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Bond: Born

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Artist: Bond
Title: Born
Released: 2000
Label: xxx Records
Time: 61:27
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Appears with:
Category: Classic
Rating: ******.... (6/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2000.11.27
Price in €: 1,00
Web address: www.bondquartet.com











 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Quixote (Magnus Fiennes) - 4:46
[2] WinterYoad Nevo / Gil Brovin) - 5:42
[3] Victory (Tonci Huljic) - 4:40
[4] Oceanic (Magnus Fiennes) - 6:42
[5] Kismet (Gay-Yee Westerhoff) - 5:13
[6] Korobushko (Trad., arr. Brian Gascoigne) - 4:47
[7] Alexander The Great (Tonci Huljic) - 2:59
[8] Duel (Tonci Huljic) - 4:20
[9] Bella Donna (Eos) - 2:59
[10] Ouvertüre "1812" op. 49 (Tchaikowsky) - 6:37
[11] Dalalai (Tonci Huljic) - 4:06
[12] Hymn (Magnus Fiennes) - 4:48
[13] Victory (Tonci Huljic, arr. Mike Batt) - 3:28

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Haylie Ecker- 1st Violin
Eos Carter - 2nd Violin
Gay-Yee Westerhoff - Cello, Double Bass
Tania Davies - Viola

Ramon Ruiz - Guitar
Pandit Dinesh - Percussion
Carmen - Vocals
Anita Ruiz - Palmeros
John Asquith - Add. Arrangement
London Session Orchestra (Brian Gascigne)
Mark Wood - Guitar
Michele Drees - Percussion
Chucho Merchan - Percussion
Kim Wood - Piano, Accordeon
Joseph de Jesus - Trombone
Finn Peters - Alto-Saxophone
H. McGill - Baritone-Saxophone
Steve Dawson - Trumpet
Marta Sebastyan - Vocals
Bibs Eccles - Balalaika, Dombras
Hossam Ramsey - Percussion
Meher Khairy - Flute
John Themis - Guitar
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Julian Kershaw)
Clem Clempson - El. Sitar, Guitar
Anita Kelsey - Vocals
Gareth Cousins - Synthesizer, Producer, Mixing, Recording
Phil Todd - Sax, EWI

Magnus Fiennes - Producer, Mixing, Programming
Yoad Nevo - Producer, Mixing
Mike Batt - Producer, Arrangement
Ric Featherstone - Recording Engineer, Ass. Engineer, Add. Programming
Hayd Bendall - Engineer
Pete Lewis - Mixing
Mel Bush - Executive Producer
Jay Reynolds - Ass. Engineer
Paul Sutin - Ass. Engineer
Jason Westbrock - Ass. Engineer
Steve Sale - Ass. Engineer
Pete Mew - Mastering
Soulla Petrou - Photography
Simon Gater - Cover Design
Ben Pateman - Booklet Editor
Conor Brady - Art Direction

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2000 CD Polygram 467091



Despite the conservatory training and classical pedigree of its members, Bond's debut album Born doesn't have much to do with classical music in actual fact. It may have string quartet instrumentation and the elegant style of classical music, but the similarities end there. Born is first and foremost a dance album, with electronic club beats pushing the musicians' alternately majestic and ethereal melodies into the realm of dancefloor dramatics. Worldbeat influences are an important component of Bond's sound, with bits of Middle Eastern, Celtic, and Southern/Eastern European folk musics popping up on various tracks. However, appropriated classical themes and a movie soundtrack feel (often courtesy of film composer Magnus Fiennes) predominate. Classical fans will either find this watered down or a great way to hook younger listeners (though that logic is somewhat debatable, since they wouldn't really be listening to classical music in all its complexity); it's probably best to take Born simply for what it aspires to be -- exotic and melodic dance music for a non-purist audience.

