Tag Archives: Linkin Park

The 111 Best Songs Featuring Chester Bennington

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I had a conversation with some friends this week about what artists of the past 25 years will be elected in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in their first year if eligibility.  Recently, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Green Day all accomplished this.  We came up with five bands:  Beck, Radiohead, Eminem, The White Stripes, and Linkin Park.  Though half of our group didn’t believe that Linkin Park would make it in (on the first year)…I convinced them of the opposite.

In the past 17 years, Linkin Park has sold over 80 million albums worldwide, 28 million in the US.  Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, was awarded Diamond status for selling 10 million copies in the US (27 million worldwide).  It was the best-selling album of 2001, the seventh best-selling album of the 2000s, and the best-selling debut album of the 21st century. Their follow-up album, Meteora, has also sold 27 million albums worldwide (7 million in the US). While their third album, Minutes To Midnight, sold 20 million worldwide (3 million in the US). They have 6 number one albums, all of which have debuted at number one on the Billboard charts.  They won 2 Grammy awards (5 nominations), 4 MTV VMAs (18 nominations), 5 AMAs (9 nominations), and an additional 25+ international awards.  They headlined two of the five highest grossing festivals of the 2000s (Download & Rock Am Ring).  They have 3 top ten singles on the Billboard charts (In The End, What I’ve Done, New Divide), ten #1 singles on the US alternative charts, eight #1 singles on the US mainstream rock charts, and 21 top ten international singles.

But despite all the album sales, the awards, the sold out shows, the legions of fans…there was one thing about Linkin Park that you can’t take away.  They were original.  They may have been lumped in with the nu metal genre but there was no other band who sounded like them.  They were a cross between Alice In Chains, Beastie Boys, Minor Threat, Anime, and Video Games.  There was no one else like them before them and no one else since.  Even though I was a bigger Soundgarden fan, I think this death hit me harder because Chester was the first major star to pass away who was younger than me.

I was a fan.  A Thousands Suns was my favorite album. Their live show was inspiring.  And unlike a lot of bands, they were creative and they took chances.  Sometimes the chances paid off…sometimes they did not.  But I would rather root for a band who took a chance and failed than root for a band that always played it safe.

In order to reach the 111 mark, I’ve included songs from Chester’s entire career.

Here are the 111 Best Songs Featuring Chester Bennington:

  1. In The End (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  2. Numb (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  3. Crawling (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  4. Faint (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  5. Breaking The Habit (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  6. Burn It Down (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  7. One Step Closer (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  8. Somewhere I Belong (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  9. Pushing Me Away (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  10. The Catalyst (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  11. In Pieces (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  12. Runaway (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  13. Bleed It Out (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  14. Lost In The Echo (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  15. Lying From You (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  16. From The Inside (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  17. Roads Untraveled (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  18. No More Sorrow (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  19. Easier To Run (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  20. New Divide (Linkin Park – New Divide)
  21. Don’t Stay (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  22. Burning The Skies (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  23. Blackout (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  24. What I’ve Done (Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight)
  25. A Line In The Sand (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  26. Rebellion (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  27. Figure.09 (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  28. Papercut (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  29. My Suffering (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  30. Guilty All The Same (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  31. Given Up (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  32. A Light That Never Comes (Linkin Park – Recharged)
  33. In My Remains (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  34. Iridescent (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  35. Leave Out All The Rest (Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight)
  36. I’ll Be Gone (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  37. Until It’s Gone (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  38. Castle of Glass (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  39. Inside of Me (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of The Ashes)
  40. When They Come For Me (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  41. Darker Than Blood (Steve Aoki – Neon Future II)
  42. Hands Held High (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  43. With You (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  44. Across The Line (Linkin Park – A Decade Underground)
  45. Walking Dead (Z-Trip – Shifting Gears)
  46. Robot Boy (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  47. Wastelands (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  48. Wretches and Kings (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  49. My December (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory B-Side)
  50. Points of Authority (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  51. Good Goodbye (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  52. Riders on the Storm (Santana – Guitar Heaven)
  53. Waiting For The End (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  54. End of the World (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  55. All For Nothing (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  56. Crawl Back In (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  57. Keys To The Kingdom (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  58. Same On The Inside (Stone Temple Pilots – High Rise)
  59. It Goes Through (Linkin Park – Mall Soundtrack)
  60. Shadow of the Day (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  61. Hit The Floor (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  62. Not Alone (Linkin Park – Not Alone)
  63. Victimized (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  64. White Noise (Linkin Park – Mall Soundtrack)
  65. Condemned (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of The Ashes)
  66. Lies Greed Misery (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  67. Qwerty (Linkin Park – Songs From The Underground)
  68. Nobody’s Listening (Linkin Park – Meteora)
  69. And One (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory EP)
  70. One More Light (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  71. In The Darkness (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of The Ashes)
  72. Valentine’s Day (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  73. Powerless (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  74. We Made It (Busta Rhymes – Back On My B.S.)
  75. Walking In Circles (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  76. Let Down (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  77. A Place For My Head (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  78. Slow Ya Roll (Young Buck – Buck The World)
  79. Mark The Graves (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  80. Forgotten (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  81. Skin To Bone (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  82. Blackbirds (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns Bonus Track)
  83. Out Of Time (Stone Temple Pilots – High Rise)
  84. Sold My Soul To Yo Mama (Linkin Park – Songs From The Underground)
  85. Talking To Myself (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  86. Final Masquerade (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  87. Until It Breaks (Linkin Park – Living Things)
  88. By Myself (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  89. Too Late (Dead By Sunrise – Out of The Ashes)
  90. Battle Symphony (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  91. The Little Things Give You Away (Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight)
  92. Halfway Right (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  93. Cry Cry (Stone Temple Pilots – High Rise)
  94. Into You (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  95. War (Linkin Park – The Hunting Party)
  96. Fire (Dead By Sunrise – Fire)
  97. Sharp Edges (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  98. Announcement Service Public (Linkin Park – Songs From The Underground)
  99. Black Heart (Stone Temple Pilots – High Rise)
  100. Nobody Can Save Me (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  101. High Voltage (Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory)
  102. System (Chester Bennington – Queen of the Damned)
  103. Heavy (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  104. Invisible (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  105. Tomorrow (Stone Temple Pilots – High Rise)
  106. Jornada Del Muerto (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)
  107. Step Up (Linkin Park – In The End)
  108. Sorry For Now (Linkin Park – One More Light)
  109. Give Me Your Name (Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes)
  110. Pretend To Be (Linkin Park – A Decade Underground)
  111. The Messenger (Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns)

