Linkin Park theme by R2_Joe
Download: LinkinPark.p3t
(10 backgrounds)
Linkin Park | |
|---|---|
 Linkin Park performing in Berlin, in October 2010. From left to right: Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell, Brad Delson, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Chester Bennington. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
|
| Origin | Agoura Hills, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Discography | |
| Years active | 1996–2017[a] |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
|
| Website | linkinpark |
Linkin Park is an American rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, and drummer Rob Bourdon, with vocalist Chester Bennington also part of the band until his death in 2017. Categorized as alternative rock, Linkin Park's earlier music spanned a fusion of heavy metal and hip hop, while their later music features more electronica and pop elements.
Linkin Park rose to international fame with their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which became certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released during the peak of the nu metal scene, the album's singles' heavy airplay on MTV led the singles "One Step Closer", "Crawling", and "In the End" all to chart highly on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The lattermost also crossed over to the #2 spot on the nation's Billboard Hot 100.[1] Their second album, Meteora (2003), continued the band's success.[2] The band explored experimental sounds on their third album, Minutes to Midnight (2007).[3] By the end of the decade, Linkin Park was among the most successful and popular rock acts.[4]
The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types on their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds. The band's fifth album, Living Things (2012), combined musical elements from all of their previous records. Their sixth album, The Hunting Party (2014), returned to a heavier rock sound, while their seventh album, One More Light (2017), was a substantially more pop-oriented record. Linkin Park went on an indefinite hiatus following the suicide of longtime lead vocalist Bennington in July 2017 and have not recorded or toured since then. Since Bennington's death, they have only released 20th-anniversary editions of their first two studio albums, as well as a greatest hits album, Papercuts, in 2024.
Linkin Park is among both the best-selling bands of the 21st century and the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 100 million records worldwide.[5] They have won two Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards, and three World Music Awards. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium. Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade list. In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1. In 2014, the band was declared as "The Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now" by Kerrang!.
History[edit]
1996–2000: early years[edit]
Linkin Park was founded by three high school friends: Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson.[6] The three attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.[6] After graduating from high school, the three began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, then called Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda's makeshift bedroom studio in 1996, resulting in a four-track demo album, entitled Xero, released in November 1997.[6] The band performed their first show that November opening for SX-10 and System of a Down at the Whisky a Go Go, a nightclub in West Hollywood.[7] Delson introduced the band to Jeff Blue, the vice president of A&R for Zomba Music, whom he had interned for in college.[8][9] Blue offered the band constructive criticism to catch the attention of record labels. Blue himself was impressed with Xero after watching them play a live show in 1998, but believed the band needed a different vocalist.[8][9] Tensions and frustration within the band grew after they failed to land a record deal.[6] The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band's vocalist, to leave the band in search of other projects.[6] Farrell also left to tour with Tasty Snax, a Christian punk and ska band.[10][11]
After spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield's replacement, Xero recruited Arizona vocalist Chester Bennington, who was recommended by Jeff Blue in March 1999.[12][13] Bennington, formerly of a post-grunge band Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants because of the dynamic in his singing style.[6] The band then agreed on changing their name from Xero to Hybrid Theory; the newborn vocal chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington helped revive the band, inciting them to work on new material.[6][14] Additionally, the band recruited bassist Kyle Christner to temporarily fill in for Farrell.[15] In May 1999, the band released a self-titled extended play, which they circulated across internet chat-rooms and forums with the help of an online "street team".[16] In October 1999, Christner was replaced by Scott Koziol and Ian Hornbeck, whom along with Delson, provided bass tracks for the band's recordings.[15][17]
