some extra information for each song would be interesting in my opinion but this is just me. LFY/DOYS is an interesting mash up , not the best but good.
"Big Pimpin" / "Papercut" was really weird for me. On one hand, I really like "Big Pimpin"'s beat and Jay-Z's flow, but "Papercut" added there kinda derails the fun. Adding a song about fear into another song about pimpin' hard kinda feels weird since they're merged together for the sake of similar tempo. I mean, that's the case of the other songs, but still. "Jigga What" / "Faint" has the DOYS/LFY treatment, but it's a lot more effective, since Jay-Z kills "Jigga What", even when it moves to "Faint". Holy crap. He just leaves the band in the dust. "Numb" / "Encore" is, for me, still one of the EP's best songs. The "Numb" instrumental almost rivals the original Kanye beat. I like how the band transforms the original instrumental into a hip-hop beat that goes well even with the original vocals. The only downside of the song is that Jay-Z's flow is less effective with the Numb parts. "Izzo" / "In the End" is similar to Big Pimpin/Papercut, but less weird because, well, "Izzo" is a great, fun song to jam. "In the End" feels awkward here, but is a pretty cool contradiction with the beat, especially since Chester's vocals sounds relaxed compared to his angsty vocals. "Points of Authority"/"99 Problems"/"One Step Closer" is great because the metal riffs of the LP songs echo the metal riff of the original "99 Problems" song. The original "99 Problems" is still better, but Mike rapping the first verse and the racist cop provides a new, fresh spin to the song. It doesn't feel strange at all, even as it transitions to OSC. In short, Jay-Z > LP, even if Jay-Z isn't at his best here.
I never cared much for the collaboration. [video=youtube;cRZwtvK6rR0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRZwtvK6rR0[/video] This video pretty much sums up my feelings about Jay-Z. "Uhuhuh, That's right" - Please shut up.
Numb/Encore: For me a F****ing great Mash Up, its just a chill song and a hit. If there is a song i can make party too , its this song Jay flows over the new Numb Instrumental and also the normal Numb Chorus fits in it. Just great. Jigga What/Faint : Really Like this mash up. After the first Faint guitar intro its hit hard in my opinion. Big Pimpin / Papercut: Weird. Izzo/In The End: Beach Party. 99 Problems/Points Of Authority/One Step Closer Dont know what too say about this: Its a cool kind of mash up , but i think the bridge from POA to OSC is a bit weird. All in all a cool SOng.
As someone who has always preferred Linkin Park for their rock sensibilities more than their hip-hop, Collision Course has never quite clicked with me. I've never been a fan of Jay-Z and so the collaboration does next to nothing to pique my interest. Lying From You/Dirt Off Your Shoulder: The only thing propelling Jay-Z's part of the song forward for me is Lying From You's incredible instrumental, then the song kicks into full swing. Big Pimpin'/Papercut: This is how you butcher a classic. Take all of the greatest elements of Papercut and throw them out of the window in favour of a poorly constructed hip-hop song. The result is 3 minutes of Jay-Z going "chyeah!" and "uh huh". Excuse me while I throw up. Jigga What/Faint: Another awful production. There's nothing thrilling about the first half of the song, and once Faint kicks in, the song has no time to build momentum before it's over. Numb/Encore: While I do appreciate the beat for this track, once again it just feels poorly made. Chester is the saving grace of this track through and through. For whatever reason though whenever Numb plays in full force at the end I get goosebumps. Izzo/In The End: Once again, a Jay-Z song featuring Mike. Lame. Moving on. Points Of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer: This song however is BEASTLY. 99 Problems over Points is actually brilliant and the transition into One Step Closer is glorious. This song would melt face live.
I'll just do them all now because everyone else is following suit and it will keep the thread alive. Lying From You/Dirt Off Your Shoulder: Jay-Z's rap over the LFY instrumental is great because that was made for rap. It feels different at first when Mike comes in with his verse, but nothing else stands out after that. And where is Chester's fuckin' frappuccino? Big Pimpin'/Papercut: Mike said that they had put these two together because they were very close in tempo, but that is pretty much the only thing that works here. Papercut verses do not sound good over the Big Pimpin' instrumental. Jigga What/Faint: I really like this one, especially after Faint kicks in. The Jigga What instrumental is fine when Mike comes in, but Jay-Z over Faint is just awesome. The biggest difference in the mixing here is that the strings in the verse of Faint (the bass) are way more noticeable and make the song sound stronger. Nothing different after Mike's second verse. Numb/Encore: They did a good job with altering Numb into a more Hip-Hop oriented production, and I have to admit that it's good, even though it isn't my cup of tea. The Yesternumbencore was a great idea live, but Jay-Z fucking ruined a great moment by being a moron while Paul and Chester sang together. Izzo/In The End: Just an LP verse over a Jay-Z song. This didn't have to happen because they had to change the key from minor to major for Chester's singing parts. Nothing impressive. Points Of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer: Might be my favorite off the EP (other than DOYS/LFY and JW/Faint). Mike did a great job as the police officer during Jay's verse and then all of the sudden it becomes OSC almost seamlessly. That part is great too and I hope that gets performed live again.
I guess we're starting "Minutes To Midnight" now and track one is "Wake". "Wake" is the instrumental introductory track on "Minutes To Midnight", and it really does its job, wasting no time in introducing you to the album's sound; moody, atmospheric electronics, raw-sounding drums, a lovely wall of spacey guitars and one of the best basslines we've heard Phoenix put on record all add up to show you right away that "Minutes To Midnight" is a far cry from "Meteora" in terms of sonics and displays a fresh new sound from the band. In the album liner notes, it is mentioned that "Wake", originally a working title, was kept as the final track title because the band liked the "dual meaning" of the word "wake" and felt that it was appropriate. Indeed, "Wake" represents both the end of one chapter in Linkin Park's musical journey and the beginning of a brand-new one - or, to be more dramatic, you might call it the destruction and rebirth of the band. Looking at it this way, "Wake" thematically ties into the album title and the concept behind that (as applied metaphorically to the band) on a few levels. As was the case with "Foreword", the wordless intro track on "Meteora", "Wake" was created towards the end of the "Minutes To Midnight" recording process. At the time of the album's release, "Wake" was one of only precious few guitar-driven instrumental tracks from the band, and also one of very few songs that the band had written in 6/8 time. Most significantly, though, it remains one of very few Linkin Park songs where Phoenix's bass playing can be clearly heard in the mix. The band played "Wake" live regularly while touring to support "Minutes To Midnight". On some setlists, it was used as the set opener while, on others, it was merely an interlude, but, in both cases, it would lead into "Given Up", matching the sequence heard on the album. Live performances of "Wake" featured added turntablism by Joe Hahn. In 2008, the band began performing "Wake" with an altered intro section which featured a beat consisting of both live and sampled drums, and a new guitar line. The setlists identified this variation as "Wake 2.0" and it is heard on the band's 2008 live DVD "Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes":
Man, I do not care about Wake at all. That song does nothing for me. It's just so middle of the road. That is all I will say about this song.
Nice intro song. It always gets me ready for Given Up. 'WAKE in the sweat again another day's been layed to waste in my disgrace' You can see where the name came from.
Wake came from a demo titled ''WAKE album intro idea'', whether or not the fact it's the first word in Given Up is related to it, is unknown. Don't yell at me again. I like this song, it's a nice intro to Given Up and the rest of the album. I love that totally distorted powerchord for a split second before the rest of the guitars kick in.