Edit 3 for headphones, June 2021. Recorded in July & October, 1967. Released as a US B-side to "Jumping Jack Flash" on May 24, 1968.
Saxophone: Brian Jones (Brian Jones was one of those very, very, very few persons who know how to play a saxophone in a way that you cannot to distinguish if it is a saxophone)(which is for the best, for I hate the sound of that thing!). Lead and backing vocals: Mick Jagger. Guitar & backing vocals: Keith Richards. Bass: Bill Wyman. Drums: Charlie Watts. Organ and piano: Nicky Hopkins. Backing vocals: Jimmy Miller. Percussion: Rocky Dijon.
Source of this edit is the song nr.20 on cd 2 of the 3 cd remastered reissue of the album set "Singles Collection - The London Years" (Abkco-London 844 481-2).
Be cautious: the Japanese version of this "Singles Collection" has "Child Of The Moon" in mono (UICY-93035/7).
About the video: Rolling Stones promotional video productions from the 1960's are clearly years ahead of any MTV concept rock videos. The first Stones video was recorded in April 1963 and played to the unreleased Bo Diddley song "Pretty Thing". They were in many respects pioneers of the art form, although this is rarely pointed out or recognized (until now). This video is particularly interesting because it portrays a story rather than just having the band mime the vocal and instrumentals. The "Child Of The Moon" promotional video was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 1968.
I recently noticed this:
at 0:11 for some five seconds you can see someone in white, bending, picking up things and stand up -
you need full screen mode to see it better, it is at the right to the horse, next to the trees, in the field
(the maker of the video probably missed it while shooting the video)
at 1:07 till 1:09 you can see movement by that person in white too (between Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts, in the background bushes)
(maybe it is Anita Pallenberg, customed to messing things up in the world of Rolling stones? ;-)
at 2:26 till 2.30 you can see movement like throwing (food?)
at 2:35 till 2.39 there is that same person very clearly visible, in the background at the left near Keith Richards' knee, for the view there is from the opposite position (though not matching with the exact position at the bridge): it is the guy who probably has to prevent the horse from running away...
mystery solved...
finally, at 2:44 Mick Jagger suddenly is visible walking towards the camera: it is a shot from the beginning of the video... a strange decision to come up with an early shot of the video near the end of it...
CHILD OF THE MOON *
(Jagger/Richards)
"hey sick person (...)" **
the wind blows rain into my face
the sun glows at the end of the highway
child of the moon, rub your rainy eyes
oh, child of the moon
give me a wide-awake crescent-shaped smile
she shivers, by the light she is hidden
she flickers like a lamp lady vision
child of the moon, rub your rainy eyes
c
