Best to Worst: Album Openers and Closers

Discussion in 'Linkin Park Chat' started by Blake, May 19, 2017.

  1. #21
    Blake

    Blake Leave a Trace LPA Super Member

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    I think this is a cool idea! I will do this :)

    I will post my opinion here and update OP :)


    Diclaimer: I like all of these songs except Keys to the Kingdom.

    Openers:
    1. Lost In the Echo
    2. Wake/Given Up
    3. Nobody Can Save Me
    4. Foreword/Don't Stay
    5. Papercut
    6. The Requim/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies
    7. Keys to the Kingdom

    Closers (This had me second guessing evsrything. Holy cow, Linkin Park is always fantastic at ending albums!):
    1. Powerless
    2. Sharp Edges= Numb
    4. Pushing Me Away
    5. The Messenger
    6. The Little Things Give You Away
    7. A Line In the Sand
     
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  2. #22
    @LP2K12

    @LP2K12 Est. 2K12

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    Openers:
    1. Papercut
    2. The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies
    3. Lost in the Echo
    4. Nobody Can Save Me
    5. Foreword/Don't Stay
    6. Wake/Given Up
    7. Keys to the Kingdom

    Closers:
    1. Pushing Me Away (If you let me factor in Reanimation, Krwling is my favorite album closer EVER!)
    2. The Little Things Give You Away
    3. Numb
    4. The Messenger
    5. A Line In the Sand
    6. Powerless
    7. Sharp Edges
     
  3. #23
    Virgocore

    Virgocore Well-Known Member

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    Openers
    1. Papercut
    2. Wake
    3. Lost In The Echo
    4. The Requiem
    5. Foreword
    6. Nobody Can Save Me
    7. Keys To The Kingdom

    I love how Papercut abruptly starts off Hybrid Theory, as it's one of my favorite songs that Linkin Park has ever written. It's a perfect intro to a perfect album. Wake is cool to me because it's a slow intro, but it builds and builds until it explodes, and sets you up for the thrashing that is Given Up. Lost In The Echo is a cool intro, mostly because of how it starts, I like the beat and the way it sounds, it works well for an album opener, IMO. The Requiem is another one similar to Wake, but it doesn't build, instead, it gives you the tone of the album, which is great. Foreword into Don't Stay is pretty cool, since you can basically assume it will be an album full of anger, which Meteora essentially is. So whether you like Meteora or not, you have to admit that. Nobody Can Save Me is a boring song to me, it doesn't really capture my interest like the other album openers. Nothing more to say there. Keys To The Kingdom is just a horrible song IMO, so I had to pick that one as my least favorite. It's also annoying how it starts off with Chester just screaming with some robotic effect.

    Closers
    1. The Little Things Give You Away
    2. A Line In The Sand
    3. Powerless
    4. Sharp Edges
    5. Pushing Me Away
    6. Numb
    7. The Messenger

    The Little Things is just an epic song, I literally can't describe it with any other word, and it's the best album closer of all time, IMO. A Line In The Sand is also a great song, the only song that I like off of The Hunting Party, actually. It has an epic quality to it as well, a good closer to a bad album. Powerless has a great meaning behind it and I like how it sounds. Nothing more than that. Sharp Edges isn't that bad as a closer to me, for some reason, it works for me as a closer. Pushing Me Away and Numb are both boring closers, but I don't hate them as closers, so that's why they're at the end. The Messenger should not have closed out A Thousand Suns, IMO. The Catalyst would have been a GREAT closing track, since it's basically the end of humanity in that song and it ends so nicely. The Messenger just kind of throws it out of whack. And it really doesn't relate to the rest of the lyrics on the album, either.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2017
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  4. #24
    Ben

    Ben Well-Known Member

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    From best to worst:

    OPENERS
    1. The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning in the Skies
    2. Lost in the Echo
    3. Nobody Can Save Me
    4. Keys to the Kingdom
    5. Papercut
    6. Foreword/Don't Stay
    7. Wake

    CLOSERS:
    1. A Line in the Sand
    2. Sharp Edges
    3. The Little Things Give You Away
    4. Pushing Me Away
    5. Numb
    6. Powerless
    7. The Messenger


    I'm sorta judging the openers based on what you HEAR when you first put in the album, and the impact it has on the listener. Papercut is a way better song than KttK, but I think KttK has more impact as an album opener. That could make absolutely no sense, but in my head it does. lol
     
  5. #25
    JasonJielN

    JasonJielN Well-Known Member

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    Openers:
    1. Requiem/Radiance/Burning in the Skies - Fuck I love it, so freaking chilled to the bone. The transitions between these tracks are perfect. BITS is so emotional and poetic. Damn freakin perfect. 10/10
    2. Lost in the Echo - 'though I have to admit LT and OML are their weakest albums for me (even tho I still like them), Lost in the Echo gives me goosebumps. It sounds like a classic LP song, yet still new and fress. The synth, the staccato riffs, the breakdown, etc. Damn, so energetic. 8/10
    3. Wake/Given Up - Love it, Wake features the best bass lines from Phoenix, it would be better if Brad added some solos at the end. Given Up is 1000000 times heavier and sounds 100000 times less forced than The Hunting Party. One of their best live songs. 7.5/10
    4. Papercut: One of the first LP songs that I've listened. 7,5/10
    5. Nobody Can Save Me - I love it. I love that airy synth and the clean guitar in the verses. 7/10
    6. Keys to the Kingdom - I got a mixed feeling toward this track. I feel sooooo forced. It just sounds like an extended Victimized, I got a feeling that Chester and Brad did not even to be part of this. 5/10
    7. Foreward/Don't Stay - I got nothing to say. Just hate it, one of the worst LP songs. 3/10

    Closers:
    1. A Line in the Sand - Love it, so epic. If only there are more songs like this one in THP. 9/10
    2. The Little Things Give You Away - Again, it's like a softer version of ALITS. I love it, so emotional and epic. 9/10
    3. Pushing Me Away - Damn, I love it. Tho I'd prefer Reanimation's version to this. 7.5/10
    4. Sharp Edges - For some reasons it reminds me of Of Monsters & Men, one of my most favourite indie bands. Would be better if they rewrite the bridge. 7.5/10
    5. Powerless - I love it, so atmospheric. Would be better if they didn't cut Tinfoil out and make it an interlude. 7/10
    6. Numb - I used to like it a lot when I was younger, not so much now. The fact that it sounds like reworked versionPushing Me Away bothers me so much. 5/10
    7. The Messenger - I don't know, it feels so out of place in ATS (no transition with The Catalyst). 5/10
     
  6. #26
    _Depression

    _Depression Well-Known Member

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    Openers:

    1. Lost in the Echo
    2. Requiem/Radiance
    3. Nobody Can Save Me
    4. Papercut
    5. Keys to the Kingdom
    6. Wake/Given Up
    7. Foreward/Don't Stay

    Closers:

    1. Sharp Edges
    2. A Line in the Sand
    3. Powerless
    4. The Messenger
    5. Pushing Me Away
    6. Numb
    7. The Little Things Give You Away
     
  7. #27
    Gibs

    Gibs The Prog Nerd Über Member

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    My list seems to be pretty consistent to how I would generally rank LP's albums.

    Openers:
    1) The Reqiuem / The Radiance / Burning in the Skies
    2) Wake
    3) Nobody Can Save Me Now
    4) Lost in the Echo
    5) Papercut
    6) Foreword / Don't Stay
    7) Keys to the Kingdom

    Closers:
    1) The Little Things Give You Away
    2) Sharp Edges
    3) Powerless
    4) The Messenger
    5) Numb
    6) Pushing Me Away
    7) A Line in the Sand
     
  8. #28
    tripleh3lix

    tripleh3lix Well-Known Member

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    OPENERS:
    1.) The Requiem>Radiance> Burning In The Skies
    2.) Lost In The Echo
    3.) Nobody Can Save Me
    4.) Keys To The Kingdom
    5.) Papercut
    6.) Wake/Given Up
    7.) Don't Stay

    CLOSERS:
    1.) A Line In The Sand
    2.) Pushing Me Away
    3.) The Little Things That Give You Away
    4.) Sharp Edges
    5.) Powerless
    6.) Numb
    7.) The Messenger
     
  9. #29
    Mitch

    Mitch YTB

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    Openers:
    1) The Requiem / The Radiance / Burning In The Skies
    2) Papercut
    3) Nobody Can Save Me
    4) Wake
    5) Forward / Don't Stay
    6) Keys To The Kingdom
    7) Lost In The Echo

    Closers:
    1) A Line In The Send
    2) Pushing Me Away
    3) The Little Things Give You Away
    4) Powerless
    5) The Messenger
    6) Sharp Edges (I have a feeling a few months down the track this could be higher)
    7) Numb
     
  10. #30
    BTorio

    BTorio Well-Known Member

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    I've never really considered Papercut as an opener, to me Hybrid Theory feels the least like a lot of thought was put into the order of the tracks, maybe just because there aren't a lot of transitions.

    1. Requiem..BITS, EASILY the best opener imo. So many cool sounds, and it really sets the epic mood of ATS.
    2. Lost in The Echo - the synth melody is one of the most infectious melodies they have, and the way it drops into the "Heavy" part with the synths still flying is a perfect opener for that album. It's also the best track on the album imo so..
    3. KTTK - An absolute banger that sets the mood for how much of a banger the whole album will be. I'm not as crazy about the song as I used to be, but I think it's a great choice for the opening track. The ending of it is so intense, and the order of THP is really nice.
    4. Foreword/Don't stay - Foreword just adds a nice, angsty intro that would otherwise not be as fun. Don't stay is the perfect balance of heavy rock and a beat you can bounce around to, which is what most of Meteora is.
    5. Nobody Can Save Me - idk about this one yet, I'm just enjoying it more than Wake right now because it's new I guess. But it seems like a great opener to the album.
    6. Wake/Given Up - Not a great opener for MTM imo. Wake is pretty underwhelming to me, I wish it had more stuff going on it, and I don't really like the way the Given Up claps start after the end of it either. I feel like the sounds at the end of LOATR/beginning of BIO might have made for a more fun opening. Or at least Wake could've bridged into a more similar song like What I've done or SOTD.

    Closers:
    1. TLTGYA - Freaking awesome closer and an awesome song. It's the obvious choice for the closer out of MTM and even all the B-sides and dropped MTM tracks.
    2. The Catalyst/The Messenger - idk if this is "allowed" lol, but I think the Messenger is an awesome track to end on, only because it comes after The Catalyst. To me, Catalyst is the incredible ending you've waited the whole album for, and the Messenger is like a bonus epilogue track. I do sometimes wish The Catalyst was THE ending though. If you cut out Fallout/The Catalyst ATS would lose so much, or if you moved them closer to the beginning of the album.
    3. UIB/Tinfoil/Powerless - Idk, Powerless has an awesome "ending" sound to it. It's like it says, kickass album over boys. And the fact that it connects to UIB/Tinfoil makes it feel a lot more epic, like a super long closing track that encompasses a huge soundscape.
    4. ALITS - a complete onslaught of the hard rock that the album has led up to. I can forgive it for being similar to GATS for having the different structure, and Mike's ending verse makes the ending great. The guitar solo and blazing drum work before it are a great end to the album. And the length of the track makes it feel super epic.
    5. Numb - It's a classic, enough said
    6. Pushing Me Away - I almost never listen to this song anymore. I don't dislike it, but it's not great. I feel like APFMH might've been a better closer for the album, but again I don't really think of HT as an album that a lot of work went into to make an "album experience".
    7. Sharp Edges - My least favorite OML track right now and a completely underwhelming ending to the album. Would've much rather had it end on OML, and probably would've preferred the album without SE entirely.
     
