-2009277 12" LP: Manhattan 1C 064 240467, ST-53019 CD: Manhattan ST-53019, Razor & Tie RE 2007
3 Sun City (last remix) 12" LP: Manhattan V-56013, Wicked Cool Records B 0032154 CD: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154
4 Let Me See Your I.D. (Album mix) 12" LP: Manhattan B-50026, 1C 064 240467, V56015, ST-53019 CD: Manhattan ST-53019, Razor & Tie RE 2007, TVT Records 4340
5 Let Me See Your I.D. (Street mix) 12" LP: Manhattan B-50026, V-56015, , Wicked Cool Records B 0032154 CD: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154
6 Let Me See Your I.D. (Beat and Scratch) 12" LP: Manhattan V-56015, , Wicked Cool Records B 0032154 CD: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154
7 Let Me See Your I.D. (Extended mix) 12" LP: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154 CD: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154
8 The Struggle Continues 12" LP: Manhattan 1C 064 240467, ST-52019 CD: Manhattan ST-53019, Razor & Tie RE 2007, TVT Records 4340, Warner Brothers R2 74360, Rhino (F) 524987472
9 The Struggle Continues (Extra Miles Davis version) 12" LP: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154 CD: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154
10 Revolutionary Situation 12" LP: Manhattan 1C 064 240467, ST-53019 CD: Manhattan ST-53019, Razor & Tie RE 2007
11 Soweto Nights 12" LP: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154 CD: Wicked Cool Records B 0032154

In the list of tunes above, the personnel seems to be as follows:

items 1-3: most of the collective listed personnel
items 4-7: Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Peter Wolf, Sonny Okosuns, Malopoets, Duke Bootee, Ray Barretto, Peter Garrett
items 8-9: Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Okosuns, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Richard Scher
item 10: fragments of speeches by Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu; sounds from a South African funeral; chanting by the Malopoets; also Davis' voice and tpt

According to Michael Cuscuna, "Sun City" is only one track overdubbed in parts to make it different tunes.

On items 8-9, all of Davis' parts were done on the same day in New York with Stanley Jordan plus the log drummer. Hancock, Carter, and Williams were overdubbed in late September.

A 21-minute video, The Making of Sun City, was broadcast on MTV. Davis is seen overdubbing and singing, and excepts of an interview are included.

Miles Davis' rap (8:50):

I'm ready, how 'bout you?
I'm ready. I'm a robot. (trumpet)
I'm ready, how 'bout you?
I'm ready. I'm a robot. (trumpet)
Do you have enough for me?
Enough to make an album.
Do you have enough for me?
(Whispers) I just had an orgasm. Do you know what I'm playing for?
Ron! Let's go. (Control room directions)
OK. All right.
Oh. You.
You can't go in there. You're the wrong color. You don't belong there.
You're the wrong color. You don't belong in here.
You're too white to be in here.
You don't know what we feel.
You can't stay here... with that bullshit.
You don't sound like [undecipherable] on an African.
You can't stay here any longer.
Fuck you!
Leave, leave, leave! (trumpet)
You can't stay in here anymore.
You're finished!?
We're tired of your shit now.
You have to leave! (trumpet)
You can't stay in here anymore.
That's how I [undecipherable] my whole life.