If there was no pressure on the band to recreate a commercially successful album for the masses, there is no doubt that Meteora would have been a truly outstanding album. Bottom line is, Meteora needed to happen. Their fanbase was sustained as well as being increased exponentially. Not to mention, a 'HT - Part 2' was out of their system right away; there is no longer a need to pay a debt to those who are clamoring for more HT. As such the band has paved the way towards a much more exciting line of albums to come.
I agree, it would have been very different. Due to HT's success they weren't allowed to grow at an even pace and find their voice before becomming well known like most bands do. Instead they were immediately vaulted into the stratosphere and really there was only one way to go after that (commercially) and that was down. HT was very much right thing, right place, right time. Replicating those conditions is impossible, you only have some semblence of control over one of thoes 3. I doubt they'll ever match HT's commercial success, and they should never have tried. I disagree. There was no debt to pay those people in the first place. If anything, rather than paying a non-existent debt, it re-enforced that clamoring for more HT, as evidenced by the large amount of people still pining for it today. Rather than paving the way for the future, it delayed the evolution, making it all the more difficult to accept for some once it rolled around. Indeed there are many who still refuse to accept it. I sure do ramble on, don't I?
I dunno, I think if Meteora hadn't come out as is, their explosion in popularity would've faded away instantly. Yes it would've been great to hear the Meteora they originally wrote, but it may have rendered them a one-hit wonder.
I'd be interested to see what the results would have been like if Meteora and Hybrid Theory were switched around. That's actually the first time I've thought about that.
And another mind turned... http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k_ICSkAB1...qc1EEWw/s1600/simpsons_mr_burns_excellent.jpg