Onto the next one. "Points Of Authority". The thing that I like most about "Points" is probably the amount of spite Chester expresses in the verses. Basically every song on "Hybrid Theory" was my favourite at one point or another and this track was no exception. EDIT: an excerpt from a 2002 write-up by Rolling Stone:
i think POA is similar to with you, i like with you more, but POA is great, love the vocals on the chorus most of all
I've always loved this song. The muffled rap leading into a hard intro, the spiteful verses Tony mentioned, and the turntablism throughout the track are some of the song's highlights. I love the rhythmic moment by the end where all the music fades away (3:11) only to splash back into the conclusion. One of the album's highlights for sure.
POA is one of the songs i just listen a few times, but when i do, i enjoy it ! All about the song is just ENERGY.
Oh, yeah, the edits in the outro make for one of the most interesting moments on the album! I'm reminded of that when I listen to the outro in "When They Come For Me" as well (which, coincidentally, references "Points" lyrically). Jay Gordon's rmx on "Reanimation" is a version that I prefer over the original song because, to me, it's an improvement in almost every way - the guitar and bass riffs are a little more interesting, the drum parts are way more interesting, the synths give it this widescreen, futurist feel, and the whole thing just feels bigger and, I guess, more animated - and that's not even mentioning the fantastic music video. What it sacrifices, I guess, is the lo-fi-esque grit or rawness that comes from the filtered guitars and vocals
Now here's one of my favorite ''old LP'' moments. This track is just incredible, everything about it. From the bouncy-ness of the riff, to the catchiness of the chorus, and Mike's most anthemic verse ever. The first time I heard it was with the video minuteforce posted on top of this page, and I loved that video. It seemed like the guys were really having fun, on-stage, and off-stage. I remember feeling awesome that entire day, just because of hearing this song. The Reanimation version of the song wasn't my favorite at first listens, but I've grown to like it with time. The video is one of the most interesting Linkin Park videos aswell, it's ridiculous to think it was made in 2002.
"Points of Authority" is one of the standouts for me in HT. The energy of the song can make any crowd jump. One of the best hip-hop tracks of the band. I think we should do Reanimation first as a song-by-song review before Meteora
thank you Tony. i've been on and off for the past couple of days, mentally a bit rough. nevertheless ... 'Points of Authority' was always one of my favorites from HT, simply because Mike's opening verse is fucking cool (just hearing, "yo, yo, forfeit the game ..."). i always liked the 'Reanimation' version more. i always watched that version's music video and never actually realized the difference between the two we're not doing 'Reanimation'. that ties in.
Points of Authority is a song built for the most pit. Plain and simple. Even though it's never been one of my favourites, Chester's performance is incredibly powerful, the guitar riff is badass, and Mike's verse is probably the most iconic rap of Linkin Park's nu-metal days. 7/10
As far as "Points of Authority" is concerned, it is one of my favorite songs off of Hybrid Theory. The guitar riff is so catchy, and I love how crisp it sounds on the album. I love Chester's vocals on the track, and to me it's one of the most vocally aggressive tracks on the album that doesn't have screaming - which gives it kind of a cool edge (as compared to "One Step Closer"). Truthfully, however, the demos that have surfaced of "Points of Authority" have better lyrics and are a little more interesting to me than what was left on the studio release. With that said, all of the different iterations have brought something new and I think that's why I like the song. It seemed so versatile, and the band did a number of different things with it that were cool to listen to. "Pts.of.Athrty" was a really good take on the track - it added a whole other level to the song. I love the electronic take, the revised riffs - the greater presence of Joe's scratching. It honestly is such a good track to jumpstart Reanimation. I think I like it just a little better than its original. I also do enjoy its music video.
Points of Authority is a great song when I'm on my day, but for some reason it's not among my favorites of HT nevermind the band as a whole. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that I don't enjoy playing it that much on guitar. However it's still a classic, it has a great combination of Mike rapping + Chester soft vocals + Chester harder, grittier sung vocals. I prefer its Reanimated version, love the instrumental arrangement and it sounds so good when you're blasting it on your speakers. One of my favorites from Reanimation.
THE song that signifies the Hybrid Theory era. A cold, blistering punch to the face with a showcase of everything they had in their arsenal at the time. And Dat Video yo..
it appears as though we're ready to move on. up next, "Crawling"/"Krwlng". the track was the second single from 'Hybrid Theory' released way back on March 1st, 13 years ago. there is a fair bit of nostalgia attached to this song for me, but i think that's the only reason as to why i listen to it it's nothing special, it's just kind of there. this bad boy though, hell yeah! i find it much easier to listen to this rendition of the track nowadays, the epic scale is just totally on another level. much love for the intro/outro especially.
