Linkin Park and/or Jay-Z fans who have lamented the lack of celebration for 2004's Collision Course during its 20th anniversary earlier this year are now in luck, because a brand-new vinyl pressing of the groundbreaking mash-up EP is dropping later this month on September 27. Outlets such as Rough Trade have the 12" black vinyl pressing currently available for pre-order. A meeting of the minds between mainstream commercial juggernauts Linkin Park and Jay-Z - both riding waves of worldwide success with Meteora and The Black Album, respectively - Collision Course captures a watershed moment in rap-rock history. The project was originally conceived and bankrolled by MTV to be the pilot for their Ultimate Mash-Ups live concert/documentary series, and Linkin Park was chosen to be involved at Jay-Z's behest. Band member Mike Shinoda was placed firmly at the helm and deep in his element as head producer, and he wasted no time flexing his genre crossover expertise. Mash-up demos were swiftly and deftly arranged, combining a selection of Linkin Park's hit singles with some of Jay-Z's best-known songs, and strong concepts for a live mash-up performance were quickly found. Unexpectedly, the studio ideas turned out so compelling that both camps, and MTV, agreed to expand the project and polish the tracks for official release. This involved re-recording much of the vocals and instrumentation, which gave Collision Course its own sound and atmosphere distinct from any works by either artist, and elevated the tracks beyond being mere remixes. Collision Course was released in November 2004, preceded by the lead single, "Numb / Encore", a mash-up using Linkin Park's hit single "Numb" and Jay-Z's Black Album cut "Encore". The song has since sold millions and, in its own right, become cemented as a signature song and enduring hit for both artists, even winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the Grammy Awards in 2006. You can pre-order the new Collision Course vinyl edition at Rough Trade, Banquet Records, Get On Down and other music retailers now. Source: Rough Trade
I’m going to need to pick this one up, it’s one of the few missing spots on what I have from them on vinyl. Numb/Encore is obviously great, but Big Pimpin’/Papercut was always a favorite of mine!
I'm glad they're doing something with it for 20 years. They're all really solid mashups. Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying from You and Izzo/In the End are particularly my favorites. We need Swilon's version of DOYS/LFY as a bonus track though.
This is such a fun mash-up EP. Mike rapping the first verse of 99 Problems was a fucking novelty. And the smoothness of Jay-Z’s flow over the Faint instrumental….