*Unofficial* Linkin Park thread

The Underground
#264

@Linkineli Thanks! I feel that’s the case for a lot of the fans out there. You’ve got so many people resonating with songs like Crawling, Numb, etc. because they feel like the songs describe them. Linkin Park gave words to people’s thoughts—and gave backing instrumentals to the words!
It was nice to read your thoughts on the other albums too! It’s still interesting to hear what led up to people’s decisions and what caused them to refrain from picking specific albums.

@zanybelle Trust me, it’s hard to pick anything else! My mind keeps going back to those first two for a reason! As for Reanimation, I did sit down and listen to that one. I’m not a big hip-hop guy, so the first half of the album didn’t strike the right notes with me. I love 1stp Klosr and some other tracks, though. I want to like Reanimation, so I’m thinking of giving it another listen.

Oh, nice! Yeah, Living Things got right back to street level as A Thousand Suns was more up in the sky, focusing on a worldwide frightening concern. Linkin Park definitely went in with the hard edge again with Lies Greed Misery and Victimized, and there were certainly traces of Meteora in there. Overall, Living Things is a great entry in the discography, but I know a lot of people are all about the first four albums, so that can be a little unfortunate.

And that’s true friendship. :slightly_smiling_face: See, that’s one big reason why I had a hard time not picking Hybrid Theory!

It’s energy is undeniable, but it was more of an “arm up, rally the troops” kinda energy, which probably doesn’t resonate with a lot of fans.

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#265

Same for me. I like some songs of the album, but some songs are to much hip hop and i sometimes skip them. But what i like about the album, is the variation of medley and sounds. Mike did a hell of a good job. :love_you_gesture:

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#266

Ok, but that’s a naive take on the music industry. Just don’t read my posts if you’ve seen them before? I was merely using it as an example of the slip away from groundbreaking music as it was a very mainstream album.

#267

Yes you should give it another try, especially if you’ve not heard it for a while. Something about it still feels cool and fresh. I’m not into hip-hop in the rawest form, but Linkin Park’s mix of rock and hip-hop appeals to me. I don’t find many bands that create this hybrid sound anymore.

Yes definitely true. I think Living Things is a highly underrated album, it is actually the closest to their original sound and feels more personal (e.g. Castle of Glass) whereas ATS is more fictional.

Linkin Park Soldiers! :muscle: Perhaps that kind of energy is necessary for those who’ve gone through a lot of shit and that’s why I relate more to HT’s motivational anger and rage. It’s like saying ‘yes, I’ve gone through a lot of shit but this song means so has someone else and it’s ok to feel this way sometimes’. :heart:

#268

I’ve had a decent break from it; I’ve been listening to a bunch of other Linkin Park stuff, so I’m about due for a re-listen. The album’s definitely aged well and I love its urban and technological aspects, dare I say “cyberpunk.” That’s the vibe I get. I feel like Linkin Park made hip-hip a little more accessible because they always balanced it out with something else, usually rock. That’s one of the things that made them so special.

I think Chester once said that fans of Hybrid Theory would enjoy Living Things. While the latter was primarily electronic, if the former was an electronic album, that’s probably how it would sound! While I think that ATS has some grounds from reality (but certainly something America hasn’t experienced yet; knock on wood), Living Things is undeniably more personal; it gets back into those issues that are bringing the common man down. I definitely relate to Castle of Glass infinitely more than Burning in the Skies.

Gah, how could I forget! :smile: People love to know that other people go through what they do. Not in a sadistic way, but more like people understanding what they’re going through and being able to relate. That’s why people converge in YouTube comment sections, concerts, the forums, etc. and just talk about the music. Not to be cheesy, but we’re all like soldiers in this maddening world. We all see a bit of ourselves in that winged soldier on Hybrid Theory’s album cover. It really is okay to feel down sometimes; it makes our highs all the better!

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#269

You have some great insights into the albums. I joined this forum exactly to discuss their music and find out how others interpreted songs and albums, so really nice to read your thoughts on these.

I love this description. Reanimation is probably the truest form of the “Hybrid Theory” because it encompasses so many genres expertly and ultimately refines Hybrid Theory to a level that is mind-blowing. I always refer to Reanimation as “stunningly cool” as I don’t think I’ve ever come across a reimagined album as unique. If anything I hope Mike is remembered for this album because his skills shine the brightest here. I feel he has sadly forgotten this side of music, and I hope someday he rediscovers it.

