Eh, personally, I wouldn't have wanted a total overhaul of a well-established musical style after only one album ... although I nonetheless would've certainly respected it if they'd gone and done that.
Meteora is a great album overall imo, but there's several flaws that hold it back from topping HT for me. 1. Nobody's Listening: We know Mike can write better lyrics than these, they just seem kind of dumbed down to me, I don't know. Plus, I could never get into the flute sample. However, live, the song is pretty cool. 2. Too many songs with structures that are mere replicas of HT songs. Point in case, they use the same EXACT bridge structure (exchanging of vocals) in Figure.09 as By Myself. 3. Easier To Run: A dull, dull track. Never could get into it at all. 4. Live versions of the songs greatly outweigh the album cuts. Points in case: RaR intros to Don't Stay, Numb, SIB; guitar solo/extended outro to Faint; etc.
That's not an album flaw per se. Had you never heard the live versions (and different variations therein), you wouldn't compare them to the studio versions - they're created after the album and are pretty separate from the studio-recorded versions because they're meant to be. A concert is not an album, they're not the same.
To be fair, I remember reading a quote from Joe Hahn that said "Meteora was just a Hybrid Theory Part 2", or something like that. Now, I love Meteora, but I love it now for different reasons then I did when it first came out. I'm about to be 23 and when Meteora came out I was 15 years old and a Sophmore in High School. That's a pretty long time. At the time I was only listening to Hybrid Theory and Reanimation, KoRn's albums, some Staind and a mix of other crap that I thought was amazing at the time (I still enjoy that music though). If I had to truly rate their studio releases, including their EP, then it'd have to be: Hybrid Theory Reanimation Hybrid Theory EP Minutes to Midnight Meteora To create a wonderful masterpiece (Hybrid Theory) is a difficult thing to do for any band, but usually a bands best record is their very first and it seems almost impossible to top a debut album. But I feel like the biggest problem with Meteora (for me, anyway) is the way it was produced, mixed, and how long they took to write it trying to make oh-so-perfect. There are some great Moments on the album (Lying From You, Hit the Floor, Faint, Figure.09, From the Inside) but the songs would sound so much better if it wasn't so 'polished'. For instance, in Easier to Run, Rob's drumming is probably one of the best jobs he's done for any Linkin Park song. Hell, it's right up there with The Little Things Give You Away. But because of the terrible mixing, terrible production, and everything is just about layered, the sound of the drums kind of get lost in everything else that's going on. It's the same thing with Minutes to Midnight. Everyone complained the Joe was practically absent from every single song on that record, but in reality he was there just like he's always been. It was just hard to hear because of how some of the mixing turned out. Another thing that annoys me about Meteora in how many Chester's there are. In just about every song, it sound like there 3 other clones of Chester Bennington and it sounds like he's singing all alone in an auditorium. Part of that is Don Gilmore's fault, and the other part of that is the bands fault for feeling confident in a producer just because he brought the success with Hybrid Theory. I can't blame them though, I would have done the same thing. If it isn't broke, then don't fix it. Evidently, it broke with Meteora and the band saw that, so they went with Rubin for the next release. Foreward: If there's going to be an intro, can it at least be 30 seconds long? There was no reason for separate 13 second track of Mike beating the shit out of a crappy CD burner with a bat and then remixing the sounds with ProTools. Don't Stay: Hands down, they tried to create another One Step Closer. Still, it's a good opener for the album. Somewhere I Belong: The WORST Linkin Park song EVER. The best thing about this song is the video. If they would have put as much input into the actual track as they did with the video, and not re-wrote the chorus 50 times, it could have been up there with In the End. Lying From You: Probably one of the most enjoyable LP tracks. The opening sample is new and interesting and a good mix of M&C does this track a lot of good. Song is so good that Ill Niño pretty much copied the bridge on their song Lifeless...Life... Hit The Floor: I really like this track. It'd be better if Mike's lyrics didn't overlap so much in the verses. I believe this was the first time M&C actually sang together, or did they do that on Papercut? Easier to Run: Crawling II. Drumming is superb, but as I already stated, it's hidden by over-produced crap. Faint: This song still rules, I just wish it had better lyrics like the demo had, and I wish it were longer. The ending part they do live nowadays is what should have been when this track was created. Figure.09: I really like this song. The chorus is catchy, but when the bridge comes, I think of By Myself. Legit. Breaking the Habit: This song reminds me of The Little Things Give You Away simply because the band steps outside of their comfort zone. The song is still good, but at the time is was great for what it is. From the Inside: I think this is my favorite song on the record, next to Lying From You. Video rules too. Nobody's Listening: This song is interesting because of the Japanese flute. It really sticks out and I wish the band would use it more, though they used it in Blackbirds. Mike has solid raps that give off a Fort Minor feel and Chester's fill-in's are solid as well. Session: I like this instrumental and hope LP make more instrumentals but lets be honest, this song is just an Ambient Part 2. I think it even has the same sample and structure, if I'm not mistaken. Numb: I think someone said it best earlier that this was every Teenage Girl That Hates Her Life dream song. Video was neat, but what the hell?
Then again, in some cases the album version is better than the live version, especially when LP have been touring non-stop for a year.
