Maps of Music

Late Orchestration (2006)

Where the lyrics of Late Orchestration take you, and where it was really made.

The cover is a nod to the Beatles' Abbey Road, and the album itself was recorded at Abbey Road Studios before 300 invited guests.

Key places

Recorded before 300 invited guests at Abbey Road (2005)

Recording site Abbey Road Studios — The live set was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London on September 21, 2005, before an audience of 300 invited guests. The album was released in April 2006. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Jubilee line to St John's Wood station, then about a 5-minute walk.

Album story

Overview

• Late Orchestration: first live album by American rapper Kanye West
• Released April 24, 2006 through Mercury Records in Europe and Asia
• Features live renditions of songs from his first two studio albums, The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005)
• Title is a play on Late Registration
• Recorded live at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, on September 21, 2005
• Performed before an audience of 300 invited guests
• CD contains the full 12-track performance plus one bonus track
• Concert also released on DVD with interviews and bonus music videos for the first four singles of Late Registration

Background

• West chose to record with an orchestra to dispel what he saw as a dismissive attitude towards hip-hop as an art form
• He said that rapping heartfelt lyrics in front of an orchestra sets two forms of music side by side, showing that it is all music
• He said the aim was to alter people's perception of the music
• He said he loves pushing the envelope and performing for people who think they have seen everything before
• He called such an audience the toughest crowd and said he loves the challenge

Recording

• Backed by a seventeen-piece all-female string orchestra
• Guest appearances by John Legend, Lupe Fiasco, GLC and Consequence
• Recording took place at Abbey Road Studios in London

Cover

• Cover photograph taken by photographer Andrew Meredith
• The photo refers to the Beatles' cover of their 1969 album Abbey Road

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Ye (born Kanye Omari West, June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
• Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago; began producing in the mid-1990s for Chicago-area artists.
• Signed to Roc-A-Fella Records as a recording artist after producing for Jay-Z's label.

Members

• Solo artist; formed the Go-Getters group with GLC, Timmy G, and Arrowstar (1999).

Career

• Debut The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005) earned critical acclaim.
• Released eleven US Billboard 200 number-one albums; five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Known for stylistic shifts from chamber pop to electropop, gospel, and industrial rap.
• Founded GOOD Music label; ventured into fashion with Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Adidas (Yeezy).
• Has 24 Grammy Awards and sold an estimated 160 million records.
• Faced major controversy for antisemitic statements from 2022 and later expressed remorse.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released April 24, 2006 through Mercury Records in Europe and Asia
• The CD release contains the full performance of 12 tracks
• Bonus track "Gold Digger" (Live at AOL) added to the CD
• Track list: Diamonds from Sierra Leone, Touch the Sky, Crack Music, Drive Slow, Through the Wire, The New Workout Plan, Heard 'Em Say, All Falls Down, Bring Me Down, Gone, Late, Jesus Walks
• Lupe Fiasco appears on Touch the Sky
• GLC appears on Drive Slow
• John Legend appears on Heard 'Em Say
• Consequence appears on Gone
• Seventeen-piece all-female string orchestra backs the performance
• Concert also released on DVD
• DVD includes interviews and bonus music videos for the first four singles of Late Registration
• Title plays on Late Registration, one of the two studio albums the set draws from

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Webster explained that the orchestra choice was meant to challenge the view of hip-hop as an art form, as an interview from the time shows.
• The cover photograph by Andrew Meredith refers to the Beatles' Abbey Road cover.
• The concert was performed before 300 invited guests.
• The CD adds a bonus track, "Gold Digger" (Live at AOL), to the full 12-track performance.
• The DVD adds interviews and bonus music videos for the first four singles of Late Registration.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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