Steve Huey, All-Music Guide



Dubbed classical music's answer to the Spice Girls, comely crossover string quartet Bond arrive on the American musical scene with their controversial debut album. They have already created a stir overseas: After Born hit No. 2 on the British classical chart, the committee for classical music at the Chart Information Network, which assembles the list, had a listen and summarily re-designated it a pop album, removing Born from their listing. The Bond girls cried foul, but the succès de scandale has only made them a huge concert draw. Beyond their sultry looks, Bond's appeal lies in their music, which defies easy description. It is classically influenced -- they are a string quartet, and many of the melodies they play are classically derived. But don't expect standard classical fare: Pulsing dance beats, new age ambient noises, and voice-overs are all part of the game here, too. While many classical music listeners may agree with Bond's British critics, those who cotton to the crossover styles of Sarah Brightman and Vanessa Mae will enjoy Bond's music for what it is: a genre-bending, barrier-breaking, upbeat blend of pop and classical styles. Roll over, Beethoven. Bond has arrived.

EJ Johnson, Barnes & Noble



Classical chart bans quartet
Hit female string quartet Bond have been banned from the classical listings for sounding too much like pop music. The classically trained foursome went to number two in the classical charts last week with their debut album, Born. They have since been blacklisted by chart chiefs the Chart Information Network (CIN), after they met to discuss the band's record. A CIN spokesman said Bond's music was not by a recognised classical composer. He added their music was not "really a classical idiom" because of the use of dance beats. "There's a classical supervisory committee and they felt it more of a pop record than a classical record," he said. The CIN's guidelines say that, to qualify for the classical charts, at least half of the music on an album must be written by a known classical composer. Bond say they bring classical sounds up to date, with tinges of everything from trance and house music to Salsa and traditional East European folk songs.  Haylie Ecker, 24, of Bond, said: "In a modern world it is disappointing that the classical elite cannot embrace change."

Unconventional
Bond's album was released almost two weeks ago. It went to number 36 in the contemporary music charts and just missed the top spot in the classical charts. The CIN spokesman said the album had slipped passed officials into the classical chart by mistake. They had been late in obtaining a copy of the album and did not have time to assess it properly, he said. "It was on the Universal Classics label and shops like HMV were racking it up in their classical department, so we thought we had better err on the side of allowing it in," explained the spokesman. The four Bond women are Australians Haylie Ecker from Perth and Tania Davis from Sydney, Eos Chater comes from Cardiff, Wales, and Gay-Yee Westerhoff on cello originates from Hull. They were brought together by Mel Bush who guided the career of smash hit violinist Vanessa-Mae. The foursome adopt a purposefully modern image, wearing daring clothes and posing in bikinis - rather than donning the usually sober attire of the classical world. Ecker said: "We have a poetic licence to entertain people all around the globe, which is what our album Born does - it is a classical musical mixture of sounds and rhythms from around the world."

BBC - Monday, 16 October, 2000
 


As early as 1980, at either ends of the earth, bond has begun. In Perth, Australia, a five-year-old Haylie Ecker has been given her first violin, and is displaying the kind of nimble-fingered virtuosity which will continue to astound tutors throughout her childhood. A couple of thousand miles across the coast, in Sydney, Tania Davis is being bribed with chewing gum and plastic farmyard animals to practise her first notes on both violin and piano. In Cardiff, Wales, Eos (pronounced Ay-os) is also toying with her first bow, while on the other side of the UK, in Hull, seven-year-old relative late-starter Gay-Yee Westerhoff is eyeing up the piano, although as soon as she is big enough to hold it, she'll have switched to her favoured cello.

Laden with prestigious trophies picked up almost at will during their musical apprenticeships, the four sexy, sassy and spectacularly-gifted young women have each begun to dream of a bigger prize - the reinvention of the classical string quartet. Introduced to each other by legendary concert promoter Mel Bush, the girls begin to share their vision: there will be no stiff bow ties or flowing, black dresses, and neither will the performers be sat down in front of reams of sheet music at the mercy of a magisterial conductor. Instead, they will be a breath of complete fresh air - although classical in its instrumental make-up, the quartet will not be constrained by any existing genres or traditions. Symbolising both their unity and the ambition of their masterplan, the four girls give themselves the collective name bond.

bond begin recording a series of mostly original works (composed, by, among others, Magnus Fiennes.) Standard classical procedures go out of the window as the four brilliant performers enhance the compositions using both well-honed technical skills and innate flair. Their arrangements are laced with tinges of everything from trance and house music to Salsa and traditional East European folk songs - the result is dramatic, compelling, sexy and sparklingly original.