I reviewed Meteora a while back for my blog. Here is the review: Meteora, Linkin Park's sophomore effort will probably be one of the most consistently good albums you'll ever get to hear from this century. Released in the spring of '03, it has sold 6 million copies in the States and 16 million copies worldwide so far. It's almost a natural progression from their multi platinum previous effort, Hybrid Theory and explores many lyrical themes with furious riffs, hooks and a ton of scratching. Delivered in short 3 minute doses, the tracks on this record are pretty much like an idiot's guide to programming a radio station. Just like Hybrid Theory, the lyrics are clean which is unusual for a nu metal band. However the album is shorter than Hybrid Theory, clocking at just over 36 minutes. If you're looking for excellent vocal collaboration between rap and rock, you need to look no further than Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. The duo have cemented their place in the rap rock industry and prove that two vocalists do not make a crowd. 13 tracks long, the album begins with a disc burner being beaten up in Foreword which segues into Don't Stay, a guitar heavy track with soaring vocals from Chester. Mike and Chester then take it down a notch in tracks such as Somewhere I Belong and From The Inside where Brad Delson's guitars are quieter, but assists the high quality vocals very well. Somewhere I Belong is a classic example of the overall direction of the album, with keyboards and electronica assisting the verses. Other tracks on the album are much faster and have a variety of other sounds. Faint, for example features a string synthesised violin while Nobody's Listening makes use of a "Shakuhachi" flute. Though there is a lot of experimentation with different sounds, we do get to hear the traditional Linkin Park style in Figure .09 and Lying From You. Though most of the tracks would fit right into Hybrid Theory, a couple of them are more rap influenced, namely Hit The Floor and Nobody's Listening. Easier To Run is the softest track on the album and has quality vocals from Chester and some really complicated drumming from drummer Rob Bourdon. Breaking The Habit is a gem and the most experimental Linkin Park have got on this album. It is the only track that doesn't feature Mike, but has superb strings and electronica as well as a Spanish guitar. Session is the Cure For The Itch of Meteora, and fits the theme of the album perfectly. The last song, Numb is a masterpiece and a fan favourite, and is a brilliant close to the half-hour musical extravaganza. Compared to Hybrid Theory, the songs on Meteora are more mature, with each member obviously contributing a lot more in their departments. Brad Delson, for one takes risks and the guitar riffs are a lot more furious and cutting edge than his previous efforts. Mr. Hahn proves that being a DJ in a rock band is no mean feat and his samples and turntabling abilities come to light in Session, and also serves as the fluid between the rap and rock elements within the band. Phoenix's bass complements Brad's lead flawlessly, but the one member who has come a long way since Hybrid Theory is Rob Bourdon. The drums on Hybrid Theory sounded basic and elementary, but on here, he's taken it a notch up, best heard on Easier To Run. Chester and Mike sound more synchronized than they did previously and the lyrics are a step forward. The similarity with Hybrid Theory may be a lot more than needed though. Somewhere I Belong, for example has a similar song structure with In The End, which was the most popular track from the album. Don't Stay has a close resemblance with One Step Closer and Numb sounds like a very advanced lyrical remix of Pushing Me Away. Session occupies the exact next to last spot on the album as Cure For The Itch did and has the same idea. This isn't saying that Linkin Park have not evolved since 2000. Breaking The Habit is one track which is the most experimental song of the record and wouldn't fit in with the rest of Hybrid Theory. Faint is an instant classic and will have listeners hooked, while Numb is an addictive radio friendly effort. Linkin Park scored with this release and bucked the trend during a year when nu metal was dying out with bands such as Limp Bizkit and Korn coming out with poor or mediocre releases. Meteora helped establish Linkin Park into the genre and proved that Hybrid Theory was no fluke. True, the record is a short ride but it is full of quality stuff that you'll love to listen to 'over and over again'. Numb was the first Linkin Park song that I ever heard, and I was instantly listening and downloading more LP stuff and getting addicted in the process. Meteora remains one of my favourite albums so far, and full credit to Linkin Park for coming up with such a superb effort. It is available in the regular CD, a 'Tour Edition' that has the first 4 singles and a video on 'The Art of Meteora', apart from other enhanced content. There is also a 'Special Edition' which contains 'The Making of Meteora' DVD Documentary (yes a 20 minute documentary for a half-hour record) packaged together in a blue tinted case. TRACK LISTING #1 Foreword 0:13 #2 Don't Stay 3:08 #3 Somewhere I Belong 3:34 #4 Lying From You 2:55 #5 Hit The Floor 2:44 #6 Easier To Run 3:24 #7 Faint 2:42 #8 Figure .09 3:18 #9 Breaking The Habit 3:16 #10 From the Inside 2:56 #11 Nobody's Listening 2:59 #12 Session 2:23 #13 Numb 3:08 PERSONNEL Chester Bennington: Lead Vocals Rob Bourdon: Drums/Percussion Brad Delson: Lead Guitar Mr. Hahn: Turntables, Sampling, Programming Phoenix: Bass Mike Shinoda: Emcee, Rapping, Lead Vocals, Keyboard, Sampling, Rhythm Guitar PRODUCED BY Don Gilmore DATE OF RELEASE March 25, 2003 June 29, 2004 (Tour Edition) SINGLES Somewhere I Belong Faint Numb From The Inside Lying From You Breaking The Habit Every single track on this album is recommended. There is not a dull moment and you'll be wanting to scream out the lyrics the second time you listen to it.
It's suppose to be better live. WHy would someone want to hear what they hear on the CD exactly the same way live. Most of their songs are better live. OSC was always better live. APFMH. Papercut. almost every song
Point taken. I'm just saying maybe not all avenues were gone down. Maybe they wanted the songs to be shorter so that DOn Gilmore's "little kid in CLeveland" wouldn't get bored per se. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Meteora, and remember, we've never heard the rough cuts/demos of a lot of the Meteora tracks. Perhaps those riffs came from them? Who knows?
Hahahaha! Finally! I always use that joke on other LP boards and NOBODY EVER GETS IT. I always feel like I'm the only sucker who stood in line before Target opened to buy the special edition Meteora with the DVD where we get to see Don Gilmore's Little Kid In Cleveland Idea. It's easily my favorite part of the DVD.
Little kids are not music experts. The moment you craft your album around a kid, your record becomes instant fail .