Various Artists - Shaken, Not Stirred (2015)

In the next of Mike Solof’s guest posts on the blog, we have his exhaustive investigation into songs which were submitted to the producers of the James Bond films, but which were rejected in favour of those which went on to be forever associated with the franchise. Mike’s main work contains 59 tracks, and, as always, contains a detailed PDF with the background on each song, but to ease you in here is a sampler of that massive work, with notes extracted from his PDF. So over to Mike....

I love James Bond themes. Absolutely adore them, they're some of my favorite songs. So it should go without saying that I find their history and backstory even more interesting. But I think the most intriguing thing about James Bond themes, however, is not the ones that actually made it into the movie, but the themes that don't make it into a film. So over the past few months (since a little while before SPECTRE) I've been collecting as many rejected themes as possible, and I'm going to lay them out here, because who wouldn't want to know about these gems? I'll go through the films in release order, and I've included songs here that I can definitely confirm were rejected, and I'll cite my sources for that.
Thunderball 1965
‘Thunderball' was the fourth Bond film released, and as Shirley Bassey's rendition of 'Goldfinger' really solidified what a Bond theme should be, it should not be a surprise, then, that she was asked to return for 'Thunderball'. John Barry wrote this piece after seriously considering that he could not write a theme with the phrase 'Thunderball' in the title. It was simply too vague for him. So he teamed up with Leslie Bricusse and wrote this 'Goldfinger'-esque piece that focused on Bond rather than the film. The name of the song comes from an Italian journalist, who apparently dubbed James Bond 'Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'. However, there were some issues with Bassey's singing, and so Barry turned to Dionne Warwick to re-record the same theme, and expanded on the instrumental opening to time the lyrics with Binder's opening sequence. Saltzmann and Broccoli heard the song and decided, with very little evidence, that a Bond theme that didn't use the title of the movie would not succeed, and the song was briefly relegated to the closing titles, until Bassey sued and the song was removed. Instrumental versions of 'Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' can still be found on the 'Thunderball' soundtrack.
You Only Live Twice 1967
'You Only Live Twice' actually had a rather rapid theme selection process. As with 'Thunderball' the theme was written pretty early, and the only rejected song comes from a different singer than the final version, except for this one. No one really knows where it came from, apparently Lorraine Chandler recorded it in the 70's, and then in mid-80's RCA was digging through its archives and turned up this recording, and when they released it on vinyl it became a cult hit.
The Man With the Golden Gun 1974
This is one of the more famous rejected themes, for varying reasons, not the least of which was that it was performed by Alice Cooper. But the story behind this song is interesting. John Barry did not return to score 'Live And Let Die', and from what I can gather it was a combination of him being busy, and a disagreement with Saltzman over 'Diamonds Are Forever', and he returned to the series with 'The Man With The Golden Gun'. He set forth immediately writing the title theme, later filled in with lyrics by Don Black and performed by Lulu. It's not a favorite of the franchise, and Barry had consistently stated that it was his least favorite Bond soundtrack. While the producers were courting people to create the title theme, Alice Cooper decided to give it a shot. He would claim for a while that his theme was supposed to be the actual title theme, until it was snatched away at the last minute by Lulu., but this claim seems to be unsubstantiated, and since then Cooper has gone on to say that his song wasn't actually finished by the time the producers signed their contract with Lulu.
For Your Eyes Only 1981
This is one of the strangest rejected themes, as when it came time to write the score for 'For Your Eyes Only', John Barry was unfortunately unable to participate, as he was  dealing with some tax issues, and suggested Bill Conti instead. Produces wanted Debbie Harry to sing a Conti-penned theme, but she refused and wrote her own theme with her bandmates. When it was pitched to Conti, he was less than impressed, turning it down and going on to write his own, originally intended for Donna Summer, but United Artists suggested Sheena Easton, and so a theme was born.
Never Say Never Again 1983
Prior to the release of 'Never Say Never Again' in 1983, Stephen Forsyth and Jim Ryan wrote what was intended to be the film's theme song, but their tune was axed when Michel Legrand, who created the film's score, threatened to sue. Originally Warner Brothers had informed Forsyth and Ryan's attorney that the song was to be used as the title song in the picture, but shortly before its release they were informed that the song could not be used because Michel Legrand, who wrote the score, threatened to sue them, claiming that contractually he had the right to the title song. Phyllis Hyman was their first choice to sing the song, and after hearing it sung to her while she was having breakfast in her manager’s office, she agreed to sing it, and without any rehearsal, and only having heard the song sung once at the breakfast audition, delivered it in one perfect take.
