Bloggerphobic

Late, by Kanye West (Late Orchestration)

Kanye West's Not-So-Heard-Of Live Recording is definitely worth a listen. If you like Kanye, of course. Also, the end of this blog post is worth reading...

I’m late to posting today, so I thought I would put up a song reflective of my tardiness.  Hopefully this track also offers you something new.  Sure, “Late” has been around for a while; but Kanye West re-released a number of his songs from the album Late Registration in a rather unusual way–unusual enough for you to check it out if you like him.

This version of “Late” is part of a largely unheard of album recorded live by Yeezy himself, entitled Late Orchestration.  The CD showcases almost every song from Mr. West’s second album in an encore production–recorded live, with a seventeen-string orchestra in the background. In front of only 300 people.  It’s pretty cool.

What makes it even cooler is that all of the songs were recorded at Abbey Road.  The album artwork simultaneously shouts out and toys with the famed Beatles vinyl cover–you know, the one with all four band-members frozen in mid-stride along an Abbey Road crosswalk.  It’s Kanye’s way of audaciously saying (after only his second album) that he was as big of a deal as the Beatles, or that he’s comparable by at least some metric.  Ballsy.  If you don’t like the guy, me telling you this will probably make you hate him more.  If you love him, you’ll be all like “oh, SNAP Kanye!” and then share this collector’s item with everyone who cares to hear it.

The most interesting tracks recorded at this concert (to me) are “Through the Wire,” ”Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” and ”Drive Slow.”  These three hits sound really different from their original production in a pretty fantastic way.  Kanye isn’t as good at rapping live on this album as he is today, but again, Kanye fans and music collectors will likely love its freshness nonetheless.  I wouldn’t have used “Late” for this Daily Doof (it’s not the best song at all), but I had to.  I’m late.  PUNS.

But seriously, this is some exotic stuff.  These YouTube videos have less than 1000 views.  It’s been out for a while, but hey–I’ve only been blogging for 2 months.  Check it out, and share if you like it.

GET AT ME AND I’LL SEND YOU A COPY. (bloggerphobic@gmail.com)

UPDATE — I just realized that “Through the Wire” also sounds extremely different from the original album version here because Kanye’s mouth was literally wired shut when he first recorded the track’s vocals (thus the title).  It’s interesting to hear how this sounds beyond the orchestral background.