Bond (band)
Encyclopedia
Bond is an Australian/British string quartet
that specialises in classical crossover music. Bond has been described as the best-selling string quartet of all time, selling over 4 million records.
and promoter Mel Bush, after Batt suggested to Bush that the two of them should put together a quartet consisting of "four beautiful, talented musicians". Some time later, Bush pushed ahead with the idea, recruiting producer Gareth Cousins to help choose the line up and define the band's sound. This resulted in an initial four recordings the band made, leading to Bond being signed by Decca
. Three of those original recordings, "Duel", "The 1812
" and "Dalalai", were the backbone of the first album, Born
, with producer Magnus Fiennes providing additional tracks and Mike Batt adding a remix of "Victory", which became the first single.
The quartet currently consists of Tania Davis
(first violin, formerly viola, from Sydney, Australia), Eos Chater
(second violin, from Cardiff
, Wales), Elspeth Hanson
(viola
, from Upper Basildon
, England) and Gay-Yee Westerhoff
(cello, from Hull
, England). Hanson replaced original band member Haylie Ecker
(formerly first violin), who left in 2008 to have a child.
was removed from the UK classical chart
, apparently owing to its "sounding too much like pop music". Born later rose to the #1 position on 21 different charts around the world. Shine
, their second album, went gold in six countries. Remixed
, their third release, featured remixes from their first two hit albums as well as three new unreleased pieces. Their third studio album Classified
was a popular and successful release: Classified went double platinum in Australia, reaching the number one spot on both the classical and pop charts. Explosive: The Best of Bond
, their latest release, is a "best of" collection that includes three previously unreleased pieces. They also participated at the Miss World 2000
pageant in London.
2003 held in Panama City
, Panama. They also fitted in performing and filming a TV commercial for American department store chain Marshall Field's
and made a commercial in Los Angeles for the Japanese karaoke manufacturer Daiichi Kosho. The group made their movie debut playing themselves in a scene in Rowan Atkinson
's James Bond spoof Johnny English
for which they also contributed the track "Kismet", composed by Gay-Yee, and played on the Main Theme. They also appeared as themselves in the film XXX: State of the Union
, performing "Victory".
In 2009 Peugeot
commissioned Bond to record Vivaldi's "Four Seasons
" to advertise the 308CC
. The tracks are available for download from Peugeot's website free of charge.
In an interview of Tania Davis
by the Birmingham Mail
, Davis revealed that they are currently working on their next studio album. She also noted that the next album will have Gypsy, Folk and Eastern European influences. In late 2010 the band were performing material from their new album "Play" at concerts in Mexico, including the new single "Diablo".
Bond has released their new album in Mexico and will be releasing it in Japan in late September. Currently Play does not have a U.S. release date.
The following songs on the album include their first single Diablo. The string quartet also showcases Jai Ho, a huge hit from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The album also features a few more recognizable hits. The song "Pump It" is a version of the Dick Dale and His Del Tones hit song Miserlou featured in the opening credits of Pulp Fiction. The song "Last Time" is an interpretation of the song Bitter Sweet Symphony by the band The Verve. The entire track list is as follows:
1. Diablo
2. Jai Ho
3. Elysium
4. Pump it
5. Beatroot
6. Last time (aka bittersweet)
7. Summer
8. Winter
9. Apasionada
10. West With the Night
11. Road to Samarkand
12. Victory
13. Diablo (Bonus Track)
The track listing and samples of all songs is at their new homepage www.bondquartet.com
According to the band's webpage, the group is recording a medley of Lady Gaga hits at the request of its Japanese label. The Lady Gaga will be available initially by phone download and soon to be released digitally and as part of a special Japanese album release.
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
that specialises in classical crossover music. Bond has been described as the best-selling string quartet of all time, selling over 4 million records.
Creation
Bond was formed following initial conversations between music producer Mike BattMike Batt
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...
and promoter Mel Bush, after Batt suggested to Bush that the two of them should put together a quartet consisting of "four beautiful, talented musicians". Some time later, Bush pushed ahead with the idea, recruiting producer Gareth Cousins to help choose the line up and define the band's sound. This resulted in an initial four recordings the band made, leading to Bond being signed by Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. Three of those original recordings, "Duel", "The 1812
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
" and "Dalalai", were the backbone of the first album, Born
Born (album)
Born is the first album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. The album was a huge commercial success, reaching Gold in fourteen countries and Platinum in twelve. The album was also no...
, with producer Magnus Fiennes providing additional tracks and Mike Batt adding a remix of "Victory", which became the first single.
The quartet currently consists of Tania Davis
Tania Davis
Tania Davis is the first violinist of the British/Australian classical crossover string quartet Bond. Originally the violist of the quartet, she became the first violinist of the group in 2008 when its original first violinist Haylie Ecker left the group. Elspeth Hanson subsequently joined the...