 

R.I.P. Chester Bennington

The 11 Best Songs By Linkin Park

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 Fun Fact:  Linkin Park was turned down by Warner Bros. records three times before being signed to the label in 1999.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Linkin Park:

  1. Numb/Encore (Collision Course)
  2. In The End (Hybrid Theory)
  3. Crawling (Hybrid Theory)
  4. Faint (Meteroa)
  5. Burn It Down (Living Things)
  6. Runaway (Hybrid Theory)
  7. Don’t Stay (Meteroa)
  8. No More Sorrow (Minutes To Midnight)
  9. Pushing Me Away (Hybrid Theory)
  10. From The Inside (Meteroa)
  11. In Pieces (Minutes To Midnight)

Buy Linkin Park’s new album, The Hunting Party…now!!!

Don’t forget to check out our blog’s awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!

Buy this book or everyone you know will die.

The 11 Best Reasons to Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s

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GBU 2000s front cover FINAL

It’s been one week since the release of our first book and the reception has been incredibly unexpected.  I thank everyone who has purchased the book…and am giving the stink eye to everyone who has not.  If you haven’t picked up a copy yet…here are some amazing points at why you should.

 The 11 Best Reasons to Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s:

  1. There are 111 lists – where most books go to 100 ours does them 11 better and goes to 111.
  2. It features many good artists including: Arctic Monkeys, Beck, The National, Wilco, and Radiohead
  3. It features many bad (ass) artists including:  The Black Keys, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and the Foo Fighters
  4. It features unknown artists including: The Dirtbombs, Jay Reatard, Assemblage 23, Mr. Lif, and the Great Lake Swimmers
  5. It cost less money ($12.95) than a concert ticket and it lasts longer
  6. Reading makes you smarter.  This book will make you 111 times smarter.
  7. It makes for a great Christmas gift and a belated Hanukkah gift for all your Jewish friends
  8. It is proven to kill flies if you hit them hard enough with it
  9. It is a great conversation starter for a boring New Year’s party (or any party for that matter)
  10. It is the perfect guide for making a ’00s playlist for a ’00s-themed party.
  11. There’s a secret ending just like in the Marvel movies which hints at a bigger story.  Sorta.

Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s…now!!!

 

 

 

 

The 11 Best Linkin Park Remixes

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Thirteen years ago, I had my own email blast that went out to about 1000 people called The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown.  Funny, huh?  Each week, I would review 3 albums.  A good album, a bad album, and an unknown artist.  I would review each album song by song in a humorous way.  One week I took a break and reviewed 4 of the trending nu metal bands.  I didn’t include the song reviews…but it’s interesting to see what I thought of the band then, and now how my review stands up.

Papa Roach “Infest”

The new favorite sons of the metal movement.  Not sure why.  The singer sounds like his tongue is too big for his mouth.  Sylvester the cat has better pronunciation skills.  And the music is just okay.  No skill required.  It’s supposed to hardcore, but it sounds like they just got out of bed. Of course, who said it takes skill to get played on the radio?

How this album ranks: C

Will they be around in 5 years? 15%

********

Disturbed “Sickness”

They’re from the south side of Chicago.  So I can understand the burning anger building up inside of them.  But I’m confused at how making bizarre animal noises is an outlet for that anger.  I knew a kid in junior high school who used to make animal noises in class.  He’s in jail now.