The Living Daylights 1987
The title song of the film was recorded by Norwegian pop group A-ha, but originally British pop duo Pet Shop Boys was asked to compose the soundtrack, but backed out when they learned that they should not provide a complete soundtrack but merely the opening theme song. In a departure from conventions of previous Bond films, the film used different songs over the opening and end credits, and the song heard over the end credits, 'If There Was A Man' by the Pretenders, had originally been considered as film's title song. However, the producers had been pleased with the commercial success of Duran Duran's 'A View to a Kill', and felt that a-ha would be more likely to make an impact in the charts, so 'If There Was A Man' was relegated to the closing theme. 
GoldenEye 1995
'GoldenEye' was sort of a pseudo-reboot of the series. They weren't calling it a reboot, but it was the first film made after the fall of longtime Bond enemy, the Soviet Union. Hence Bond needed to be brought into the modern era, and while looking for a theme for the movie, Ace of Base submitted a demo. Ace of Base were a pretty well known band now, but when 'GoldenEye' was in production it had only been a year since their debut album. It appears that they were really banking on this film being a success to kind of kickstart their career, but their label had other plans, and forced the band to withdraw the submission, since they strongly believed the film would flop and ruin Ace of Base. How wrong they were.
Tomorrow Never Dies 1997
This was the first Bond film to be scored by David Arnold, probably the second most prolific Bond soundtrack composer, after John Barry, and he intended to write a full, brassy, Bassey-eque Bond theme. The producers wanted a more well known name for the theme, and in the end we got Sheryl Crow, but for this movie the producers opened the door for anyone to submit a theme to the movie, receiving offers from, among others, Pulp, Saint Etienne, Swan Lee, The Fixx, Duran Duran, and the one featured here by k.d. lang, which is everything a classic Bond theme should be. It's bold, brassy and sultry, and after the producers chose the new theme, they moved this one to the end credits. Chris Rea was also in contention with his song, 'Shadows Of The Big Man', as the producers were keen to hear from anyone who thought they might have a song worthy of inclusion.
The World is Not Enough 1999
Let's be honest, whatever you think of 'The World is Not Enough', Garbage was a pretty leftfield choice to begin with, but Straw were an indie rock band who only ever released one album, and who submitted this piece for consideration. It was rejected in the end, probably because composer David Arnold and resident Bond lyricist Don Black finally had their chance to write their own Bond theme after the 'Surrender'/'Tomorrow Never Dies' experiment.
Die Another Day 2002
While the opportunity to provide the theme song for 'Die Another Die' eventually went to Madonna, there was a submission by synth-pop duo Red Flag, and although I should mention that I can't confirm this was actually rejected for 'Die Another Day', the evidence certainly points that way, as the production title of 'Die Another Day' was 'Beyond The Ice', and there is also the  blatant Bond references in the lyrics, such as "You only live twice" and "licence to thrill". 
Casino Royale 2006
This song was submitted by Sandra, a German singer who covered the song 'Sleep With Me', originally recorded by Edyta Górniak, and re-titled it 'Casino Royale'. It was apparently up against two other offerings by different artists, but it was one of the ones to be rejected, with Chris Connell eventually getting the gig with 'You Know My Name', which is a shame as it definitely has that 'Bond' feel to it. 
Quantum of Solace 2008
For 'Quantum Of Solace' the producers had three great songs to choose from, with this one from Jo Harrop, as well as Eva Almer's 'Forever' and Shirley Bassey's 'No Good About Goodbye', but they decided to go for 'Another Way To Die' by Alicia Keys and Jack White. However, this is a great song with very much of a 'Bond' feel to it, and it even managed to feature the unusual title in the lyrics.
Skyfall 2012
When Muse recorded 'Supremacy' for their 'The 2nd Law' album, drummer Dominic Howard told The Sun that their track should lead the way for a new Bond flick, as it had a little bit of a Bond vibe – with a crazy 'Live And Let Die' part in the middle. In his view it should be used for the next James Bond film, even hinting that it had been submitted to the filmmakers. However, according to the producers, Adele had always been their first choice, and they've denied that Muse’s 'Supremacy' was ever in contention for the coveted spot.
SPECTRE 2015
Radiohead have said that they were asked to record a Bond theme for SPECTRE and it just didn't work out, as it's likely that it didn't quite capture the theme the studio wanted for the film. Sam Mendes attempted to use the song elsewhere in the film, but decided it would be too distracting, saying it was "an utter nightmare ... we had this beautiful song and we weren't able to use it. But it's somehow cooler for Radiohead to have written a song that wasn't used." 

