Customer Reviews

Born

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I want to know why critics and reviewers are all worked up that Bond's "Born" cd isn't exactly classical. The Spice Girls on stringed instruments I don't think so. The girls in Bond actually had training and do actually have talent, unlike their sugary confectious counterparts who a) have no talent and b) no training in what they do which is singing. Sure the music isn't 100% classical but that is what makes this cd more interesting, the fact that it is more pop than classical. I love classical as much as the next person but sometimes it is just too dull at times. Bond really livens the whole classical genre by infusing it with pop and techno. I haven't stopped listening to this cd since I received it in the mail almost a month ago.

This is one classical/pop cd I crank my stereo to listen to at home. "Belladonna" is a sweeping 3 1/2 minute epic scored by EOS, the second violinist in the group. Very dramatic and very emotional I think. A perfect song for any soundtrack. It is probably my very, very favorite track on the cd. "Victory" is my other favorite track. The Mike Batt remix is awesome, there is a more techno edge to that track than to the original track. "Duel" and "Winter" are my other two favorite tracks. Oh heck every song on this album are my favorite songs. Very enjoyable album that does not deserve the snobby criticisms from classical music lovers. Perhaps Bond doesn't deserve to be lumped in a genre that attracts music snobs.

...This album offers a new take on classical music, blending orchestral music with dance beats. Hearing the same song over and over again, being played virtually the exact same way, it gets kinda monotonous (quick, name the best recording of Beethoven's Fifth...or how about Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy?). So it seems like four talented classical musicians got bored with their jobs one day, and after hooking up with a production team, they were ready to shock the world. And Bond was born. This album is their concept, with new interpretations of classical music. At times, the strings are covered up by slighlty too much production, but that's okay. The songs are fun, but the first two sound a little bit too generic (as far as the production goes, i.e. bland techno beats), but after that, with Victory and Oceanic, this album kicks it into gear. Oceanic is a standout, sounding like a glorious soundtrack (strangely reminiscent of the introduction to Beauty and the Beast). Track #6 builds up through the first minute and a half, and the ladies' talents really shine on this song (with an orchestra to back them up), with their sense of rhythm ringing out as the song builds and builds...Alexander the Great sounds like it could have been used in The Princess Diaries (or some similar movie), especially since the mood seems like one of awakening, or a new beginning. The rest of the album follows suit, with some more fun and interesting songs, not to mention the most unique version of The 1812 Overture...Hymne sounds a little bit like Finlandia at first, but is very nice. The second version of Victory gives the original a run for it's money, with both songs being filled with tons of energy and power. I can't say enough about the chance that these ladies took to make this album, because their careers as classical musicians might never be the same, but it was a chance well taken, and the results are rewarding. Following in the footsteps of composers and performers that took a chance and presented a new style (gee golly gosh, weren't such greats as Lizt and Gershwin, not to mention the early jazz composers, considered "wild" and "daring?" Music isn't meant to be "pure." It should be explored and experimented upon...), the ladies of Bond have leaped into the musical fray, and compared with the musical talents of most of the other groups out today (yes, musical talent is a requirement to making music...), they stand on top.