Yes and thus Living Things is probably the best titled. It is purely about life if you take Roads Untravelled or Victimised for example they relay personal experiences that almost any human can relate to at some point in their life. It isn’t as dark or emotionally charged as Hybrid Theory or Meteora, but instead a grown up version which looks at some of the same issues in a new light. I think this is the sign of a true musician, the ability to redefine your original sound by evolving it. You can never truly evolve until you respect and understand your origins.

1 Like
#270

Same here! I don’t really have anyone else in my life to talk about Linkin Park with, so I figured I’d better come here to get my fix. It’s great to read your thoughts too.

Not only does Reanimation bring genres together, it also brings artists together. While I can’t say I’ve listened to a lot of Linkin Park’s collaborative efforts, I always found it really cool that they team up with other artists to create something new out of something they’ve already made. Reanimation was an ambitious and unique project that was also a dream come true for the young men in their fresh, sensational band. It’s a shame that it was so poorly-received because it would be years before Recharged came along, and even then, I don’t hear many good things about it (but I do want to listen to it). Mike did do a great job with Reanimation and I also hope he taps into that spirit again.

I always saw Linkin Park as that band that brings the personal problems up and screams them from the rooftops, which is why I feel Living Things definitely captures what the band was all about, at least in terms of subject matter. Living Things came twelve years after Hybrid Theory; Linkin Park and their audience had been through a lot in that span of time, and they matured along the way. I appreciate that the band was willing to roll up their sleeves and do something slightly different while paying tribute to what made them popular in the first place.

1 Like
#271

OML
OML lieder

3rd anniversary of the #OneMoreLight Album :heart: :pray:t2:
Maybe we can start a new exchange or a new discussion:

The ‘One More Light’ album is probably by far the album that has had the hardest time. It was already torn apart during the single release of ‘heavy’ and was not well received at all during the release. So many people hated it. Also I have to say that it was hard to get to know a new ‘Linkin Park’ and the 6 guys again. After ‘The Hunting Party’ was a little ‘back to the roots’, it was a 180 degree turn. Nevertheless, the ‘One More Light’ album is probably the most personal album that Linkin Park has ever done. The lyrics have always been so close, that’s why I love Linkin Park so much, but this new step, which showed “how personal the 6 are and were”, left me speechless - positive! Especially lyrics like ‘Nobody can save me’, ‘Talking to myself’, ‘Battle Symphony’ and natural ‘One More Light’ give me so much and are so close to me. Of course they had a completely new music style now, which they linked with this album and the ‘Softrock, Melodic and Poprock’ was written even bigger. Even though it is the same way as ATS and LT, that it took me time to understand the album and especially to love the songs, just because of this new orientation, the album is again so wonderful. Even if it is far away from ‘hard N’ heavy or ‘Nu Metal’, ‘One More Light’ is one of my many favourite albums and I am glad that this album exists. I love this album. Point! :heart: :metal:t2:

What are your thoughts and feelings about this album?
And: What’s your favorite song(s) and favorite lyrics?

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#272

Looking at the track listing now it reads like a story of lost hope “Nobody Can Save me, Good Goodbye, Battle Symphony…” :frowning_face:

Firstly, OML should have been a positive album as this theme is something people are turning to more and more. Issues with mental health, depression, loneliness etc have been widely highlighted in society and in many ways Chester was a great spokesman for this. Therefore I’d love if it be more uplifting music to make a change, especially for this ‘soft rock’ mainstream sound - sound more like Sharp Edges. Secondly, Linkin Park outsourced the writing of some songs so I feel it is the opposite of “personal” compared to their other albums. Chester particularly sounds so detached (except for One More Light) like he’s just singing but not feeling anything. He always sung with immense passion and emotion, but this album strips all feeling from his voice, and perhaps his soul. I can’t empathise with Chester in this album as much as any other Linkin Park album and that is incredibly odd and says something isn’t right. Mike’s voice on the other hand is actually improved and his singing is so warming - that I like.

Lastly, yes the album got a critical reception but I fully respected Chester’s defensiveness of it. In fact what annoyed me is people silencing his opinions and not allowing him to express himself. This did piss me off to no end. As the lead singer he had every right to voice his feelings and only earned my admiration for doing so. Even if I didn’t like the album I respected he felt so protective of it (mostly for One More Light which is a beautiful song and personal to the band). It’s just sad this was his last creation. He was and always will be the greatest singer of our time.

2 Likes
#273

Even though OML is definitely not at the very top of my favourite albums list, it’s probably the one closest to my heart for 2 reasons: 1. Chester (obviously) and 2. It’s the first album that made me feel like I belonged to this Linkin Park fan community.

What I mean by this is that, I’ve been a fan for many years but because I was unfortunate enough to be born in a horrendous country where nothing ever happened, it was the first time in my life that I felt like I was finally connecting with the others fans (a lot of whom I’ve known for years and years) and was actually doing something for the band. I did proper street team work etc, missed my chance at seeing Mike and Chester in March when they visited to promote the album, missed a listening party, but still felt like I belonged way more than I’ve ever done before.
And then I saw them live, two nights in a row, in my favourite city in the world and one of my biggest dreams was fulfilled.
And then Chester passed and my whole world came crashing down, the only time I’ve ever felt like that before was when my aunt died. And I was really scared of how people would react, and make fun of me for crying over a “singer” etc. But no, the next day (I was opening at work, hadnt stopped crying all night) my manager ran down to me and without saying anything just gave me a massive hug and told me how sorry he was. And he sat and listened to me and told me it was ok to feel sad. He was the first person that understood me (unfortunately he had to go through the same pain a year later).

Obviously this record is tied to a lot of important events in my life, but also musically - like you guys said - felt like a really personal record. I truly appreciate the rawness of it, the lyrics coming from experiences etc. It’s still hard for me to listen to it, and I always skip OML, but I appreciate it as a record and a collective effort of the band. My favourite songs tend to change but right now, I would say Talking to Myself and Invisible (Mike’s voice has grown so much over the years, he’s so damn good!).

Sorry this was long😅

7 Likes
#274

There are a number of people who live and die by one genre of music. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, that’s just a fact.

There are a number of people who, even though Linkin Park are inactive at the moment, are still hoping for a return to their “nü-metal roots” (even though I’ve never considered them as much. Did they borrow from the genre? Sure, but I don’t think they necessarily defined it.)

I’ve said it time and time again. What’s kept me a fan of Linkin Park for so long is how versatile their sound is, and their ability to approach each new project with a clean slate, and having the end result be something completely different from their previous release. As I’ve grown up, and as my music tastes have expanded and changed, so has my favorite band. And I love that.

Knowing their body of work through their catalog to this point, and how they were able to create the music that they did (besides the few songs on The Hunting Party) without virtually any input from songwriters outside the group, and even the different approach they took to constructing songs was very interesting to me.

Mark Fiore also deserves a lot of credit for being able to capture some of their band meetings, and the different conversations they were having among themselves. I wish we could have more footage of that process.

Of course, I can’t mention this album without bringing up the fact that I had tickets to see them play with Blink-182 on July 28th in New York City. I was also supposed to see them on the Hunting Party tour with Rise Against, until Chetser’s freak injury, so I was very much looking forward to Blinkin Park.

As for my favorite song? From my initial first-listen, I gravitated immediately towards “Sorry For Now”.

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#275

I’m going through the history of my “liked” videos on YouTube over the years. I’ll just leave this here.

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#276

Great stuff! This is from my liked videos, I just love this live and the melody cuts me deep:

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#277

these screams, these sounds, these combination of Chester & Mike will always be my #1 - so here just a ‘few classics’ out of my youtube list

and at last one of the underratest and so powerful Linkin Park songs:

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#278

Hey, I don’t know which one is your favourite from these? But I’m going to guess Given Up because you posted 2 versions of this song. And I also think you said you have a tattoo of this song? Tell me if I’m right! :smile:

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#279

Yes, your almost 100& right - sure, it’s Given up (18 seconds scream :heart: :heart: :heart:), but I also got APFMH and Figure.09 tattooed :grimacing:

Maybe, if you ALL want (@anna834 know them and saw them already at our Sum 41 gig this year, so :shushing_face: Anna :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:), guess my tattooed songs:

8 x Hybrid Theory
8 x Meteora
4 x Minutes to Midnight
1 x A thousand suns
1 x Living Things
1 x The Hunting Party
1 x One More Light

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#280

Wow, a story from Poland. I wonder if Karolina’s story had a happy end. It must have been a great thing for her to hear the dedication and the message from LP. Not much to do by the band - just to sing and dedicate their song to their fan. And for the fan - an unbelievable feeling.

