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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QuixoteMagnus Fiennes | Bond | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 2 | WinterGill Brown, Yoad Nevo | Bond | Play | 05:42 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 3 | Alexander The Great | Bond | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | OceanicMagnus Fiennes | Bond | Play | 06:42 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 5 | Bella DonnaGay-Yee Westerhoff | Bond | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | Alexander The Great | Bond | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Duel | Bond | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | Bella Donna | Bond | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Dalalai | Bond | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 10 | Victory | Bond | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 11 | Kismet | Bond | Play | 05:12 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 12 | Korobushka | Bond | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | The 1812 | Bond | Play | 06:37 | 15 MB | 44 MB |
| 59 mins | 135 MB | |||||
| 59 mins | 395 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Asquith | Arranger |
| 2 | Mike Batt | Producer |
| 3 | Haydn Bendall | Engineer |
| 4 | Bond | Ensemble, Primary Artist |
| 5 | Conor Brady | Art Direction |
| 6 | Gill Brown | Composer |
| 7 | Mel Bush | Executive Producer |
| 8 | Clem Clempson | Guitar, Sitar (Electric) |
| 9 | Dave "Clem" Clempson | Guitar, Sitar (Electric) |
| 10 | Gareth Cousins | Mixing, Producer, Recording, Synthesizer |
| 11 | Tania Davis | Viola |
| 12 | Joseph de Jesus | Trombone |
| 13 | Dinesh | Percussion |
| 14 | Haylie Ecker | Violin |
| 15 | Eos | Violin |
| 16 | Ric Featherstone | Engineer, Programming |
| 17 | Magnus Fiennes | Composer, Producer, Programming |
| 18 | Brian Gascoigne | Conductor, Director |
| 19 | Anita Kelsey | Vocals |
| 20 | Julian Kershaw | Conductor |
| 21 | Pete Lewis | Engineer, Mixing |
| 22 | The London Session Orchestra | Orchestra |
| 23 | Chucho Merchán | Percussion |
| 24 | Peter Mew | Mastering |
| 25 | Yoad Nevo | Composer, Mixing, Producer |
| 26 | Ben Pateman | Booklet Editor |
| 27 | Finn Peters | Sax (Alto) |
| 28 | Guy Pratt | Guitar (Bass) |
| 29 | Jay Reynolds | Assistant Engineer |
| 30 | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Orchestra |
| 31 | Ramon Ruiz | Guitar |
| 32 | Steve Sale | Assistant |
| 33 | Márta Sebestyén | Vocals |
| 34 | Paul Sutin | Assistant Engineer |
| 35 | John Themis | Guitar |
| 36 | Phil Todd | EWI, Saxophone |
| 37 | Traditional | Composer |
| 38 | Jason Westbrook | Assistant Engineer |
| 39 | Gay-Yee Westerhoff | Cello, Composer, Double Bass |
| 40 | Kim Wood | Keyboards, Piano |
| 41 | Mark Wood | Guitar |
| 42 | Gay Yee-Westethoff | Cello, Double Bass |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |