"Session" - Song by Song, Let's Talk Linkin Park

I'll go over both songs since I missed "By Myself."

I really do enjoy that song. I love the aggressiveness of the guitar part in the opening, but I do appreciate the lyrics and sound of the older demos. The remix on Reanimation is really great. I love how the screaming bridge just carries the song out - it gives it a lot of power. The mix-up of the chorus is great too. All around good song with staying power.

As far as "In the End" is concerned, it's obviously iconic for the band - perhaps their most famous song in that era. It's the classic song structure, but it's easily what made them really, really famous after all. I do like the remix better, as the changed lyrics to me are fantastic. The Reanimation version just sounds kind of funky and hip-hop oriented, which is nice in contrast to the rock sound of its original.

The demo is best, though. The verses are far better, in my opinion. And I love how the bridge starts slow and builds. I also love how the sound effect that introduces the song is changed as the song fades out, whereas on the album it's the same. I dno, I genuinely like all versions of it. Tony covers a lot of why each of these songs is good, so thank you Tony.

 

When I first heard it, "A Place For My Head" was a song which was especially distinctive to me. At that time, that bridge and outro made for the heaviest, most ferocious song that I had ever heard, and I was fascinated by it. Even as "Hybrid Theory" is so consistent sonically, I still consider it to be heaviest song on the album. A fair few songs feature Chester's screaming but I felt that "A Place For My Head" showcased it better than any other. My favourite thing about the song, though, is that, after the climactic bridge, there's a chorus and you guess that the song's done ... but, then, it breaks down and builds back up for a whole other section with Chester screaming - kind of, like, "we're not fucking done yet" - and I love that.

In 2003, I acquired a copy of the "In The End" single which included a 2001 live recording of "A Place For My Head". This was the first recording of Linkin Park playing live that I ever heard and I remember being underwhelmed. The intro felt much slower and sounded so different than it did on the album version. I didn't realise then that Shinoda sang a harmony part in the chorus so I thought it was some sort of live vocal effect. The recording quality was a few notches below what we're used to today, due to a few different factors. Overall, I wasn't blown away by it then. That "In The End" single also included "Step Up", which I had also never heard before and really knew nothing about.

Later that year, I bought "Live In Texas" right as it was released. It was very expensive. Hearing that live recording of "A Place For My Head" was an entirely different experience, partly because there was video as well. "Live In Texas" was my first look at the band's live performance, and, to this day, I hold "Live In Texas" in very high regard as a live recording. It sounds fantastic. Anyway, the performance seen in "Live In Texas" features an extended intro where the drum trigger samples repeat and Chester screams over the top while Shinoda hypes up the crowd. I was twelve at this time and it just sounded dangerous, like something out a horror movie. Anyway, it became clear to me that, played live, "A Place For My Head" is straight monstrous and - if I can exaggerate a little - makes the album version sound like a fucking lullaby in comparison. Chester's added screaming to the verses kicks it up to a whole new level, Brad and Phoenix are seen just going crazy playing their parts; the energy is just immense. The lengthy, quiet lead-in before the bridge explodes is masterfully handled - so much tension! And, to top it all off, Chester swears at the end (as he does most of the time). The whole thing is fantastic, and definitely one of the biggest highlights on the live DVD.

I went to see Linkin Park live during the "A Thousand Suns" tour in late 2010, and they had been using elements of "A Place For My Head" in the extended "Bleed It Out" bridge every now and again. During the set which I saw, I had anticipated hearing that "A Place For My Head" bridge, but Shinoda and Chester instead sang the chorus from "Burning In The Skies" in its place, the first time that they ever played anything from that song at all. So, to this day, having seen the band perform three times now, I still haven't heard a single note of "A Place For My Head" live.

The "Reanimation" remix, "PLC.4 Mie Hæd", was my favourite track on the album at one point. The only thing that stops it from being a favourite now is Zion's verse, which, while I don't hate it, is the least-interesting part of the track for me. The thing that I love about "PLC.4 Mie Hæd" is the solemness that comes from the soft pads and piano parts, which I think give the song new depth. The big extended bridge/outro section is definitely one of the best parts of the whole album for me. That section just builds and builds; more vocal layers are added to up the intensity ... and, at the same time, this new and very different progression, topped with soft, solemn minor piano, plays out underneath. The contrast between the screaming and the beat underneath is disarmingly beautiful. The whole thing is epic and beautiful. To me, it's the musical representation of screaming and fighting until there's no strength left and a sense of futility just drowns it all out. You would never have expected to hear a moment like that in a remix of "A Place For My Head", or even on any "remix album" at all. And, while not every fan might like "Reanimation" because it isn't all ~RAWK~ or whatever, moments like that are why I consider "Reanimation" to be a big example of Linkin Park going above and beyond people's expectations. And I imagine that expectations were low after that remix album which Limp Bizkit had released in 2001.

Later on, I discovered what seemed like an infinite number of demo versions of "A Place For My Head" and I realised that the chorus harmony which Shinoda used to sing live was a remnant from these early versions. I used to be able to recite information about them all, but that was a decade ago; now, my media library contains only the one that's featured on the 11th Linkin Park Underground CD. I've never really examined the lyrics and I don't really understand what Shinoda's rapping about but it's fun to listen to. Because of the recording quality, the more intense sections really lack energy when compared to the final version of the song heard on "Hybrid Theory".

 

Yes! I think that that shows how good the song is live; people remember it because of the live performances more than anything else.

 

APFMH is probably my favourite song on HT, with PMA being a very close second. Unbelievable live track, especially when the band lets the crowd scream the "go away" parts in the bridge. Probably the band's most imagery-laden and poetic song (or at least top-5), which is a nice juxtaposition to how aggressive it is. Love Mike's aggressive rapping and I've missed that in recent years on the band's latest releases. No bragging or chest-thumping, just pure emotion.

 

It has been pretty much noted by everyone how excellent of a song this is to perform live. I remember fondly its performance on the "Live in Texas" DVD. I loved the introduction and just how intense that song was in its introduction and during the bridge. As others have noted, it is particularly impressive how a song that was not a single has such strong reception by fans everywhere.

I always very much liked this song, but I strongly prefer its demo "Esaul." Obviously, the sound quality takes away from some of the intensity. However, I love how hectic Mike's verses are, and just how much more crazed Chester's screaming is. I also think his singing during the choruses is a lot more spooky, much in the style of Jonathan Davis. I dno - that's perhaps one of the best Linkin Park songs out there - and it's a demo.

The Reanimation remix is strong - and I love the outro. Like I believe Tony said earlier, I love how it continues and adds layers as it goes, to the point where you feel as though Chester has nothing left to give at the end. It's very powerful, and I actually do like Zion's verse in that song. Granted, it is the weakest part of the song, but I think it adds a different taste.

All around strong song - definitely very memorable.

 

I feel like it should go like this: Hybrid Theory / Reanimation --> Meteora --> Collision Course --> Minutes to Midnight (including No Roads Left, maybe?) --> New Divide --> A Thousand Suns --> LIVING THINGS / Recharged --> The Hunting Party.