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808's and Heartbreak |  | Artist: Kanye West
Label: Mercury
Category: Music
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £2.98
as of 21/11/2009 03:17 GMT details
You Save: £7.01 (70%)
New (22) Used (8) Collectible (1) from £1.75
Seller: b68solutions
Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 1555
Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Running Time: 52 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 602517913417
EAN: 0602517913417
ASIN: B001IA46CO
Release Date: November 24, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Say You Will | | • | Welcome To Heartbreak | | • | Heartless | | • | Amazing | | • | Love Lockdown | | • | Paranoid | | • | RoboCop | | • | Street Lights | | • | Bad News | | • | See You In My Nightmares | | • | Coldest Winter | | • | Pinocchio Story |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
i808s Heartbreak/i sees Kanye West move somewhat controversially away from hip hop towards what he calls "pop art"--not the art movement championed by Andy Warhol, but his own artful pop music. This translates as Kanye dropping his rap shtick and picking up the Auto-Tune to help even out his singing voice, and trading his usual summery bounce for the brittle, wintry sound of the electronic Roland TR-808--the drum machine used in early hip hop and techno. Where previous Kanye albums have been about bling, i808s Heartbreak/i is a paean to pain and misery. Prompted by the recent death of his mother, opening track "Welcome to Heartbreak" sets the album's key themes--lyrics about the emptiness of fame and wealth crooned over a desolate electronic backdrop. Things don't get much cheerier as Kanye continues to pour his heart out on songs like "Coldest Winter", "Street Lights" and the slow jam "Say You Will". High profile high guests like Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne and Herbie Hancock can't lift the gloom either, but the consistent aura of sadness that envelopes this unexpected album is ultimately what makes it so compelling. i--Danny McKenna/i
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 52
 Courageous, bold album November 25, 2008
lcollens (London, UK)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I am a huge Kanye West fan. Seen him twice in concert and love all his albums and regard him as a shining example of all that is right with hip hop. But is this a hip hop album? Hard to say, he claims it is pop so maybe by his own admission this is no longer in the genre. Here are some comments from someone who heard the whole album first:
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br /SAY YOU WILL - 4/5 - lyrically focused and shows that this auto-tune will work well. It is about an ex girlfriend some the sounds of it claiming "I still fantasize about you". There is a long outro to the song but it remains very listenable. There is a choir sound to it with minimal production and a great opener for the album
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br /WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK - 4/5 - long cello to sopen the song followed by drumming and piano. The song reminds me of a soundtrack to something which I can't recall. The song considers Kanye's life versus his friends with lines like "friend showed me a picture of his kids, i showed him pictures of my cribs, showed me his daughter's report card, I showed him some sport cars" - Rather introspective song with Kanye asking where he went wrong.
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br /HEARTLESS - 5/5 - This is a great song with an amazing video concept. The pace picks the album up. Definite chest popper. It is one of two songs on the album which sound closest to Kanye rapping again. It is a very addictive song. One of my favourites on the album.
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br /AMAZING - 4/5 - lots of drums and 'clicking' - you'll have to listen to know what i mean - the autotune here is a little deeper than on previous tracks like Welcome to Heartbreak. there is this 'woo' which sounds very black rob or timbaland. A great long pause before introducing young JEezy whose gravely voice suits the song well. You would have thought he was in autotune as well!
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br /LOVE LOCKDOWN - 5/5 - What can I say that you don't already know? Great video. The way the song paces in and out between choruses keeps you interested. The distortion for system overload. Piano, heartbeat of the 808. The tribal drums throughout the song that take over at the end with howling. This song still sounds rather gospel to me in its roots and exemplifies Kanye's ability as a producer. A+.
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br /PARANOID - 3/5 - I am not a big fan of the 80s which is why I may not like this song as much as others but it is an accomplished track with synthesiers and again rather conventional rap like in some places. You would have thought this was genuine 80s pop otherwise.
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br /ROBOCOP - 4/5 - There is this crashing sound and cocophany of noise at the beginning which leads into strings. It talks about a smothering, domineering partner. Transitions between jumpiness and smoothes out in the tempo. Great production by Kanye.
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br /STREET LIGHTS - 4/5 - A lot of distortion in places. Towards the end there are new background vocals. It does sound a little bit like it is a on a loop.
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br /BAD NEWS - 5/5 - Kanye sounds like Nina Simone here which is really interesting. Again tribal drums similar to Love Lockdown. Very strings rich and the 808 sound of the heartbeat. I have heard this is about his mother's death, which would not surprise me.
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br /SEE YOU IN MY KNIGHTMARES - 4/5 - Lil Wayne and Kanye weave in and out of each other with Wayne also on autotune. Very synth sound throughout with strings only appearing towards the end. There is a lot of echo as well and just a few things going on but controlled well enough to make it sound very minimal. Before I think Kanye used to layer sounds where as here they are more lateral if that makes sense. You hear things one after the other instead of one on top of the other.
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br /COLDEST WINTER - 5/5 - This is about the news of his mother's death. A lot of distortion in places and 808 pulses. It is a close, intimate song with the repeated line 'memories made in the coldest winter, goodbye my friend, will i ever love again?'. One of the best songs on the album.
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br /PINNOCHIO SONG - I dont really rate this and I think it is of general interest. I think that the album could have easily ended with Coldest Winter.
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br /This is a spectacular album and you should believe the hype about this. I will be disappointed if Kanye does not return to his usual hip hop music but if this is what is to come from him I cannot be disappointed. This is a necessary addition to your Kanye collection. Once again it sets him out as a daring artist in hip hop where things are becoming mundane. One of the best albums of the year, easy.
Subversive......Brilliant December 8, 2008
Ryan Edwards (UK)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
First listen, you gotta hate it. After a while you listen and appreciate, constant play since, I am normally one but this is special and you can feel Kanye's emotions just as you could when he performed Hey Mama through tears for numerous nights. Heartfelt, different yet extraordinary. Genius and honest.
Ignorance will ruin sales....but who cares! November 25, 2008
Attack of the boredom (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great pop album, with blues and hip hop elements.
br /Hip hop fans, give this one a chance, im a fan of kanye and hip hop in general, and thought i wouldnt wanna know about this album after hearing love lockdown, but i can safely say that the single is one of the more average songs on the album.
br /Just listen to the authoritative nature of "amazing", the dark tones of "see you in my nightmares" and the generally heartbreaking song dedicated to his late mother, donda west, "coldest winter".
br /Give this one a try guys, its a very in depth look at a mans pain and heartbreak, just vibe out with it.808's and Heartbreak
Great Return to Form December 7, 2008
G. L. Williams (South West England)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was skeptical after hearing some press reviews but i have been thoroughly pleased with a great album from Kanye. It is a different sound which i welcome. I would rather him do that than stagnate like so many other artists of our time. Songs such as 'RoboCop, Welcome To The Heartbreak, Love Lockdown, Heartless and Street Lights are absolute classics.
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br /A great album. Go into it not expecting much and you will be blown away!
Kanye's Triumphant Return December 21, 2008
Lumpster (Yorkshire, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've got all of Kanye West's albums but, on the whole, have tended to like 3 or 4 tracks (mainly the singles) on each, which I've stuck on my iPod and then haven't really played the whole album again. But this is very different - what a fantastic album. Mellow, melodic, catchy and a real triumph. The 1st single - Love Lockdown - is fantastic but the rest of the album is equally as strong making it's his best and most consistent album to date by a country mile. Whatever your musical taste, buy this album and give it a go - you won't be disappointed.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 52
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