(first violin, formerly viola, from Sydney, Australia), Eos Chater
Eos Chater
Eos Chater is the second violinist of the all-female classical crossover string quartet Bond.Chater has an honours degree from the Royal College of Music in London and is from Cardiff, capital of Wales...
(second violin, from Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales), Elspeth Hanson
Elspeth Hanson
Elspeth Hanson is the violist of the all female string quartet, Bond.- Biography :Elspeth started learning the violin aged 12 and at 16 won a place as first violin with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain with whom she has toured the UK and played live at the BBC Proms.Previously she had...
(viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, from Upper Basildon
Upper Basildon
Upper Basildon is a small village in the civil parish of Basildon, near to Pangbourne, in the English county of Berkshire. It has a church, dedicated to St. Stephen, built in 1964 in the shape of the Christian secret symbol of a fish.-External links:*...
, England) and Gay-Yee Westerhoff
Gay-Yee Westerhoff
Gay-Yee Westerhoff , is the Chinese-English cellist of the all female string quartet, Bond....
(cello, from Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England). Hanson replaced original band member Haylie Ecker
Haylie Ecker
Haylie Ecker is a founding member and the former first violinist of the multi-platinum selling classical crossover string quartet Bond. She left Bond in 2008 to become a mother. She plays a 1751 J.B. Guadagnini.- Biography :...
(formerly first violin), who left in 2008 to have a child.
Genre and success
Their debut album BornBorn (album)
Born is the first album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. The album was a huge commercial success, reaching Gold in fourteen countries and Platinum in twelve. The album was also no...
was removed from the UK classical chart
UK classical chart
The UK Classical Charts are three record charts based on classical music in the United Kingdom: the Classical Artist Albums Chart, the Classical Compilation Albums Chart and the Specialist Classical Albums Chart...
, apparently owing to its "sounding too much like pop music". Born later rose to the #1 position on 21 different charts around the world. Shine
Shine (Bond album)
Shine is the second album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. It went Gold in six countries and it also spent five consecutive weeks in the US Classical Crossover charts. Bond have described it as an "ethnic" album....
, their second album, went gold in six countries. Remixed
Remixed (Bond album)
Remixed is the third album released by the classical crossover string quartet bond.-Japanese edition:#"Victory" #"Viva!" #"Wintersun" #"Speed"...
, their third release, featured remixes from their first two hit albums as well as three new unreleased pieces. Their third studio album Classified
Classified (bond album)
Classified is the fourth album released through Decca Records by the classical crossover string quartet Bond.Classified was very popular worldwide. It was especially popular in Australia, going double platinum. "Explosive" was also picked to be the Australian theme for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games...
was a popular and successful release: Classified went double platinum in Australia, reaching the number one spot on both the classical and pop charts. Explosive: The Best of Bond
Explosive: The Best of Bond
Explosive: the best of Bond is a compilation album by the crossover classical string quartet Bond. As well as the audio CD, the album also contains a DVD which has three music videos, a photo gallery, their complete discography, and all the tracks on Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound or 48kHg/16 bit...
, their latest release, is a "best of" collection that includes three previously unreleased pieces. They also participated at the Miss World 2000
Miss World 2000
Miss World 2000, the 50th Miss World pageant, was held on 30 November 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London, United Kingdom. The pageant's swimsuit segment was filmed in the Maldives....
pageant in London.
Appearances and recent work
The quartet spent much of 2003 touring, particularly throughout Asia, and participating in the Miss UniverseMiss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
2003 held in Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Panama. They also fitted in performing and filming a TV commercial for American department store chain Marshall Field's
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
and made a commercial in Los Angeles for the Japanese karaoke manufacturer Daiichi Kosho. The group made their movie debut playing themselves in a scene in Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
's James Bond spoof Johnny English
Johnny English
Johnny English is a 2003 British action comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre. The film stars Rowan Atkinson as the incompetent titular English spy, with John Malkovich, Natalie Imbruglia, Tim Pigott-Smith and Ben Miller in supporting roles...
for which they also contributed the track "Kismet", composed by Gay-Yee, and played on the Main Theme. They also appeared as themselves in the film XXX: State of the Union
XXX: State of the Union
xXx: State of the Union, mainly released as xXx²: The Next Level outside the United States and Canada, is a 2005 action-adventure film directed by Lee Tamahori. It is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx...
, performing "Victory".
In 2009 Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
commissioned Bond to record Vivaldi's "Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...
" to advertise the 308CC
Peugeot 308
The Peugeot 308 is a small family car produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot. It was unveiled on June 5, 2007 and sales started from September 2007. Its development code was "Project T7", and is the first car of the X08 generation of Peugeot models. The 308 features a range of petrol and...
. The tracks are available for download from Peugeot's website free of charge.
In an interview of Tania Davis
Tania Davis
Tania Davis is the first violinist of the British/Australian classical crossover string quartet Bond. Originally the violist of the quartet, she became the first violinist of the group in 2008 when its original first violinist Haylie Ecker left the group. Elspeth Hanson subsequently joined the...
by the Birmingham Mail
Birmingham Mail
The Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The newspaper, which was re-branded from the Birmingham Evening Mail in October 2005, is one of the biggest...
