JAMES BOND FINDS HIS INNER VOICE
Jun 18 2007
1983 was an eventful year. Richard Noble broke the land speed record, Cabbage Patch dolls were the best selling toy, Hitler’s diaries were exposed as a hoax, oh, and James Bond made his first record. Well, Daniel Craig did - he wouldn’t become 007 for another twenty odd years.
Daniel and his pals had formed a school band called ‘Inner Voices’ and were about to enter a national competition run by the Trustees Savings Bank. The School had agreed to let them go into a professional studio to record their chosen song, ‘House of the Rising Sun’.
(Pictured Left to Right) Adam Brierley (Keys) Paul Donnelly (Drums) Andy Fennah (Rythmn Guitar) Danny Craig (Vocals) Paul King (Lead Guitar).
But when Alan Fennah, brother of rhythm guitarist Andy, turned up to produce the session he was in for a shock – the band didn’t have the money to pay for it. Andy Fennah said: One of our school teachers accompanied us and was supposed to be paying. I think she had assumed that, as the song was four minutes long, we would only need about ten minutes of studio time! The teacher was horrified when she found out that it would take hours - and wanted to call the whole thing off. ”
Not wanting to disappoint his kid brother, Alan stumped up the cash and the song was recorded with Daniel Craig taking the lead vocal. Alan said: “Danny came across as very quiet and unassuming lad but as soon as the tape started rolling he suddenly came alive. ‘House of the Rising Sun’ is a difficult song to sing as the verses are in different octaves. Given his young age I thought he made a very good job of it. I’m so pleased that he has gone on to make great films, including ‘The Trench’, which is one of my all time favourites”.
At the end of the session each member of the band took home a cassette and Alan was presented with the master tape which he duly filed away. And that was that. Unfortunately, the group didn’t win the competition and on leaving school went their separate ways (although they do still keep in touch). As for the master tape, it went missing and was never seen again. That is, until a few days ago.
Alan and older brother Rob, now writers and owners of Pulse Records and Productions Ltd, had borrowed an old TEAC reel to reel tape recorder to review some of their early demo recordings. Three hours into the task Alan pressed the ‘play’ button and blasting from the speakers was Daniel Craig and ‘House of the Rising Sun’. All those years ago Alan had put the tape in the wrong box!
Rob Fennah said: "When Daniel got the part of James Bond the media kept asking us about this tape and I don’t think they believed us when we said we’d lost it. Now that it’s re-surfaced we intend to burn only five CD copies, one for each member of the band. Alan, Andy and I hope Danny will not be too shaken, or stirred, when he receives his copy in the post. As for the master tape, we have already had big money offers from the tabloids but this is of no interest to us- we don't work that way. Instead, we have decided to give it to Daniel-for old times sake.
truly outrageous
...from one of his dark periods