  11. #31
    Blake

    Blake Leave a Trace LPA Super Member

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    LPA COLLECTIVE TIER LIST

    Hello everyone. Thank you for participating in this thread so far :)
    I am taking @Mark 's idea and using a mathematical equation to generate an "LPA tier list."
    So here are the results as of BTorio's post and I will keep editing the results as more votes come in.

    ALBUM OPENERS:
    1. The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies- 149 points.
    2. Lost In the Echo- 140 points.
    3. Papercut- 134 points.
    4. No One Can Save Me- 106 points.
    5. Wake/Given Up- 100 points.
    6. Keys to the Kingdom- 84 points.
    7. Foreword/Don't Stay- 51 points.

    ALBUM CLOSERS:
    1. The Little Things Give You Away- 140 points.
    2. A Line In the Sane- 131 points.
    3. Powerless- 98 points.
    4. Pushing Me Away- 94 points.
    5. Sharp Edges- 93 points.
    6. Numb- 87 points.
    7. The Messenger- 78 points.

    MOST COMMON PLACING BY SONG:

    Papercut- 1st Place
    Foreword/Don't Stay- 7th Place
    Wale/Given Up- 6th Place

    The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies- 1st and 2nd Place tied
    Lost In the Echo- 3rd Place
    Keys to the Kingdom- 4th Place
    No One Can Save Me- 3rd Place

    Pushing Me Away- 2nd, 5th, and 7th Place tied
    Numb- 5th Place
    The Little Things Give You Away- 2nd Place
    The Messenger- 7th Place
    Powerless- 3rd and 4th Place tied
    A Line In the Sand- 1st Place
    Sharp Edges- 4th Place

    RANDOM FACTS:
    • Burning In the Skies is the only song to not receive a last place vote thus far.
    • Don't Stay has not received one top 3 vote.
    • Don't Stay is also currently the only song to receive double digit votes in a placing thus far with 14 votes for last place! Talk about a strong opinion!
    • Don't Stay and Given Up are the only two songs to not receive a first place vote so far.
    • Numb and Keys to the Kingdom are the only songs to receive first place votes but not a single second place vote.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2017
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  12. #32
    ciao_fiv

    ciao_fiv We Are Still Humanz

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    Openers:
    1. Lost in the Echo
    2. The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning in the Skies
    3. Nobody Can Save Me
    4. Keys to the Kingdom
    5. Foreword/Don't Stay
    6. Wake/Given Up
    7. Papercut
    Closers:
    1. Sharp Edges
    2. A Line in the Sand
    3. The Little Things Give You Away
    4. Powerless
    5. The Messenger
    6. Numb
    7. Pushing Me Away
     
  13. #33
    Kevin

    Kevin A Pattern To Be Followed. LPA Administrator

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    Openers:
    1. Papercut
    2. The Requim/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies
    3. Wake/Given Up
    4. Keys to the Kingdom
    5. Foreword/Don't Stay
    6. Nobody Can Save Me
    7. LOST IN THE ECHO

    Closers:
    1. A Line In The Sand
    2. The Little Things Give You Away
    3. TINFOIL/POWERLESS
    4. The Messenger
    5. Sharp Edges
    6. Pushing Me Away
    7. Numb
     
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  14. #34
    Mark

    Mark Canadian Beauty LPA Administrator

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    WHAT.

    It still begins the album...
     