How this album ranks: C-

Will they be listened to in 5 years?  10%

*******

Slipknot “Slipknot”

What do call a bunch of dorks who dress up in clown costumes and pretend to be something they’re not?  Okay, if you said Republicans, then you’re half-right.  It’s actually the band Slipknot.  Since their music bares no originality (they sound like Korn), they’ve decided to dress up like clowns because no one has ever done that before (Insane Clown Posse).

How this album ranks: C-

Will they be around in 5 years?  20%

********

Linkin Park “Hybrid Theory”

Don’t know a lot about this band except they sound exactly like a cross between Stabbing Westward, God Lives Underwater, and Depeche Mode.  Poor Depeche Mode.

How this album ranks: B

Will they be around in 5 years? 50%

Here are the 11 Best Linkin Park Remixes:

  1. Numb/Encore (Collision Course)
  2. Enth E Nd (Reanimation)
  3. Frgt/10 (Reanimation)
  4. Nobody’s Listening – Evil Genius Remix (We Major)
  5. The Catalyst – King Fantastic Remix (The Catalyst)
  6. 1stp Klosr (Reanimation)
  7. Jigga What/Faint (Collision Course)
  8. Rnw@y (Reanimation)
  9. H! Vltg3 (Reanimation)
  10. What I’ve Done – M. Shinoda Remix (LPUX)
  11. WTH> You (Reanimation)
Buy Linkin Park’s new remix/reinterpretation album, Recharged…now!

 

The 11 Best Songs By Linkin Park

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On December 5th, 1994 I spent the evening standing out front of the Tower Records in Westwood, CA, waiting for the midnight release of Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy.  The line stretched down the block, packed with kids who could have just as easily showed up the next morning to buy the exact same album.  It wasn’t like we were waiting to buy concert tickets that might sell out…this album was going to be available everywhere.  Even Walmart had it.  But standing in line in the freezing temperatures (for LA that means like 50) was a rite of passage.  You earned the privilege to be one of the first to hear the album.  I stood in line with my friend Mike, shivering with anticipation…and we did nothing but talk shit about my friend Barry who didn’t come with us because his girlfriend wouldn’t let him.  He asked us to buy him a copy.  We told him to fuck off.  We earned it…he could go to Walmart.

The anticipation made the album more exciting.  It made it more worthwhile to go home at one in the morning and listen to the album on repeat, dissecting what the hell the band was thinking with “Hey Foxymophandlemama.”  And we loved ever minute.  That excitement/anticipation is all but gone from buying music today.  Now, you can jump on your computer at 9:00 PM pacific time on any Monday…and get all the new releases with one click.  There’s no build-up…you don’t have to earn anything…and honestly, I feel like it waters down the material.  When you had to work to get your music, it made you appreciate it more. Now…when it’s handed to you…you take it for granted.

So, what does this have to do with Linkin Park?  I’m sure most of you are cringing that I would even dare include them in a post mentioning Pearl Jam.  But this is an argument in defense of this very schizophrenic band, who might be the only ones who still get it.  Though they made a name for themselves as a metal/rap band, they’ve fought to break out of that mold.  And they’ve lost a lot of fans along the way.  Even I was a hater of their third album where they embraced their inner Backstreet boy.  But the fourth album, which pissed most fans off, won me back.  Their fourth album (A Thousand Suns) was a prog album, and it was freaking great.  For a band who had made a career crushing alternative radio with catchy singles…it took a lot of balls to release an album that had almost no potential singles, that left even the Mars Volta scratching their heads in disbelief.  This was the kind album Porcupine Tree should be putting out…not Linkin Park.  How in the world could this band snub commercial radio… the very thing that had made them who they are?  It’s strangely similar to another band in the 90s who gave the middle finger to MTV and stopped making videos at the height of their popularity? hmmm…

Isn’t this what bands are supposed to do?  Aren’t they supposed to evolve…morph…re-invent themselves?  Aren’t they supposed to question the establishment?  Are they supposed to challenge what is expected of them?  Aren’t they supposed to piss off fans in the hunt for something completely different?  And doesn’t that make it more exciting?  Doesn’t the anticipation of what crazy thing they’ll do next make you a bit more interested?  I know I’ll never convince everyone that Linkin Park deserves a second chance…but maybe I can convince you that they are not the sell-outs that you may have thought they are.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Linkin Park:

  1. Numb/Encore (Collision Course)
  2. In The End (Hybrid Theory)
  3. Pushing Me Away (Hybrid Theory)
  4. Faint (Meteroa)
  5. Bleed It Out (Minutes To Midnight)
  6. Crawling (Hybrid Theory) – w/ Chris Cornell
  7. Robot Boy (A Thousand Suns)
  8. Hands Held High (Minutes To Midnight)
  9. When They Come For Me (A Thousand Suns)
  10. Runaway (Hybrid Theory)
  11. The Catalyst (A Thousand Suns)

Buy Linkin Park’s new album, Living Things…now!!! (only $4.99)