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Minutes to Midnight (Linkin Park album)

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Untitled
For other uses, see Minutes to Midnight (disambiguation).

Minutes to Midnight is Linkin Park's third studio album, released between May 9, 2007 and May 18, 2007. This is the first Linkin Park album to feature all band members on the album cover, to be co-produced by Mike Shinoda, and to receive a parental advisory sticker (excluding Collision Course, the mash-up album with Jay-Z).[1]

"What I've Done", was digitally released on April 3 in the UK and April 2 in the US. The CD single was released on April 30.

Release

The album was delayed multiple times, first scheduled for summer 2006, then fall 2006, then early 2007, until finally, the release date was set for May 15, 2007. In an interview in September 2006, Shinoda explained, "When songs are pouring out you don't ever want to stop that. We already have over 100 roughs for songs. We've narrowed it down since but we're not ready to commit to those yet."[2]

From the late stages of the demo sessions, "QWERTY", which was rumored to be on Minutes to Midnight, has appeared on the Linkin Park Underground v6.0 CD on December 5, 2006 in both live and studio demo versions. The song has been confirmed as a "fan club only" track and is not included on Minutes to Midnight.

"This was a year-and-a-half long process of really hard work and experimentation in the studio that yielded about 150 rough songs," guitarist Brad Delson told Billboard.com. "Not only is this album incredibly diverse, but the depth of the material is really strong."

The first single, "What I've Done", was released on April 2, 2007, and debuted at number one on the U.S. Modern Rock chart.[3]

"Given Up", "What I've Done" and "No More Sorrow" made their live debut on April 28, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. Live performances of these three songs at the AOL sessions were released on AOL on May 5, 2007. They also play in the background on the band's official website.

On May 12, 2007 Linkin Park played "Bleed It Out" on Saturday Night Live, along with "What I've Done". Also, on May 18, 2007, Linkin Park did a "special appearance" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This turned out to be a special concert at the House of Blues, with the whole studio audience being escorted by double decker tour bus to the venue, with the band driving. Linkin Park again performed "What I've Done" and "Bleed it Out".

CD/DVD Special Edition

A CD/DVD Special Edition of Minutes to Midnight is available. It contains a 32-page art book featuring the lyrics and conceptual art by Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn, along with pictures of the recording process. The bonus DVD contains the following:

  • Advanced Resolution PCM Stereo (48kHz/24-bit) versions of all 12 tracks
  • The Making of Minutes To Midnight Documentary
  • The Making of "What I've Done"
  • The "What I've Done" music video

Among the DVD-ROM features are included:

  • A PDF booklet with lyrics
  • A flash widget and a fansite toolkit.
  • One Instant Messenger Buddy icon
  • Exclusive DVD links to the official Linkin Park website, only accessible through the DVD
  • Screensavers
  • Wallpapers

Users have experienced problems accessing the DVD-ROM features, as certain computers may not be able to access the enhanced portion of this disc. LP Forum Members are looking into why this is.

In Canada, Warner Records recalled the CD/DVD Edition due to the faulty DVD. The final release date for the repaired discs is yet to be known.

CD/DVD Super Fan Edition

Linkin Park will also be releasing a CD/DVD Super Fan Edition of Minutes to Midnight. It will only be available by ordering from the official Linkin Park merchandiser, BandMerch.com. This edition features the DVD from the Special Edition, as well as an extended 68-page art book and 6 frameable collector's cards placed in die-cut pockets inside the linen wrapped, embossed case. The Super Fan Edition is currently Out Of Stock, as the art books were not made in time for the release, and all orders will be delayed.[4]

Sound

In an interview with Chester Bennington it is explained that the new album is a mix of punk, classic rock, and hip-hop beats. "Rick has brought more of a stripped down, classic-rock and hip-hop kind of feel."

