Linkin Park’s 10 Greatest Songs and Greatest Discs (Representative Songs and Hidden Masterpieces)

In this issue, we have created a ranking of Linkin Park.

This band has changed their musical style quite a bit since their first two albums.

There are large musical swings that make you wonder if this is the same band.

However, after a lot of trial and error, they have once again created a masterpiece album with a completely different musical style.

Even during the period of trial and error, there were challenges, but never failures.

Please enjoy the gems of their ever-changing masterpieces.

This blog is an automatic translation of a Japanese blog into English.

Please understand that it may be difficult to read.

No.1「In the End」(Album:Hybrid Theory)

■Song Title：In the End
■Album Name：Hybrid Theory
■Video link：「In the End」

This is a selection of songs from their first album that shocked the world.

When they made their debut, there were already many great bands ahead of them in mixed rock.

They came on the scene at a time when it seemed like there was no room left for a new band.

But this band, despite being a latecomer, suddenly became a big seller.

What shocked me about them was the quality of their songs and the natural blend of twin vocals.

This is the song that impressed the world.

The intro piano leads into Chester Bennington’s vocals.

Mike Shinoda’s rapping on top of that is amazing!

At the time, I was amazed at the perfection of the fusion.

No.2「Breaking The Habit」(Album:Meteora)

■Song Title：Breaking The Habit
■Album Name：Meteora
■Video link：「Breaking The Habit」

This is a selection of songs from the second album.

The second album follows the path of the first album, but with a wider range of musicality.

The first album emphasized the violent side, but this album shows a musical maturity that is not limited to loudness.

In this album, the range of arrangements and songs became more diverse.

This song is a typical example of this.

It’s not a song that relies on shouting, but it’s a great song.

The song title is “Breaking The Habit”.

After that, they started to change a lot, and this song gives us a hint of that.

By the way, the promotional video for this song is a very high quality animation.

The promotional video for this song, by the way, is a very high quality animation, which is worth watching, even if you know the song.

No.3「Faint」(Album:Meteora)

■Song Title：Faint
■Album Name：Meteora
■Video link：「Faint」

This song has one of the coolest intros of any of their songs.

It starts with the strings and then the drums, which are just too cool for words.

Then the driving guitar starts and the listener is thrown into a frenzy.

After Mike Shinoda’s rapping starts, the strings are used in a loop, which is also really great.

After that, Chester shouted with all his might.

I wondered if it was okay for him to shout without thinking.

As I’ll mention later, he has a broken heart, and that’s why his shouts are so straightforward.

I am healed by his shouts.

No.4「Papercut」(Album:Hybrid Theory)

■Song Title：Papercut
■Album Name：Hybrid Theory
■Video link：「Papercut」

In introducing them this time, I checked the charts again.

Basically, their albums are all No. 1, but surprisingly, they have not risen in the singles chart.

I listen to them album by album, and I don’t really think about which songs are singles.

Especially since the first two albums are full of great songs, I don’t see the point of buying singles.

Maybe it’s because many people think that way, but this Album has sold 30 million copies worldwide, even though singles other than “In the End” have been almost a dud.

Incidentally, even though this album was released in 2000, it became the best-selling album in the world in 2001, and was ranked 5th in sales for the year in 2002.

In the meantime, singles were being released one after another.

However, considering the fact that the singles were not that big of a hit, I guess people didn’t have the time to buy singles, so they just listened to the album.

This is the first song on the album.

Well, if this is the first song on the album, it is natural to think that it would be quicker to buy the album.

No.5「Good Goodbye (featuring Pusha T and Stormzy)」(Album:One More Light)

■Song Title：Good Goodbye (featuring Pusha T and Stormzy)
■Album Name：One More Light
■Video link：「Good Goodbye (featuring Pusha T and Stormzy)」

The tune suddenly changes.

This song is a selection from my 2017 work. At this point, it is the latest work.

After their first two albums, which were masterpieces, they went through a lot of trial and error.

I don’t think their albums from that period are bad, but at the same time, I feel that they are not masterpieces.

