Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All glitz and sparkle, but where's the real Bond?, 3 Oct 2004
When Bond first appeared with their album 'Born', they represented a new wave of classical artists who were trying to make classical contemporary. 'Victory' was not only a song that became popularised through the soundtrack of 'Gladiator'; it also represented the kind of lush orchestral vibrancy that made Bond unique. All in all, Bond was a group of four extremely talented young women who openly flaunted their musical pedigrees and who were out to make classical music exciting once more.
Since then Bond seem to have lost their way. Their third album 'Classified' follows in the direction of second album 'Shine', with its techno inspired beats and the girls' revamped image. This makes for a very catchy pop album with the usual visual selling points, but its a mainstream avenue that seems miles away from Bond's credible beginnings.
Maybe they're having the last laugh with the stuffy elites of the classical world, but by following the crowd in sound and presentation, Bond aren't only gambling their identity, they're also letting their musical talent be glossed over. 'Classified' is certainly impressive as a pop album, and tracks such as 'Explosive', 'Senorita' and 'Hungarian' are catchy and vibrant. There's also a dominant Latin feel to the album that gives the music great dimension. It's also a treat to hear four tracks composed by each of the Bond girls, and one can only wish that there were more, especially as the album is a disappointing 45 minutes long. There are also some very familiar sounds: 'Lullaby', 'Samba', and the much-covered 'Adagio for Strings' are all reworked, but not enough to evince any sense of an inimitable Bond style.
If you're expecting a return to Bond's early work, then you're going to feel a bit cheated. However, if you can look through the commercial veneer of the album, some of that captivating musical talent still shines through.
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22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry this is a terrible terrible waste of talent!, 18 Mar 2005
I have been a fan of Bond since seeing them perform Viva on the Classical Brits back in... must have been 2002 and Born is one of my all time Favourite Albums. Shine was also enjoyable, but there seemed to be a trend towards more "background" music in the foreground, than Bond.Now comes Classified and where are Bond? Great job Production Team, you put the girls so far down in the mix that we can barely hear them. Look, I don't buy Bond Albums to listen to how clever some producer has been adding overdubs and special effects. I buy Bond albums to listen to BOND! This is NOT a proper Bond album, most of the tracks are just plain rubbish - Highly Strung is the worst! Where is Bond in this track???? Sorry, please consign this "experiment" to the bin where it belongs and go back to how you made music on Born.
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bond!!, 1 Sep 2007
Come, on, you can hear the girls most of the time in this album, and for some reason some versions of highly strung, when played on some eualizers, do not play the sound of the violins/viola/cello, if you have a more recent version where this is corrected then the song has amazing solos when you can really hear the instruments! A great album overall.
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![Bond - Live At The Royal Albert Hall [DVD] [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RSW4DxofL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