The band still struggled to sign a record deal. They turned to Jeff Blue for additional help after facing numerous rejections from several major record labels.[12] After failing to catch Warner Bros. Records on three previous reviews, Blue, who was now the vice president of Warner Bros. Records, helped the band sign a deal with the company as a developing artist in 1999.[18][19] However, the label advised the band to change their name to avoid confusion with Hybrid.[20][21] The band considered the names "Plear" and "Platinum Lotus Foundation" before deciding on "Linkin Park",[22] a play on and homage to Santa Monica's Lincoln Park,[6] now called Christine Emerson Reed Park.[23] They initially wanted to use the name "Lincoln Park", however they changed it to "Linkin" to acquire the internet domain "linkinpark.com".[21][24]
Bennington and Shinoda both reported that Warner Bros. Records was skeptical of Linkin Park's initial recordings.[25][26] The label's A&R was not pleased with the band's hip-hop and rock-style approach.[25][26] An A&R representative suggested that Bennington should demote or fire Shinoda and exclusively focus on making a rock record.[25][26] Bennington supported Shinoda and refused to compromise Linkin Park's vision for the album.[25][26] Farrell returned in late 2000, and the band released their breakthrough album, Hybrid Theory, that same year.[12]
2000–2002: Hybrid Theory and Reanimation[edit]
Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory on October 24, 2000.[27] The album, which represented half a decade's worth of the band's work, was edited by Don Gilmore.[6] Hybrid Theory was a massive commercial success; it sold more than 4.8 million copies during its debut year, earning it the status of best-selling album of 2001. Singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" established themselves as staples among alternative rock radio play lists during the year,[10] and "In the End" peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest to date.[28][29] Additionally, other singles from the album were featured in films such as Dracula 2000, Little Nicky, and Valentine.[10] Hybrid Theory won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "Crawling" and was nominated for two other Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Rock Album.[30] MTV awarded the band their Best Rock Video and Best Direction awards for "In the End".[6][31]
During this time, Linkin Park received many invitations to perform on many high-profile tours and concerts including Ozzfest, Family Values Tour, and KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas.[10][32] The band worked with Jessica Sklar to found their official fan club and street team, "Linkin Park Underground", in November 2001.[33][34] Linkin Park also formed their own tour, Projekt Revolution, which featured other artists such as Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg.[12] Within a year's stretch, Linkin Park had performed at over 320 concerts.[6] The experiences and performances of the precocious band were documented in their first DVD, Frat Party at the Pankake Festival, which debuted in November 2001. Now reunited with former bassist Phoenix, the band began work on a remix album, dubbed Reanimation, which would include works from Hybrid Theory and non-album tracks.[10] Reanimation debuted on July 30, 2002, featuring the likes of Black Thought, Jonathan Davis, Aaron Lewis, and many others.[35] Reanimation claimed the second spot on the Billboard 200, and sold nearly 270,000 copies during its debut week.[36] Hybrid Theory is also in the RIAA's Top 100 Albums.[37]
2002–2004: Meteora[edit]
Following the success of Hybrid Theory and Reanimation, Linkin Park spent a significant amount of time touring around the United States. The band members began to work on new material amidst their saturated schedule, spending a sliver of their free time in their tour bus's studio.[38] The band officially announced the production of a new studio album in December 2002, revealing their new work was inspired by the rocky region of Meteora in Greece, where numerous monasteries have been built on top of the rocks.[39] Meteora features a mixture of the band's nu metal and rap metal style with newer innovative effects, including the induction of a shakuhachi (a Japanese flute made of bamboo) and other instruments.[6] Linkin Park's second album debuted on March 25, 2003, and instantly earned worldwide recognition,[6] peaking at No. 1 on the Rock & Metal Albums Chart.[40]
Meteora sold more than 800,000 copies during its first week, and it ranked as the best selling album on the Billboard charts at the time.[41] The album's singles, including "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit", "Faint", and "Numb", received significant radio attention.[42] By October 2003, Meteora sold nearly three million copies.[43] The album's success allowed Linkin Park to form another Projekt Revolution, which featured other bands and artists including Mudvayne, Blindside, and Xzibit.[6] Additionally, Metallica invited Linkin Park to play at the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, which included well-known acts such as Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones.[44] The band released an album and DVD, titled Live in Texas, which featured some audio and video tracks from the band's performances in Texas during the tour.[6][45] In early 2004, Linkin Park started a world tour titled the Meteora World Tour. Supporting bands on the tour included Hoobastank, P.O.D., and Story of the Year.[46][47]