"We were looking back at the things that we had done in the past... and I think we just figured that we had exhausted that sound. It was easy for us to replicate, it was easy for other bands to replicate, and we just needed to move on," said Mike Shinoda.[5]

"This time around, Mike Shinoda is singing a lot more. It may seem like he's not on the record, but he's doing a lot of the harmonies. He also sings a couple of songs alone. We're presenting ourselves in a different way."[6][7]

This is their first album where Mike Shinoda sings lead vocals for a full length track ("In Between"), rather than rapping. It is also the first to contain guitar solos (particularly on "In Pieces" and "The Little Things Give You Away"). Unlike the two previous studio albums, Minutes to Midnight contains profanity and politically charged lyrics.

All sampling elements by Joe Hahn that existed in the previous two studio albums are completely absent, except on the songs "What I've Done", "Valentine's Day", "In Pieces", and "The Little Things Give You Away". Hahn contributes more with programming, electronica, and other elements to many of the songs in the album.

Mike Shinoda performs his trademark MC vocals on only two tracks, "Bleed It Out" and "Hands Held High". This is a significant decrease compared to previous albums. The rap vocals on the album are much closer styled to Mike Shinoda's side project Fort Minor than his traditional Linkin Park verses. Despite a decrease of Mike Shinoda as a main vocalist, he has two solo songs on the record. In addition to his rapping on "Hands Held High", he also provides the main vocals for "In Between", which features background vocals from Chester Bennington. He also sings solo on the bonus track "No Roads Left" in a much more aggressive rock style than on "In Between" with no backing vocals from Bennington.

Guitarist Brad Delson used the E-Bow heard on "No More Sorrow" originally when the band was piecing together "The Little Things Give You Away". The band decided not to use the effect for the solo in that song and instead ended up creating "No More Sorrow" out of the effect.

Reception

The album has polarized critics and fans. In a two out of five stars review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide described the album's sound as "passé" and summed the band's effort up as "opting to create a muddled, colorless murk." In a review by NOW Magazine, Evan Davies criticised the album, calling it a "a rehash of the same lame hiphop/metal/electro," and "narcissistic garbage." In the UK, NME magazine's Dan Silver awarded it 2/10, calling it the "sound of a band trying and failing to forge a new identity", and referring to the song 'Hands Held High' as "far and away the funniest thing you'll hear all year".[8]

On the other hand, Rolling Stone said, "Rap metal is dead. Linkin Park are not." Rock Sound, giving the album 8/10 stars, praised the change of style and "tangible sense of growth and maturity," ending their review with, "Linkin Park have finally grown up." IGN rated it 7.4 out of 10, also calling it a "more mature sound".

The album received mixed reviews overall on Metacritic, with an average vote of 57/100, slightly below the 62/100 score of their previous album, Meteora.[9]

Track listing

  1. "Wake" – 1:40
  2. "Given Up" – 3:09
  3. "Leave Out All the Rest" – 3:29
  4. "Bleed It Out" – 2:44
  5. "Shadow of the Day" – 4:49
  6. "What I've Done" – 3:25
  7. "Hands Held High" – 3:53
  8. "No More Sorrow" – 3:41
  9. "Valentine's Day" – 3:16
  10. "In Between" – 3:16
  11. "In Pieces" – 3:38
  12. "The Little Things Give You Away" – 6:23

B-Sides

  • "No Roads Left" – 3:48 (B-side released with all pre-orders of the iTunes version of the album)
  • "No More Sorrow" – 3:47 (Live) (Best Buy purchase and Zia Records Bonus Track, originally performed at AOL Sessions on March 5, 2007)
  • "Given Up" – 3:11 (Live) (Best Buy purchase Bonus Track, originally performed at AOL Sessions on March 5, 2007)
  • "What I've Done" – 3:27 (Live) (Best Buy purchase and Itunes Bonus Track, originally performed at AOL Sessions on March 5, 2007)
  • "Breaking the Habit" – 4:23 (Live) (Wal-Mart purchase, originally performed at Wal-Mart Soundcheck in 2007)
  • "What I've Done" – 3:24 (Live) (Wal-Mart purchase Bonus Track, originally performed at Wal-Mart Soundcheck in 2007)
  • "Faint" – 2:46 (Live) (Japanese edition Bonus Track)


Charts and Sales

See also: Linkin Park discography
Chart Provider(s) Peak
position 		Certification Sales/
shipments
Australian Albums Chart[10] ARIA 1 Platinum 70,000
Austrian Album Chart[11] Media Control Europe 1 Platinum 30,000
Belgium Flanders Album Chart[12] Ultratop 2
Belgium Wallonian Album Chart[13] Ultratop 2
Brazilian Album Chart[14] ABPD 3 31,000
Canadian Album Chart[15] Nielsen SoundScan 1 Gold 68,000
Chilean Album Chart[16] IFPI 6
Croatian International Album Chart[17] HDU 1
Czech Album Chart[18] IFPI 1 Gold 5,000
Danish Album Chart[19] IFPI/Nielsen Music Control 2
Estonian Album Chart[20] Pedrobeat 1
European Top 100 Albums Chart[21] IFPI 1
Finnish Albums Chart[22] GLF 1
French Album Chart[23] SNEP/IFOP 1 Gold 40,000
German Album Chart[24] IFPI 1 Gold 100,000
Hong Kong Albums Chart IFPIHK 1
Hungarian Top 40 Album Chart[25] Mahasz 1
Indonesian Album Chart LIMA 1
Irish Album Chart[26] IRMA 1 Gold 7,500
Israeli Album Chart[27] MusicaNeto 5
Italian Album Chart[28] FIMI 1 Gold 40,000
Japan Album Chart[29] Oricon 1 Gold 204,402
Korean International Album Chart[30] Hanteo 1 Gold 15,000
Malaysian Album Chart RIM 1
Mexico Top 100 Albums Chart[31] Amprofon 2
Netherlands Albums Chart[32] NVPI/Mega Charts 2
New Zealand Album Charts[33] RIANZ 1 Platinum 15,000
Norwegian Albums Chart[34] VG Nett 1
Philippines Album Chart Prima 1
Polish Album Chart[35] ZPAV 2 Gold 35,000
Portuguese Album Chart[36] AFP 3 Gold 10,000
Singapore Album Chart RIAS 1
South African Album Chart RISA 1
Spain Album Chart[37] Promusicae/Media Control 2
Swedish Album Chart[38] GLF 1
Swiss Album Chart[39] Media Control Europe 1
Taiwan 5-Music Western Chart[40] Five Music 1 Gold 35,000
Taiwan G-Music Western Chart[41] G-Msic 1
Taiwanese Album Chart[42] G-Msic/Five Music 2
Thailand Albums Chart 1
UK Album Chart[43] OCC 1 Gold 133,500
Uruguay Albums Chart[44] CUD 12
U.S. Billboard 200[45] Billboard 1 Gold 823,000
U.S. Comprehensive Albums[45] 1
U.S. Top Digital Albums[45] 1
U.S. Top Internet Albums[45] 1
U.S. Top Rock Albums[45] 1
United World Chart (Worldwide Sales) Media traffic 1 1,674,000
United World Chart (Worldwide Sales) Media traffic + 7.5% not counted 1 1,894,150

The worldwide total estimate is 2.7 million copies shipped only in the first week of release.[46]

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
2007 "What I've Done" Billboard Hot 100 7
2007 "What I've Done" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
2007 "What I've Done" Modern Rock Tracks 1
2007 "What I've Done" Pop 100 8
2007 "What I've Done" Hot Digital Songs 4
2007 "Given Up" Billboard Hot 100 99
2007 "Given Up" Pop 100 78
2007 "Leave Out All The Rest" Pop 100 98
2007 "Bleed It Out" Billboard Hot 100 97
2007 "Bleed It Out" Pop 100 76
Preceded by UK Albums Chart number one album
May 20-27 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
June 2-9 2007 		Succeeded by

Leak

Several "fake" copies of Minutes to Midnight were released over peer-to-peer networks on the internet prior to the release of the album. These albums contained a larger number of songs, all derived from various sources, from Linkin Park b-side tracks and live sessions of unreleased material, to Chester's original band Grey Daze and the Swedish Linkin Park-influenced band Tribal Ink, whose album Surrounded By Freaks makes up much of one of the fake albums. Tribal Ink was made famous by mislabeling of some of their songs, which include fake copies of "What I've Done" "Valentine's Day" and "In Pieces".

