Late Orchestration

Late Orchestration
Live album by
ReleasedApril 24, 2006
RecordedSeptember 21, 2005
StudioAbbey Road (London)
GenreHip hop
Length47:19
LabelMercury
DirectorTom Bird
Producer
  • Kanye West
  • Vicki Betihavas
Kanye West chronology
Late Registration
(2005)
Late Orchestration
(2006)
Can't Tell Me Nothing
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
entertainment.ie[2]
The IndependentFavorable[citation needed]

Late Orchestration is a live album by American rapper Kanye West, released on April 24, 2006, on Mercury Records, released 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] 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.[9][10] The album has been cited as the most well-known instance of hip hop and classical music coming together.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Luecking, Eric. "Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Kanye West - Late Orchestration". entertainment.ie. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "For The Record: Quick News On Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, Kanye West, Bijou Phillips, Jay Dee, Alice In Chains & More". MTV. MTV Networks. 13 April 2006. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Kanye West prepares live album and DVD". NME. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  5. ^ McDermott, Maeve (18 March 2019). "With his weekly 'Sunday Service,' Kanye West is finally exciting again". USA TODAY. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  6. ^ Walker, Angus (11 April 2016). "Kanye West's 5 Most Powerful Live Performances". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b "5 times hip hop and the classical world collided". BBC. 6 September 2019. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Kanye West album design". maggierogers.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  9. ^ Strecker, Erin (8 August 2014). "Here Are 7 of Our Favorite 'Abbey Road' Cover Homages". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  10. ^ Wilkening, Matthew (8 August 2018). "50 Years of 'Abbey Road' Album Cover Tributes and Parodies". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 20 December 2021.