Tupac Until The End Of Time CD

2 Cds - Coll.Of Prev.Unrel. Material From "Makaveli"Period

Personnel: 2Pac (rap vocals); Capucine (vocals); Left Eye, Outlaws (rap vocals); "DJ Quik" (various instruments); Greg Dalton (guitar, keyboards); Cold 187 um, Marlon Williams, Darrell Crooks, Danny Devoux, Eric Jackson, George Johnson, Eddie "Spanky" Alford (guitar); Ronnie King (keyboards); Corney Mims (bass); Carl "Butch" Small (percussion); KCi & Jo Jo, R.L., Lil Mo, 6 Feet Deep, Tiffany Villarrea, Honey, Tena Jones, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Hardin, Timothy, Channete Higgens, Channoah Higgens, Ta'He, Shiro, Vanessa (background vocals).
Producers include: Johnny "J", LT Hutton, Mike Mosley, Tyrone Wrice, Kurt "Kobane" Couthon.
Engineers include: Keston E. Wright, Ian Boxill, Ethan Mates.
Includes liner notes by Afeni Shakur.
Personnel: 2Pac (vocals); Six Feet Deep (vocals); George Johnson , Greg Dalton, Marlon Williams (guitar); Cold 187um, Ronnie King (keyboards); Honey, Barbara Wilson (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Ian Boxill; Claudio Cueni; Cold 187um; Crooked 1; Brian Springer.
Audio Remixers: Jamie Jones; Martin Kember; Eric Rico; Jason Pennock.
Recording information: CA And O'Henry, Burbank, CA; Can Am Studios, Tarzana, CA; Paramount Recording Studios, West Hollywood, CA; QD3 Soundlab, Northridge, CA; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA; Skip Saylor, Los Angeles, CA; UNI Studios, Atlanta, GA.
Unknown Contributor Role: DJ Quik.
Arranger: Cold 187um.
The fourth album released in the wake of 2Pac's 1996 death, Until the End of Time certainly offers plenty of music, two discs' worth to be precise, although the songs here seem overdone, which can obscure 2Pac's performances. Nevertheless, those performances somehow remain remarkable no matter how deep into the vault Afeni Shakur and Suge Knight have dug, and songs like "Letter 2 My Unborn," "When Thugz Cry," and the title track are just as heartfelt as "Keep Ya Head Up," "Dear Mama," and "I Ain't Mad at Cha" had been. The title track is one of 2Pac's most desperate, spirited performances ever -- the voice of a man face to face with his own fate -- and it's accompanied by an anxious yet lulling interpolation of Mr. Mister's 1985 pop hit "Broken Wings" that is far more affective than you'd imagine. Note that there are two versions here of the title track (the best one being the original one, which features RL on the hook), as there are also two versions of a few other songs, and these remixes are nearly interchangeable. ~ Jason Birchmeier
The fourth album released in the wake of 2Pac's 1996 death, Until the End of Time certainly offers plenty of music, two discs' worth to be precise, yet doesn't offer too many highlights besides the chilling title track. As with many of 2Pac's posthumous recordings, the songs here seem overdone, too often dressed up with layers upon layers of production, choruses of background vocals, and a seemingly endless parade of guests. All of this over-production obscures 2Pac's performances, which somehow remain remarkable no matter how deep into the vault Afeni Shakur and Suge Knight have dug. Songs like "Letter 2 My Unborn," "When Thugz Cry," and the title track are just as heartfelt as "Keep Ya Head Up," "Dear Mama," and "I Ain't Mad at Cha" had been, but unfortunately they're marred by radio-oriented production that's too glossy for such stark, literate lyrics. The title track is somewhat of an exception, though. It's one of 2Pac's most desperate, spirited performances ever -- the voice of a man face to face with his own fate -- and it's accompanied by an anxious yet lulling interpolation of Mr. Mister's 1985 pop hit "Broken Wings" that is far more affective than you'd imagine. Note, however, that there are two versions here of the title track (the best one being the original one, which features RL on the hook), as there are also two versions of a few other songs. These nearly interchangeable remixes function as little more than filler, particularly since the pEntertainment Weekly (4/20/01, p.72) - "...At his best, 2pac elevated gangsta boasts into poetic, sorrow-filled ruminations on thug life..." - Rating: B