3 Likes
#281

I’ve already writing this in January and didn’t dare to share it.
I do it now cause I opened this topic again, without changing anything:

I really enjoy the Linkin Park talk.:blush:
So I want to contribute a little.
It’s something, I have to push me to do.
Cause I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes wish it. And I so often see, that for some it is very important, to prove that there opinion is the only true one.
That’s the other thing, my own is not open for arguing, it’s personal. Its not about right or wrong, just my feelings.
My thoughts to One More Light:
I’m sure influenced to the fact, that I came so late. Besides Minutes To Midnight I encountered every other LP album at the same time.
I loved OML instantly, like I love the others. Especially the difference to all the others, who are already so divers. It’s what me got hooked to Linkin Park.
Sure, I listen to a lot of poppy stuff. So if you don’t, I can totally understand that you hate this album. Especially if you had high expectations for something different.
What I can’t get, is all this, they have done it for commercial reasons, they aren’t really behind it themself, they’re selling out,… and so on. Getting accused of lying. This would drive me mad.
I have my principles to believe in people, in what they are saying, especially when they are dear to me.
I love music, just in the way of listening to it. I can’t really say, why some speaks more to me then others. I have no hearing for rhythm, instruments, their composition. Creating a sound, a melody, an instrumental is just out of my own imagination.
Writing on the other side, that is so me, even when I’m not into writing lyrics.
So I get, that turning around the process to creat a song from composing the melody and finding lines that fit, to express yourself in lyrics and create then a melody for it, leads to a totally different outcome.
Also I can relay to the idea to get different, new writers with you. Sitting together, see if you connect, getting comfortable, starting to share not only your passion in music, but also who you are, the place you are right now.
And if the person opposite of me, take my feelings and words and put them into lyrics that hit home. I would be amazed, in total awe! If someone then comes along and deny my participation for this, just aaaaarrrrrg!
I am amazed and in total awe in how many ways OML hit home with me.
And I already can have a big smile about the Huntingparty, the: You think, we can’t do hard anymore? Take this!
To place OML after, it just makes me laugh. Maybe cause I would react the same way, if someone comes along and say, you have to do this and you can’t do that. I for sure would go with: I prove you, I can and I will. :joy::joy:
But this already is a long text, so to the individual songs some other time.:blush:
And just to make sure, this is my opinion, with that I deny no one their own. :hugs::green_heart:

4 Likes
#282

I assume you mean these tattoos are all different songs rather than the same song lyrics on various body parts? If so I guessed completely wrong already! :laughing:

8 x Hybrid Theory - APFMH (you just told us this one :laughing:), OSC, ITE, Crawling, Runaway, WY, POA, BM?
8 x Meteora - BTH (of course #twinpower!), Figure.09 (again you told us!), FTI, Faint (you love this so must be), NL and ETR (again you love these so must be right), SIB, DS?
4 x Minutes to Midnight: Given up!!! (100% you have this), LOATR, BIO, NMS (you love this one so better have it :grin:)
1 x A thousand suns - Hmmmm! :thinking: The Messenger???
1 x Living Things - Roads Untravelled? :pray:
1 x The Hunting Party - This is too hard to guess!!! :grimacing: I guess UIG but probably TFM?
1 x One More Light - OML :heart:

So what did I score? :smile:

1 Like
#283

I got the ‘song names’ tattooed, lyrics would be to much :rofl:

HT: APFMH, OSC, ITE, Crawling (of course), WY, Runaway are right - Papercut and Pushing me away are missing
MT: BTH, Figure.09, FTI, Faint, SIB and DS are right - Numb & LFY are missing
MTM: Given Up, BIO & NMS are right, WID is missing
ATS: The messenger is right
Living things: Burn it down
The Hunting Party: Final Masquerade is right
OML: OML is right

so, yeah I’ve got 24 songs tattooed over my right arm :sweat_smile: and maybe I’ll include WFTE or CoG too

1 Like