You probably heard Victory or Winter while you were watching the Olympic figure skaters, so a couple of these tracks might seem just vaguely familiar. Of course that Olympic exposure didn't hurt sales of Bond's one and only CD. And unless there's a French judge involved in the scoring, this CD gets a 10.0.
I haven't been this excited about anything musical since Elton John was wearing pink glasses. One BBC reviewer wrote: "With Nigel Kennedy and Vanessa Mae, the classical music scene has been getting raunchier and raunchier in recent years. Now a four piece string quartet called Bond have sent temperatures rising still further."
Personally, I've hemmed and hawed over classical music for at least three decades. Sure "Bolero" can get my battery charged and I'm not above putting a sonata on the stereo while trying to seduce a date. But I bought this CD on purpose. I wanted to listen to it in the car, at home, at the office. It's electrically charged, pun fully intended. It's exciting. It's intriguing. And I may be about to prove that you can sing along to an instrumental piece after all.
The problem seems to be that the four classically trained women who make up this quartet - playing first and second violin, cello and viola - are too good looking. Really. Go find their photos. I'm NOT going to compare them to a 007 conquest. I mean it. But it's going to take great restraint.
So they're beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. All four of them. I didn't know that when I heard them, but, ironically, it seems to be a handicap. Consider the words quoted by the BBC of UK opera star Sir Thomas Allen: "The recording business is in decline, so it produces all these gimmicks, the wet T-shirts and pubescence."
Well, Sir Thomas was undoubtedly pleased that Bond was banned from the UK's classical charts because their music sounded too pop. Allen claims groups like Bond are responsible for "dumbing down" classical music. Funny, you'd think a classical aficianado might think the word renaissance had some positive overtones.
They've sold more than a million copies of their debut album "Born." And nobody's plunking down $[money] to stare at the cover. The music is wonderful. It's not sure if it's pop or classical, but frankly, who cares?
I ran out to the music store specifically for this CD and didn't know which section to look in (try pop). I couldn't even remember the group's name. I've certainly never done that for the London Philharmonic. Is it dumbed-down classical? Neo-classical? Classically influenced pop? I'm not sure. But I like it. A lot. Even if they are pretty.

A lot of the problem with Classical music is that some uninitiated believe it to be unapproachable and overly long and boring. Comparing a standard classical piece to a three and a half minute pop song, the classical piece is indeed complex, long, and perhaps far beyond the attention span of the average listener.

Bond makes a great introduction for those people. The songs, for much of the CD, are culled from classical tunes that people have at least passing knowledge of. Combining these standards with a gentle techno beat, Bond creates music that really stands out from the norm. (Who would have thought that The Barber of Seville was actually a Latin dance ditty?)

Even beyond the pieces that everyone knows and loves, Bond selects pieces that showcase their exceptional classical training. These pieces are towards the middle and end of the CD, by the time which listeners have already found themselves engrossed in the music.

The only worry that I have is that Bond has used up all their creative talent on their first CD. More often than not, this is the case with crossover classical artists. Hopefully this group will be around for a while, putting out quality CDs like their debut.

Someone recommended 'Victory'to me, and said it was a good song, then I got a few others, so I just went out and got the CD because the music is that good, especially one of my favorites 'Duel' I recommend this CD to anyone who is into New Age music, Classical, Techno, or World Music etc... Especially If you like Vanessa-Mae, you'll love these 4 wonderful musicians. BUY IT!!!

I finally received my copy of Bond's "Born" cd in the mail. It was definitely well worth the month long wait for this cd. I first heard of the group on CNN's World Beat program and was intrigued by what I heard. Just because the music is classical doesn't translate into boring, elevator music. I love the Mike Batt mix of "Victory", too bad it was only around 3 minutes long. I hope I hear more from this classical quartet. They could liven up the classical genre for years to come.