To be honest, I thought it would be impossible to make a masterpiece like the early albums.

However, they have made a comeback.

To put it bluntly, this album is as good as the first two albums.

The individual songs are better than the first two albums, but when you listen to the album as a whole, you will be amazed at how wonderful it is.

By the way, I have only selected two songs for this ranking, but all the songs on this album are of this level.

This is a work that shows the band’s underlying strength, shaking off the shadows of their past works with a different musicality.

No.6「Numb」(Album:Meteora)

■Song Title：Numb
■Album Name：Meteora
■Video link：「Numb」

This is the biggest hit song in this album.

By the way, the album name “Meteora” refers to a monastery built on a large rock in Greece.

She happened to find it featured in a travel magazine, and created this album based on that image.

Here is a photo of the monastery for your reference.

The lyrics of this song are about a man who is unable to feel self-worth.

I don’t have a sense of self-worth, I can’t feel anything anymore. It is sung that I will probably fail.

No.7「Bleed It Out」(Album:Minutes to Midnight)

■Song Title：Bleed It Out
■Album Name：Minutes to Midnight
■Video link：「Bleed It Out」

They have changed their musical style with this third album.

In my own words, they became more like “normal rock”.

The first two albums were mixed rock, but this album is not so mixed.

After this, they were experimenting with different kinds of music with “A Thousand Suns”, “Living Things”, and “The Hunting Party”.

There is a lot of variety in their music, from not-so-hard hip-hop songs, to electro-ish songs, to lyrical ballads, to straight-up rock songs like this one.

The key to enjoying them in this period of trial and error may be to enjoy the songs purely without comparing them to the past.

This song may be too simple compared to their early songs, but I think it’s a really poignant song.

No.8「Invisible」(Album:One More Light)

■Song Title：Invisible
■Album Name：One More Light
■Video link：「Invisible」

This is a selection of songs from the last album at this time.

As I mentioned earlier, this album is a little different.

The songs are mainly ballads, which I didn’t expect, but they are really great.

However, I can’t listen to this song anymore.

After this album, the vocalist Chester Bennington took his own life.

He was not a founding member of this band, but joined after passing an audition.

Incidentally, other auditionees heard Chester sing and left because they were not good enough for him.

This album focuses on Chester’s singing, and you can enjoy his wonderful vocals.

Despite his talent, however, Chester has always suffered from trauma.

He grew up in a poor and unstable home environment, and suffered from a painful past of sexual abuse and bullying.

On the other hand, Chester encouraged the rest of the band throughout the difficult recording of the first album.

The music he left behind will continue to be listened to in the future.

I am struck by the beauty of the piano that follows his songs.

No.9「Blackout」(Album:A Thousand Suns)

■Song Title：Blackout
■Album Name：A Thousand Suns
■Video link：「Blackout」

This is a selection from my fourth album.

In this Album, the first two songs are interludes and not formal songs.

The third song is finally a normal song, and then another short instrumental starts.

This album has not been well-received by the general public, and this may be the reason for its poor reputation.

This album is like Adore from The Smashing Pumpkins.

In other words, it is an album with a little less hard side and a little more pop and electro side.

However, the individual songs are not bad at all.

This song in particular is excellent.

The intro is a bit pompous, followed by Mike Shinoda’s rapping, and then Chester’s shouting explosion.

The sound pressure may be a little lighter than the earlier songs here.

Chester’s shouting shines through in this dark song, including the sound of the piano.

No.10「Numb/Encore」(Album:Collision Course)

■Song Title：Numb/Encore
■Album Name：Collision Course
■Video link：「Numb/Encore」

This is a different version of “Numb” that I mentioned earlier.

Jay-Z’s rapping is featured prominently in this version, which makes it quite different from the original.

I wasn’t sure whether to include it in the ranking because of Jay-Z’s presence, but I decided to include it simply because it is a good song.

But I dare say that the original version is still better.

I think Jay-Z is doing a good job, but he is not as good as Chester Bennington in this band.

However, both versions are good, so you can enjoy the same song twice.

I hope this song will lighten your heart a little at the end, since it has been mentally heavy.