Signed by Decca, bond's mission is universal. Unconstrained by convention, appreciation of their music is international and ageless, requiring no prior knowledge of classical composers, no dress code and no Prom-style snobbery. And as naturally talented and expertly-trained performers, bond refine their onstage act behind closed doors, secretly becoming a breathtakingly charismatic live unit.

Finally ready to reveal themselves to the world, bond will release their first single, 'Victory', in September 2000. Written by prolific Croatian composer Tonci Huljic, 'Victory' is a dramatic, explosive debut, featuring a unique combination of musical traces from all five continents. Live performances to be confirmed.

www.bond-music.com



Born, the debut album by four conservatory-trained young women, has little to do with classical music. It's a gimmick, fusing a string quartet of frivolous femmes, spicy girls who all want to be "Posh," with dance beats, a big production mixing their violins, viola, and cello with polished electronics. Taking themselves less than seriously--they played the James Bond theme at their Royal Albert Hall debut--pop "Victory" looks assured. This single bounces along with a dash of Rossini's Barber of Seville and a real sense of pop melodrama, in spirit little different from what guitarist John Williams did with his rather less photogenic band Sky in the late 1970s. What may surprise is that tracks such as the frenetic world-dance "Quixote" are penned by the film composer Magnus Fiennes, brother of the more famous Ralph and Joseph. "Winter" adds Jean Michel Jarre-style synth and voice-over to the ghost of Vivaldi and the infectious beat goes on, and on, and on. Sex sells, and Bond's success seems assured. This is a state-of-the-art product, but with a bonus remix of "Victory" by Mike Batt of Wombles fame, just don't expect it to be art.

Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.com



Born ist zwar das Debüt-Album von vier im Musik-Konservatorium geschulten jungen Frauen, hat aber wenig mit klassischer Musik zu tun. Es ist schlicht und einfach ein Verkaufstrick. Da wird ein Streichquartett von appetitlichen jungen Mädchen mit Tanzrhythmen und einer groß angelegten Produktion vermischt und ihre Violinen, Viola und Cello mit aufgemotzter Elektronik verknüpft. Man investiere dann noch ein riesiges Marketing-Budget -- und schon geht's ab an die Spitze der (britischen) Charts. Ohne sich selbst so furchtbar ernst zu nehmen -- sie spielten das James-Bond-Thema bei ihrem ersten Auftritt in der Royal Albert Hall -- sieht "Victory" nach sicherem Sieg aus. Ihre erste Single hüpft mit einem Schuss von Rossinis Barbier von Sevilla und einem ausgeprägten Sinn für Pop-Melodrama, im Geiste eng verwandt mit dem, was der Gitarrist John Williams mit seiner allerdings weniger photogenen Band Sky in den späten siebziger Jahren ablieferte. Was einen ganz sicher überrascht ist, dass Tracks wie der sehr bewegte World-Dance "Quixote" vom Filmmusik-Komponisten Magnus Fiennes stammen, dem Bruder der berühmteren Brüder Ralph und Joseph. "Winter" bringt Synthesizer im Stil von Jean-Michel Jarre mit ein, beschwört den Geist von Vivaldi, und schon geht der Beat erbarmungslos weiter und weiter und weiter. Sex sells, sagt man, mit Sex kann man alles verkaufen, und Bonds Erfolg scheint gesichert: Dies ist ein Werk nach allen Regeln der Kunst unserer Zeit, aber bei Mike Batt, der mit den Wombles seinen Ruhm erlangte und hier einen Remix von "Victory" abliefert, erwarten Sie nur ja keine echte Kunst.

Gary S Dalkin, Amazon.de


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