 
Track listing
 
01 Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Dionne Warwick (Thunderball 1965)
02 You Only Live Twice - Lorraine Chandler (You Only Live Twice 1967)
03 The Man With The Golden Gun - Alice Cooper (The Man With The Golden Gun 1974)
04 For Your Eyes Only - Blondie (For Your Eyes Only 1981)
05 Never Say Never Again - Phyllis Hyman (Never Say Never Again 1983)
06 Where Has Everybody Gone - The Pretenders (The Living Daylights 1987)
07 The Golden Eye - Ace Of Bass (GoldenEye 1995)
08 Surrender - k.d. lang (Tomorrow Never Dies 1997)
09 Shadows Of The Big Man - Chris Rea (Tomorrow Never Dies 1997)
10 The World Is Not Enough - Straw (The World Is Not Enough 1999)
11 Beyond The Ice - Red Flag (Die Another Day 2002)
12 Casino Royale - Sandra (Casino Royale 2006)
13 Quantum Of Solace - Jo Harrop (Quantum Of Solace 2008)
14 Supremacy - Muse (Skyfall 2012)
15 SPECTRE - Radiohead (SPECTRE 2015)
 
This post is really just a sampler of Mike's full collection, which runs to 59 tracks, and covers many more songs from these and other films, as well as some from the related video games. His full album is also in the folder, under his title of 'James Band's Greatest Misses, Rarities...And Moore', so after the taster, dive in for the main course.

Soulseek hint   shaken aiwe

On A Friday - Union Street (1990)

The third known On A Friday demo tape comes from the summer of 1990, and was recorded between the sessions for their last two cassette releases. It's a compilation of 4-track recordings made between June and August at Clifton Hampden Village Hall, Nuneham Courtenay Village Hall and at home. This tape contained 15 new songs, and has been recompiled over the years, sometimes removing 'Tell Me Bitch' (which is really no great loss), and also re-titling some of the songs. By the time of these recordings all the members were at different Universities around the country, but reconvened over the summer, with the exception of Phil who was in Ireland. In order to keep recording and rehearsing, the band drafted in school friend Nigel Powell, who had recorded some previous demos with the band, to keep the drum stool warm. The Clifton Hampden tracks were recorded over a number of weeks with this line up, and in between sessions Jonny took the four-track home with him where he, Thom and Colin would continue working on the tracks, and when Phil returned the band recorded one more demo track 'What Is That You See?'. The band did not have a settled name during this period, having dropped On A Friday temporarily, but not yet having come up with anything better. One possibility was Shindig, which survived long enough for Thom to spray paint it on his acoustic guitar case, but by the time of their next 'proper' demo in April 1991 (the previously mentioned 'Manic Hedgehog', from which two songs for this 1990 tape would be substantially developed), they had reverted to On A Friday. For this post I've gone with the 14 track version, but kept the original song titles. 'Tell Me Bitch' has already appeared on a previous post in a different form, but it you are a masochist and really want to hear it, you can track down the original speeded up version yourself online. 

Track listing

01 Keep Strong
02 Somebody
03 Burning Bush
04 Climbing Up A Bloody Great Hill
05 Mr B
06 What Is That You See?
07 Everyone Needs Someone To Hate
08 Upside Down
09 The Greatest Shindig (Of The World)
10 Give It Up
11 How Can You Be Sure?
12 Life With A Big F
13 Rattlesnake
14 New Generation

On A Friday - Manic Hedgehog (1989)

The second known On A Friday demo tape reportedly comes from 1988. The band were pretty much inactive between 1987 and 1990, but there seems to have been some activity in 1988, as indicated by a gig at the London School of Economics, so it's possible that they reconvened after their University courses had already begun in order to make these recordings. The line-up of the band at this point included three saxophone players: Rasmus 'Raz' Peterson, Liz Cotton and Charlotte Cotton, but Jonny had still not yet joined the band. The recordings were made at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire and engineered and mixed by Dave Pegg.
In April 1991, during the Easter holidays, the band recorded a 3-track demo at Dungeon Studios in Shipton-On-Stour, which had 16-track equipment. They worked there for three days, and it cost the band more than £300, which was a lot of money for them at the time. The recordings were engineered by the studio's owner, Richard Haines, and contained three new recordings, two of which were reworkings of songs from a summer 1990 compilation tape. This demo helped the band get some regular live gigs, among them one at the Jericho Tavern, where Chris Hufford saw the band for the first time, and both the gig and the tape convinced him and Bryce Edge to produce On A Friday's next demo at their studio.
The final demo was recorded in October 1991 on 24-track equipment for £500 at Hufford and Edge's Courtyard Studios, and consisted of five new songs. Officially titled 'First Tapes', it became widely known as the 'Manic Hedgehog Demo', named after the shop in Oxford that sold the cassette copies for £3 each. Following the sessions for this demo, Hufford and Edge became the band's managers and more recordings at Courtyard would result in their first official release as Radiohead, 1992's 'The Drill' EP. This post complies all the songs from those three demo cassettes, plus 'Tell Me Bitch', a notorious ska track by the band, which was sped up in post-production to produce arguably their most hated song. This is a slowed down version which would be more how the band played it before they manipulated the tape, and although it's still not great, it is a marginal improvement on the released version.  

