Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City

Composers: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording dates: 31st August 4th September 1964
Recording location: London, Pye Studios and London, Decca Studios
Producer: Andrew Oldham
Engineer: Bill Farley / Gus Dudgeon
Arranger: Mike Leander

First Released Stones: 6th June 1975: The Rolling Stones (LP) ‘Metamorphosis’
Label: Decca SKL 5212

Lead Vocal: Mick Jagger
Guitars: Big Jim Sullivan/ Jimmy Page (maybe Bass) / John McLaughlin/ Keith Richards
Bass: Joe Moretti / John Paul Jones (maybe)
Drums: Andy White

First Released by:

16th July 1965: THE MIGHTY AVENGERS.
7" single (Decca F 12198). Producer: Andrew Oldham for Andesound.
A: Sleepy City (MJ/KR) -composer credits
[B: Sir Edward And Lady Jane (Andrew Oldham)]

Different versions:
Sleepy City I (MJ/KR) -demo for The Mighty Avengers
Sleepy City II (MJ/KR) -version I with more guitar and backing vocals; Metamorphosis-version


(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City

Walkin' thru' the sleepy city
In the dark it looks so pretty
Till I got to the one cafe
That stays open night and day

Just a lookin' at the sleepy city
In the night it looks so pretty
No one sees the city lights
they just care about the warmth inside

No one listens to what people say
I just sit and hear the radio play
Just then this girl walked in my way
And she was as pretty as my sleepy city

Will you walk through the sleepy city
In the night it looks so pretty
Tired of walkin on my own
It looks better when you're not alone

Will you walk through the sleepy city
In the night it looks so pretty
I'm tired of walkin on my own
It looks better when you're not alone

Mm mm mm mm mm mm
La la la la la la
La la la la la la la la

Will you walk through the sleepy city
In the night, well it looks so pretty
I'm tired of walkin on my own
It looks better when you're not alone

C'mon walk through that sleepy city
I said in the night it looks so pretty
I'm tired of walkin that park on my own
It looks better when you're not alone

Note: Info taken from NZentgraf and WW-Internet

Love it.

Melody wise this is best song from the demo's on Metamorphosis...................

Each and Everyday of the Year
I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys
Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind
(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City
We're Wastin' Time

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Horrible, like all Oldham Orchestra tracks on Metamorphosis and elsewhere.

On that album: Jiving Sister Fanny, great track!

Meh ... sweet verging on cloying.

Drew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-10-26 21:09 by drewmaster.

Quote
NICOS
Melody wise this is best song from the demo's on Metamorphosis...................

Each and Everyday of the Year
I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys
Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind
(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City
We're Wastin' Time

I would go w/ Some Things Stick In Your Mind as the best of the demos. I don't mind Sleepy city, it's about on the same level as Each & Everyday, they both get stuck in your head (mind), and when they do, they are there all day!

like sleepy city, also were waistin time, and much rather be with the boys.

love metamorphosis, such diversity if not all official stones songs.

The Mighty Avengers.
[www.youtube.com]




The 'b' side, the Andrew Oldham composed "Sir Edward And Lady Jane", is very odd indeed and warrants further investigation as to who is actually playing on it.
I don't think that there are any Stones involved but it wouldn't surprise me if the Mighty Avengers weren't involved either!
[www.youtube.com]





"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

I thought the lyrics were trite, and the song itself was rather mediocre. This is a throw away number if there ever was one. Sorry...

metamorphosis is such an odd album. Because it is so disjointed that my least favorite song will be the next guys favorite. Usually we all tend to roughly agree on Best to Worst.
For me e.g. "wastin Time and "Some Things Stick are the weakest. But just in this short thread I see them listed as faves by some posters.

Trite - no. That suggests an experienced writer who just can't be bothered to do more than trot out the same old clichés again. This is a very early attempt, and the rather amateurish lyrics and song structure show it. That said, I like the sleepy city - it's got the early signs of the writer basing the song on a real experience, something the Glimmer Twins got rather good at later. But they had to start somewhere.

¨Great song as a 60ies version in the tradition of Art Deco...few band did managed to sound like this...Velvet Underground with Nico did..sometimes New York Dolls...or Thunders himself...

We're wastin time is Another great Stones track in this style...

2 1 2 0

...it's catchy and hangs in ya head ....I like it ...



ROCKMAN

Nice tune. Be interesting to see what this Jagger/Richards team gets up to as they mature.

Quote
Green Lady
Trite - no. That suggests an experienced writer who just can't be bothered to do more than trot out the same old clichés again. This is a very early attempt, and the rather amateurish lyrics and song structure show it. That said, I like the sleepy city - it's got the early signs of the writer basing the song on a real experience, something the Glimmer Twins got rather good at later. But they had to start somewhere.

That's is how I feel about this song.........

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When "Metamorphosis" came out in 1975 (I went out and bought it right away) there was talk in the rock press that this song dated from a period where Mick thought the Stones were failing. Mick considered going on his own as a kind of Tom Jones singer, and "Sleepy City" was the result of that experiment.

Well, with that recording date that cant be right.

With Songs like Each and every Day, Sleepy City or Some things just stick in your mind I Never knew whether I loved or hated them.
They sure keep hangin' in your head.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-23 18:45 by CousinC.

56 years later we got it's older brother, "Living In A Ghost Town"

I like this song from my double vinyls boot called Rolling Stones Trident Demos 1969

A great song, -always thought.

There's a good video with the song ,of 60's London on Facebook somewhere,but it's not on youtube.
I do like the song and a really good album track.