Chester Comments On New Album

If Matthew Bellamy said it, then I'm fine.

 

That sh*t is subjective, like everything else in this thread.

 

Please read the rules in the Newbie Camp forum. Specifically the "respect other people's music tastes" rule. You can dislike a band, and even express reasons as to why you don't like them...but flat out saying a band sucks here is not allowed.

 

Everyone is trashing on Rick Rubin, but they completely forget that it was Linkin Park's choice to go in the direction they did for MTM. Rick didn't go to them and say "okay, let's strip most (if not all) of the rap elements out of your sound...and let's have the songs decidedly less electronic". Rick had barely any influence on the CD apart from saying "this sounds too much like something you did before" and if anything, that's what hurt the album. Rick's lack of influence.

No. Instead, like he has been known to do with artists: he told the band to make the music THEY wanted to make, and not what the public expects them to make. He told them to try and create a sound that was unique to them, and to not re-hash the same old sound they did two albums prior. And that's just what they did. Made the music THEY wanted to make. He even told them before working with them (and this has been well documented) that he didn't want to work with them if they were just going to make a Hybrid Theory Part 3 and I thank him for that because he made the band grow up. That old sound, as much as the "old LP fanatics" cling onto it, was old...and stale and overdone. It was too easy for the band to create, and too easy for others to replicate. It no longer challenged them in the way they wanted it to, so they branched out and made a new sound that challenged them musically. The "new sound" might have not been popular with some people, but what's important is that it forced the band to try things they never tried before and that is what Rick Rubin is known for, and has always been known for.

The whole idea that Rick removes rap out of CDs is absolutely ludicrous. He was the original DJ of the Beastie Boys (DJ Double R), and was credited with being one of the pioneers of mixing rap and heavy metal together. He co-founded Def Jam records (where if that didn't exist, there would be no Jay-Z and other important rap artists), and produced Aerosmith and Run D.M.C's "Walk This Way" a record that blew up the doors on the whole rap-rock genre.

Quite simply, Rick Rubin IS rap rock and was the best choice for the band for Minutes To Midnight. It's unfortunate the band chose to go a direction different than what the fans wanted, but there is no doubting what Rick can do.

Rick produced the Beastie's Boys pivotal "License To Ill" record, Run D.M.C's "Raisin Hell", and Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". All great records that combined rap and rock to great success.

Then you have to consider he produced Audioslave's self titled, System Of a Down's self titled, Jay-Z's amazing "Black Album", and much more. (Full list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin_production_discography).

The guy is a great producer, and I guarantee you that given his production skills and album history...if LP want to re-introduce hip-hop into this next record, he'd be the best person to help them figure out how to make it fresh and exciting, because if it wasn't for him: hip hop wouldn't be where it is today.