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  15. #35
    brady

    brady I am the LPA LPA Super Member

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    Album Openers
    1. The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning In The Skies
    2. Lost In the Echo
    3. Papercut
    4. Nobody Can Save Me
    5. Wake/Given Up
    6. Keys To The Kingdom
    7. Forward/Don't Stay

    Album Closers
    1. The Little Things Give You Away
    2. Powerless
    3. Sharp Edges
    4. A Line In The Sand
    5. The Messenger
    6. Pushing Me Away
    7. Numb

    Man they have some really strong album closers, that was harder to rank.
     
  16. #36
    Gravity_LP

    Gravity_LP Well-Known Member

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    Openers

    1. Burning in the Skies
    2. Nobody Can Save Me
    3. Wake/Given up
    4. Papercut
    5. Lost in the Echo
    6. Don't Stay
    7. Keys to the Kingdom


    Closers

    1. The Little Things Give You Away/ Sharp Edges/Numb/The Messenger/ Pushing Me Away/
    6. Tinfoil/powerless
    7. A Line in the sand


    LP closers are so good that I had a hard time deciding which is better tbh
     
  17. #37
    Zach994

    Zach994 Member

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    Openers

    1. Papercut
    2. Foreword/Don't Stay
    3. Wake/Given Up
    4. Lost in the Echo
    5. Keys to the Kingdom
    6. Nobody Can Save Me
    7. The Requiem/The Radience/Burning in the Skies


    Closers

    1. Pushing Me Away
    2. Numb
    3. The Little Things Give You Away
    4. Tinfoil/Powerless
    5. The Messenger
    6. A Line in the Sand
    7. Sharp Edges

    OML should have been a closer on OML instead of Sharp Edges.
     
  18. #38
    Mark

    Mark Canadian Beauty LPA Administrator

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    How's Blake supposed to tally this up?
     
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  19. #39
    ciao_fiv

    ciao_fiv We Are Still Humanz

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    I love Papercut, but I like all the other songs as openers more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
  20. #40
    Blake

    Blake Leave a Trace LPA Super Member

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    LPA COLLECTIVE TIER LIST

    Hello everyone. Thank you for participating in this thread so far :)
    I am taking @Mark 's idea and using a mathematical equation to generate an "LPA tier list."
    So here are the results as of Zach's post and I will keep editing the results as more votes come in.

    ALBUM OPENERS:
    1. The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies- 176 points.
    2. Lost In the Echo- 161 points.
    3. Papercut- 158 points.
    4. No One Can Save Me- 125 points.
    5. Wake/Given Up- 120 points.
    6. Keys to the Kingdom- 98 points.
    7. Foreword/Don't Stay- 66 points.

    ALBUM CLOSERS:
    1. The Little Things Give You Away- 163 points.
    2. A Line In the Sane- 150 points.
    3. Powerless- 117 points.
    4. Sharp Edges- 109 points.
    5. Pushing Me Away- 106 points.
    6. Numb- 97 points.
    7. The Messenger- 91 points.

    MOST COMMON PLACING BY SONG:

    Papercut- 1st Place
    Foreword/Don't Stay- 7th Place
    Wale/Given Up- 6th Place

    The Requiem/The Radiance/Burning In the Skies- 1st and 2nd Place tied
    Lost In the Echo-1st and 3rd Place tied
    Keys to the Kingdom- 4th Place
    No One Can Save Me- 3rd and 6th Place tied

    Pushing Me Away- 7th Place
    Numb- 5th and 6th Place tied
    The Little Things Give You Away- 2nd Place
    The Messenger- 5th Place
    Powerless- 4th Place
    A Line In the Sand- 1st Place
    Sharp Edges- 3rd, 4th, and 7th Place tied

    RANDOM FACTS:
    • With this new update, Sharp Edges overtakes Pushing Me Away and moved into 4th place. The album openers stayed in the same order.
    • Don't Stay finally received a top 3 vote.
    • Don't Stay and Given Up are the only two songs to not receive a first place vote so far whereas all songs have now received at least 1 last place vote.
    • Every Closing song has been placed at least once in each possible placing whereas the openers still have some empty cells in the chart.
     

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