As a maniacal fan of "true" classical music, I bristled when pop charts hailed Bond's "Born" as "the best classical CD to come out in years." After hearing the music on this CD, however, I've changed my tune on the pop quartet. While I still don't consider this music truly "classical," it definitely draws its influence from classical structure and classical style (the string players all display a very Romantic-era technique), and specifically includes several classical motifs--"Winter," for example, is based off a theme from the Vivaldi concerto of the same name; "Victory" employs the theme from the "Barber of Seville" overture, and the main line in "Duel" is another classical motif (whose name, unfortunately, is escaping me at the moment). Initially I was opposed to using these fine works as the basis for what's essentially technopop music, but the sheer energy and style of the performers made me take another listen. This music doesn't quite have a counterpart anywhere else, and that's what makes it so fascinating--as I mentioned, it's clearly classical/romantic in structure, and yet the energetic rhythms and pulsating drive are a nod to the music of today. Happily, Bond avoids synthesized techno drumbeats and most of the other gimmicks, using techno rhythms as a background to underscore the string playing--which is, indeed, virtuosic. What impresses me most is the range of musical influence the players were able to showcase--"Winter" and "Victory" are cut from the German/Italian classical mold, while "Korobushka" is a brash Russian piece (starting softly and building to an energetic climax, a la Gliere's "Russian Sailors' Dance") and the veiled strains of "Kismet" and more upbeat "Dalalai" showcase a definite Eastern influence. On the other hand, the haunting "Oceanic" and the solemn "Hymn" could have been pulled out of English or American contemporary life. I still found some sticking points with this CD, most notably that the tracks I didn't mention all seemed to blend together for me, with only the six or seven tracks noted above standing out in my mind. I particularly didn't take to Bond's reworking of Tchaikovsky's "1812" overture (in the aptly titled "The 1812,") which was more or less techno-ized motifs from the Tchaikovsky piece with no real originality. Still, seven good tracks out of fourteen is a good bargain for me, with "Victory" being a particular standout--of all of Bond's experiments with "modernizing" and innovating classical music, this track is easily the biggest success. It pulses with energy, clearly connected musical motives and, above all, incredible instrument playing from everyone involved. Overall, this CD could either offend or attract lovers of 18th and 19th century music, but the bottom line is that no one else has brought classical music into the new millennium the way the four women of Bond have, and that, if nothing else, makes this CD worth owning.

I honestly think that this group is going to revolutionize and revive the classical music genre for the more popular audience. I mean, not only are these girls terrific instrumentalists, but their music is incredible with it's blend of violins, electric guitars and dance beats. I saw a quick segment on the TV guide channel about this group and I didn't even catch the whole thing. I saw what kind of music they did and I was completely intrigued. Weeks later when I remembered them again, I went looking for them on the internet and bought the album a few days later. I was not disappointed and it was well worth the search. I love classical music, I love dance/pop music, and I ABSOLUTELY love this album and I can't wait to see how Bond grows in the future. I am just glad that I am here on the ground floor and I found out about them when I did. Their music is amazing and I recommend it to...who am I kidding...I AM recommending it to everyone I know in hopes of spreading the word. Beautiful, Fun, & New. So many words to describe their music...

Bond consists of four young woman: Haylie Ecker (first violin), Eos (second violin), Tania Davis (viola), and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello). And not only are they beautiful but they're talented as well, and able to make even more beautiful music together! Inside the booklet of their debut album, 'Born', is a brief history behind the girl's musical backgrounds and they've all excelled in their instruments, attending prestigious schools with honors, so don't let the cover art fool you into thinking that their finesse isn't real and that they are simply trying to allure customers with nothing but sex appeal. They've got credibility to back them up and trust me, the material here is gorgeous! I love classical instruments but I always found the genre to be a major bore. That is until classical crossover was born (no pun intended), and even that can tend to become repetitious with lack of ideas. However, Bond has rekindled my admiration for this type of music, which truly has no limits, as every piece is abundantly rich with haunting strings, lush, melodic trance beats and an unrivaled surge of energy that's full of passion and grace and diversified with a wealth of influences. Their music is both fun and sophisticated and will even attract the attention of those who would normally cringe at the thought of having to endure classical playing of any kind. So for those of you who like music that pushes boundaries by escaping the conventional way of things, Bond is for you!

I bought this cd on a whim. I had heard of the performers before and was interested from the start, but was not quite sure what to expect. Bond is a string quartet that performs familiar pieces with a little added insentive. It appeals to both young and old listeners with both a strong dance beat and beatifully played violins, viola and cello along with a variety of other instruments. I was in love with this CD the second I heard the first song. Its new additions to the classical pieces make it much more appealing for those hesitant to listen to non-lyric music. With great performers:

Haylie Ecker= 1st violin
Eos= 2nd violin
Tania Davis= viola
Gay-yee Westerhoff= cello

I would recommend this to nearly any music-lover and have spread the word to my family and friends who all love it. I am absolutely ecstatic with my purchase because REALLY good albums are hard to find but this was definitely one. A perfect 10+!