On May 4, 2007, 11 days before its official world release, the real Minutes to Midnight was leaked. The following day, Mike Shinoda posted his response to the leak:[47]

It couldn't be more exciting to give you all new music, especially after all the hard work we put into it. This album was almost a year and a half of experiments, mistakes, inspiration, and careful craftsmanship. We put everything we had into these songs, and want you to hear every second of it. I can't wait for you to absorb all the levels of meaning in the songs, and the layers of music, eventually forming your own ideas about what the songs mean to you.

At the same time, a leak leaves out some very important parts of this piece of work. We put months of creative energy into the ART of the record, in the booklet, special edition, and big book...almost as long as it took to record hybrid theory [sic]. The album has amazing photos, lyrics, and notes about how the songs came together--it's the visual half of the record. On the other hand, the super-special-edition book is packed with exclusive images, stories of the making of the songs, gorgeous art, the CD and a DVD that tells the story, showing the actual moments of inspiration caught on camera. For me, it's almost hard to imagine anyone really experiencing this album without that part of it.

Even the song sequence alone is very important. It's WAY different to hear the songs in a random order than to listen to this record from beginning to end. At the very least, if you've already downloaded the songs, do us a huge favor and listen to them in the right order...it'll be way more rewarding.

— Mike Shinoda

Personnel

Other Contributors:

  • Rick Rubin - Producer

References

  1. ^ Minutes to Midnight - Overview on All Music Guide
  2. ^ Hope, Clover (September 06, 2006). "New Songs Still Pouring Out Of Linkin Park". Retrieved September 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ "Timbaland Soars To No. 1 After Sales Explosion". Billboard. 04-12-2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ [1]BandMerch
  5. ^ Shinoda, Mike (May 15). Minutes to Midnight (Special Edition) (Music Documentary). {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  6. ^ Folhateen Article. April 3, 2007.
  7. ^ Linkin Park Say Nu-Metal Sound Is 'Completely Gone' On Next LP
  8. ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/linkin-park/8533
  9. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/linkinpark/minutestomidnight
  10. ^ Australian Top 50 ARIA Album Chart
  11. ^ Austrian Album Chart
  12. ^ Belgium Flanders Album Chart
  13. ^ Belgium Wallonian Album Chart
  14. ^ Brazilian Album Chart
  15. ^ Canadian Album Chart
  16. ^ Chilean Albums Chart
  17. ^ Croatian International Album Chart
  18. ^ Czech Album Chart
  19. ^ Danish Album Chart
  20. ^ Estonian Album Chart
  21. ^ European Top 100 Albums Chart
  22. ^ Finnish Albums Chart
  23. ^ French Album Chart
  24. ^ German Album Chart
  25. ^ Hungarian Album Chart
  26. ^ Irish Album Chart
  27. ^ Israeli Album Chart
  28. ^ Italian Album Chart
  29. ^ Japan Album Chart
  30. ^ Korean International Album Chart
  31. ^ Mexico Album Chart; June 16
  32. ^ Netherlands Albums Chart
  33. ^ New Zealand Album Charts
  34. ^ Norwegian Albums Chart
  35. ^ Polish Album Chart
  36. ^ Portugal Album Chart
  37. ^ http://www.promusicae.org/listassemanales/albumes/TOP%20100%20ALBUMES%20-%20Week%2020.pdf Spain Album Chart]
  38. ^ Swedish Album Chart
  39. ^ Swiss Album Chart
  40. ^ "5-Music Top 20".Taiwan 5-Music Chart..
  41. ^ Taiwan G-Music Western Chart
  42. ^ Taiwanese Album Chart
  43. ^ UK Album Chart
  44. ^ Uruguay Albums Chart
  45. ^ a b c d e Billboard Albums Retrieved May 24 2007
  46. ^ http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=256650
  47. ^ Minutes to Midnight Leaked
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