Late Orchestration
2006 live album by Kanye West
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Late Orchestration is a live album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on April 24, 2006, through Mercury Records in Europe and Asia.[1][3][4] The album features recordings of live renditions of songs derived from his first two studio albums, The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005).[1][5] It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, before an audience of 300 invited guests on September 21, 2005.[1][3][4][6]
| Late Orchestration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | April 24, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | September 21, 2005 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:19 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Director | Tom Bird | |||
| Producer |
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| Kanye West chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Entertainment.ie | [2] |
| The Independent | Favorable[citation needed] |
West was backed by a seventeen-piece all-female string orchestra[7] and featured guest appearances by John Legend, Lupe Fiasco, GLC and Consequence.[1] The CD release features the full performance (12 tracks) along with an additional bonus track, "Gold Digger" (Live at AOL). The concert was also released on DVD as well as interviews and bonus music videos for the first four singles of Late Registration.[1][3]
The cover photograph, taken by photographer Andrew Meredith,[8] is a reference to the Beatles' cover of their 1969 album Abbey Road, which features the four band members walking across a crosswalk on the well-known street, close to the studio where the album, and Late Orchestration, were recorded.[9][10] Late Orchestration has been cited as the most well-known instance of hip-hop and classical music coming together.[7]
Background
In an interview from the time, West explained that he chose to record with an orchestra in order to dispel what he saw as a dismissive attitude towards hip-hop as an art form. He felt that being able to "spit true, heartfelt rap lyrics in front of an orchestra is juxtaposing what’s thought to be two totally different forms of music... it shows you that it’s all music. We tried to alter people’s perception of the music", adding that he "[loves] pushing the envelope... I love to perform for those people who think they’ve seen everything before. But have you seen this? Can you get with this? That’s the toughest crowd [and] I love the challenge."[11]
Track listing
- "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" – 4:08
- "Touch the Sky" (featuring Lupe Fiasco) – 4:07
- "Crack Music" – 2:48
- "Drive Slow" (featuring GLC) – 4:34
- "Through the Wire" – 3:33
- "The New Workout Plan" – 2:53
- "Heard 'Em Say" (featuring John Legend) – 4:10
- "All Falls Down" – 3:13
- "Bring Me Down" – 3:21
- "Gone" (featuring Consequence) – 4:15
- "Late" – 3:54
- "Jesus Walks" – 3:14
- "Gold Digger (AOL Sessions)" (bonus track) – 3:18
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||