Meteora earned the band multiple awards and honors. The band won the MTV awards for Best Rock Video for "Somewhere I Belong"[48][49] and the Viewer's Choice Award for "Breaking the Habit".[50] Linkin Park also received significant recognition during the 2004 Radio Music Awards, winning the Artist of the Year and Song of the Year ("Numb") awards.[51] Although Meteora was not nearly as successful as Hybrid Theory, it was the third best selling album in the United States during 2003.[10] The band spent the first few months of 2004 touring around the world, first with the third Projekt Revolution tour, and later several European concerts.[10] At the same time, the band's relationship with Warner Bros. Records was deteriorating rapidly on account of several trust and financial issues.[52] After months of feuding, the band finally negotiated a deal in December 2005.[53]
2004–2006: side projects[edit]
Following Meteora's success, the band worked on many side projects.[54] Bennington appeared on DJ Lethal's "State of the Art" and other work with Dead by Sunrise, while Shinoda did work with Depeche Mode, creating the remix song "Enjoy the Silence 04".[10] In 2004, the band began to work with Jay-Z to produce another remix album, titled Collision Course. The album, which featured intermixed lyrics and background tracks from both artists' previous albums, debuted in November 2004. Shinoda also formed Fort Minor as a side project. With the aid of Jay-Z, Fort Minor released their debut album, The Rising Tied, to critical acclaim.[55][56]
Linkin Park also participated in numerous charitable events, which included raising money to benefit victims of Hurricane Charley in 2004 and later Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[10] The band donated $75,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in March 2004.[57] They also helped relief efforts for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami victims by staging several charity concerts and setting up an additional fund called Music for Relief.[58] The band participated at Live 8, a series of charitable benefit concerts set up to raise global awareness.[59] Alongside Jay-Z, the band performed on Live 8's stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a global audience.[59] The band would later be reunited with Jay-Z at the Grammy Award Ceremony 2006, during which they performed "Numb/Encore", en route to winning a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.[60][61] They were joined on stage by Paul McCartney who added verses from the song "Yesterday".[62][63] They would later go on to play at the 2006 Summer Sonic music festival, which was hosted by Metallica in Japan.[64]
2006–2008: Minutes to Midnight[edit]
Linkin Park returned to the recording studios in 2006 to work on new material. To produce the album, the band chose producer Rick Rubin. Despite initially stating the album would debut sometime in 2006, it was delayed until 2007.[65] The band had recorded thirty to fifty songs in August 2006, when Shinoda stated the album was halfway completed.[65][66] Bennington later added that the new album would stray away from their previous nu metal sound.[67] Warner Bros. Records officially announced that the band's third studio album, titled Minutes to Midnight, would be released on May 15, 2007, in the United States.[68][69] After spending fourteen months working on the album, the band members opted to further refine their album by removing five of the original seventeen tracks. The album's title, a reference to the Doomsday Clock, foreshadowed the band's new lyrical themes.[70] Minutes to Midnight sold over 623,000 copies in its first week, making it one of the most successful debut week albums in recent years.[71] The album also took the top spot on the Billboard Charts.[71]
The album's first single, "What I've Done", was released on April 2,[68] and premiered on MTV and Fuse within the same week.[72] The single peaked at no. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[73] The song is also used in soundtrack for the 2007 action film, Transformers.[74][75] Mike Shinoda was also featured on the Styles of Beyond song "Second to None", which was also included in the film.[75] Later in the year, the band won the "Favorite Alternative Artist" in the American Music Awards.[76] The band also saw success with the rest of the album's singles, "Bleed It Out", "Shadow of the Day", "Given Up", and "Leave Out All the Rest", which were released throughout 2007 and early 2008. The band also collaborated with Busta Rhymes on his single "We Made It", which was released on April 29.[77]
Linkin Park embarked on a large world tour titled "Minutes to Midnight World Tour". The band promoted the album's release by forming their fourth Projekt Revolution tour in the United States which included many musical acts like My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, and many others.[78] They also played numerous shows in Europe, Asia, and Australia which included a performance at Live Earth Japan on July 7, 2007.[79] and headlining Download Festival in Donington Park, England[80] and Edgefest in Downsview Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[81] The band completed touring on their fourth Projekt Revolution tour before taking up an Arena tour around the United Kingdom, visiting Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester,[82] befo
One Reply to “Linkin Park”
Comments are closed.
The founding of Linkin Park began with three high school friends; Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson. After graduating from high school, the three began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda’s makeshift bedroom studio in 1996, resulting in a 4-track demo tape.-^..
Ciao for now
<http://www.healthwellnessbook.com/index.php/