, Davis revealed that they are currently working on their next studio album. She also noted that the next album will have Gypsy, Folk and Eastern European influences. In late 2010 the band were performing material from their new album "Play" at concerts in Mexico, including the new single "Diablo".
Bond has released their new album in Mexico and will be releasing it in Japan in late September. Currently Play does not have a U.S. release date.
The following songs on the album include their first single Diablo. The string quartet also showcases Jai Ho, a huge hit from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The album also features a few more recognizable hits. The song "Pump It" is a version of the Dick Dale and His Del Tones hit song Miserlou featured in the opening credits of Pulp Fiction. The song "Last Time" is an interpretation of the song Bitter Sweet Symphony by the band The Verve. The entire track list is as follows:
1. Diablo
2. Jai Ho
3. Elysium
4. Pump it
5. Beatroot
6. Last time (aka bittersweet)
7. Summer
8. Winter
9. Apasionada
10. West With the Night
11. Road to Samarkand
12. Victory
13. Diablo (Bonus Track)
The track listing and samples of all songs is at their new homepage www.bondquartet.com
According to the band's webpage, the group is recording a medley of Lady Gaga hits at the request of its Japanese label. The Lady Gaga will be available initially by phone download and soon to be released digitally and as part of a special Japanese album release.
Albums
| Release date | Title |
| 2 October 2000 | Born Born (album) Born is the first album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. The album was a huge commercial success, reaching Gold in fourteen countries and Platinum in twelve. The album was also no... |
| 15 October 2002 | Shine Shine (Bond album) Shine is the second album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. It went Gold in six countries and it also spent five consecutive weeks in the US Classical Crossover charts. Bond have described it as an "ethnic" album.... |
| 15 June 2004 | Classified Classified (bond album) Classified is the fourth album released through Decca Records by the classical crossover string quartet Bond.Classified was very popular worldwide. It was especially popular in Australia, going double platinum. "Explosive" was also picked to be the Australian theme for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games... |
| 2011 | Play Play (Bond album) In an interview of Tania Davis by the Birmingham Mail, Davis revealed that they are currently working on their next studio album. She also noted that the next album will have Gypsy, Folk and Eastern European influences... |
Compilations
| Release date | Title |
| 16 September 2003 | Remixed Remixed (Bond album) Remixed is the third album released by the classical crossover string quartet bond.-Japanese edition:#"Victory" #"Viva!" #"Wintersun" #"Speed"... |
| 28 June 2005 | Explosive: The Best of Bond Explosive: The Best of Bond Explosive: the best of Bond is a compilation album by the crossover classical string quartet Bond. As well as the audio CD, the album also contains a DVD which has three music videos, a photo gallery, their complete discography, and all the tracks on Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound or 48kHg/16 bit... |
Promotional albums
- Raymond Weil (2001)
- Fab Field's MixFab Field's MixFab Field's Mix is a promotional CD released by the classical crossover string quartet bond. The CD is currently unavailable. bond promoted it when touring in America at the Marshall Field's store in Chicago.-Track listing:#"Jingle Bell Rock"...
(2003)
Singles
- "Victory"
- "Wintersun"
- "Viva!/WintersunViva!/Wintersun"Viva! / Wintersun" is a double A-side single released by the string quartet Bond in the 2001. It was released in Europe and Japan. "Wintersun" is a remix of the original version of "Winter" by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi nad also a song of the string quartet.-Track listings:...
" - "Shine"
- "Fuego"
- "Speed"
- "Atlanta/TimeAtlanta/Time"Atlanta"/"Time" is a promo single by the string quartet Bond and was released in 2003 after Shine. It contains an audio CD and a DVD with 3 promo videos. Atlanta/Time is only available in Japan and internet shopping sites like Amazon and HMV....
" - "Viva!/VictoryViva!/Victory"Viva!"/"Victory" is a promo single by bond, the Classical Crossover string quartet. It was released on 2001 and this single is only available in Japan. Viva!/Victory is available in shopping sites like: Amazon and HMV....
" - "Explosive/Adagio for StringsExplosive/Adagio For Strings"Explosive/Adagio for Strings" is a rare promo single released by Bond. This single is also called "Explosive Promo" but the name was changed to "Explosive/Adagio for Strings"...
" - "Fly Robin Fly"
DVDs
- Live at the Royal Albert HallLive at the Royal Albert Hall (video)-Tracklisting:# Quixote# Duel# Dallas# Oceanic# Alexander the Great# Winter# Kismet# Bella Donna# Korobushka# The 1812# Bond on Bond# Victory# Victory -Bonus features:# Viva! music video# Wintersun music video# Photos...
- Bond: Video Clip CollectionBond: Video Clip CollectionBond: Video Clip Collection is a promo DVD by Bond. The DVD was released only in Japan with the Japanese version of Remixed that includes 3 different songs than the US version...