Back in 2001, I don't really remember seeing or hearing "Crawling" in full before I got into "Hybrid Theory". If I did hear the song or see the video before getting the album, I'd guess that it made no impression on me then and didn't stick in my mind. Anyway, I liked it well enough once I dove into the album. More so than "One Step Closer", which preceded it as a single, I feel that "Crawling" showed some good dynamic range from the band, and was a better display of the great production and mixing on "Hybrid Theory". One of the most interesting things about the song, actually, is that, after the second verse, there's just a double-chorus and out; that's a bit different in the context of the other songs on the album. I also believe that "Crawling" is the first instance of the band's "bring back verse vocals during the final chorus" arrangement trick which I love, and, if I recall, the only instance of it on "Hybrid Theory". There's hardly anything in the music that I make today which points to Linkin Park being one of my musical influences, but that is something that I occasionally do which I definitely attribute to them. Nowadays, I like the really prominent atmospheric electronica elements in this song, the use of string samples and Chester's singing in the chorus is great ... and, other than that, there isn't anything that interests me with "Crawling" anymore. Nothing else for me to really like. When I bought "Live In Texas" in late 2003, I finally got to hear a live version. I found it really underwhelming, and that hasn't changed. I was quite happy to hear that the band was not playing the song as part of their "A Thousand Suns" sets. The "Crawling" video was the band's first attempt at doing a storyline/character-driven video and, while that CG doesn't hold up to well, I still think that it's alright. Plus, the band members look pretty badass in the performance shots. It was a good starting point for a thread which would later lead to fantastic videos like "Numb" and "From The Inside". Like the song, it also showed that there was depth and vulnerability in Linkin Park songs. I still don't entirely understand what's happening in the video but I pick up on the mood just fine. Like many people in this fan community, I like the "Reanimation" rmx a lot more than the original song and I was blown away by it on first listen. Sonically, it's far more interesting, easier to listen to, and I don't really like Staind but Aaron Lewis' voice is great on the track. Even while all of the lyrics and so many of the sonic elements are retained, the mood is so different ... and it all feels right and so natural that it hardly sounds like a remix at all. Unfortunately, the lyrics that I sort don't like these days - the chorus, in particular - are still there ... but you can't win 'em all. In hindsight, I also love that the song structure is a throwback to early demo version of "Crawling", and, on that note, I've always found that four-bar rap verse from the demo version kind of interesting. Anyway, Shinoda and Phoenix deliver on the production and strings, respectively - it's definitely one of the best early examples of Shinoda's production abilities and I'd assume that we've been waiting for Phoenix to play some live strings on an LP studio album ever since 2002! I still can't decide if I prefer the way "Reanimation" ends over the way "Minutes To Midnight" ends - "KRWLNG" has such a satisfying outro that sometimes just leaves me breathless I guess I had more to say about "Crawling" than I initially thought I did
Ah, Crawling. The second LP song I've ever heard, and it was my favorite LP song for a long time. Upon the first listen, I thought it was the best piece of music to ever be written and it will remain that way until all eternity ends. The chorus was just too good, and the overall atmosphere was like nothing I'd ever heard at that point in my life. I listened to it daily, for weeks or months. It was the song that made me check out this band, and for the first time in my life, listen to an entire album front to back (not counting Californication and By The Way.) Then one day back in the summer of 2011 I thought to myself: "Do I really enjoy this track so much anymore?". The answer was no, and so The Catalyst took the throne. It was that day that I realized that the "new LP" is just as good as, if not better than the "old LP". Today, I appreciate the track, but it's nowhere near my favorites from the band. Fun jam, catchy chorus. Now, the Reanimation remix. That remains one of the highlights in the bands career. Upon my first listens of Reanimation, I didn't understand the album, I couldn't figure out what's going on. But Krwlng was the exception. I guess that type of epic (or, string based) stuff, is music you can listen to when you're born and when you're dying, I guess. Aaron Lewis' verse on the track is still one of the most enjoyable verses... ever? I think. So, without a doubt, Krwlng > Crawling. Oh yeah, fun fact. The first time I heard Krwlng was when a Croatian dance group Atomic Dance Factory danced with the song in the background when they were in the semifinals of the Croatian Supertalent. It was a great performance, I'll post the link when I'm on the PC.
Didn't some magician walk across the Thames with the song playing aswell? I remember reading something like that.
Crawling is a great song I remeber it was one of the first songs I've listend to and I loved it so much and i still love it to this day, you can really feel the anger from chesters singing he is doing a great vocal performance. And KRWLNG is in my opinion to this day the best remix of a song I have ever heard!!!! The remix is so well done!!