Track listing

01 Happy Song
02 To Be A Brilliant Light
03 Sinking Ship
04 What Is That You Say
05 Stop Whispering
06 Give It Up
07 I Can't
08 Nothing Touches Me
09 Thinking About You
10 Phillipa Chicken
11 You
12 Tell Me Bitch

On A Friday - Lemming Trail (1986)

It's pretty well-known that before Radiohead appropriated the title of the Talking Heads song for their name, they were known as On A Friday, as the only time that they could practice was on a Friday. The wrote and recorded a lot of songs during these sessions, some of which were released on their own OAF label as demo tapes, whereas others would not surface until many years later. The earliest known demo tape by the band comes from 1986, when the line-up included a saxophone player, Rasmus 'Raz' Peterson. Jonny Greenwood had not yet joined the band, but his brother Colin was on bass, alongside Thom Yorke on vocals, acoustic guitar and keyboards, Ed O'Brien on guitar, and Phillip Selway on drums. The tape was recorded in the music room of Abingdon School, and contains seven songs, with remixes of three of them which are slightly weird 'dub versions', where the vocals cut in and out at random. One last track was tagged on to the end of the tape, which was obviously recorded at a different time, and is of a noticeably lesser quality. Although these are the earliest known recordings from On A Friday, they were actually the last to surface, only appearing on Youtube in 2011. The owner explained that her husband was at school with the band and partied with them before Jonny joined, and the demo was given to him at 17 in school, after he used to go and see them play in Oxford, and became friends with the band. Although this demo was recorded by a bunch of teenagers in their school music room, it's surprisingly competent and confident, and you get the impression that this is a band who could go far. I wonder whatever happened to them.   

Track listing

01 Fragile Friend
02 Girl (In The Purple Dress)
03 Everybody Knows
04 Mountains (On The Move)
05 Fat Girl
06 Lemming Trail
07 Lock The Door
08 Fragile Friend (Remix)
09 Lemming Trail (Remix)
10 Lock The Door (Version)
11 In The Breeze

Radiohead - Rainbow's End (2009)

When Radiohead self-released 'In Rainbows' in 2007 it was the first ever 'pay-what-you-want' download by a major act, after their recording contract with EMI ended with their 2003 album 'Hail to the Thief'. The band has been working on the record for more than two years, beginning in early 2005, and in 2006, after initial recording sessions with new producer Spike Stent proved fruitless, the band toured Europe and North America performing the new material. After re-enlisting longtime producer Nigel Godrich, Radiohead eventually recorded the album in a number of studios in London and Oxfordshire, with the songs incorporating a variety of musical styles and instruments, including electronics, strings, piano, and the ondes Martenot.
The album had a physical release in December 2007 on XL records, and made number one in the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, selling over three million copies worldwide by October 2008. There was also a limited edition box set which included 'In Rainbows' on vinyl and CD, as well as a bonus CD of eight additional songs, and two years later the bonus disc was made available for download from the band's website, making the extra tracks more readily available to the fans. These songs added up to the equivalent of a 25 minute EP, but I wanted to expand this to album length, and so added in a few tracks which were either recorded around the same time as the original 'In Rainbows' sessions, or at the time that the re-issue appeared in 2009. I've therefore added the reknowned, but now extremely hard to find, Flying Lotus remix of 'Reckoner', plus their contribution to the 'Help!' charity album, both from 2007, and the two download only singles that they released in 2009. All of the songs are very much in the style of the parent album, and so this hangs together pretty well as a companion disc to the original release. 

Track listing

01 MK 1 ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
02 Down Is The New Up ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
03 Go Slowly ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
04 MK 2 ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
05 These Are My Twisted Words (free download single 2009)
06 Last Flowers ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
07 Up On The Ladder ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
08 Harry Patch (In Memory Of) (download single 2009)
09 I Want None Of This (from 'Help! A Day In The Life' charity album 2007)
10 Bangers + Mash ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)
11 Reckoner (Flying Lotus Remix 2007)
12 4 Minute Warning ('In Rainbows' box set 2007)