Is Chester really part of Linkin Park?

[Geki]

I was thinking about this earlier, is Chester really a part of the band? On the making of Meteora it was revealed that he doesn't do much until it comes time to record the album, then he records his vocals over the songs. So basically the songs are already made and then he just sings the lyrics and melodies that Mike and the rest of the band comes up with? If you watch the making of MTM, he isn't really shown until it comes time to record the album at NRG. I know that Mike writes about 90% of the lyrics for Linkin Park, but does he help at all? Every time a ''demo'' is released by Linkin Park it almost always is either an instrumental or the vocals do not feature much of Chester at all. Is that because he isn't around when the album is being created? Obviously he does the tours with the band but it seems he always forgets songs that they aren't currently performing live at the time. I'm starting to think that Mike is really the entire backbone of Linkin Park, and that he creates all the music and pretty much writes all the songs (instrumentation, lyrics, melodies, etc) and just has the rest of the band play them and sing them at the very end of the process.

[ChuckCheese]

I'm sure Chester contributes much more than we actually think. Didn't get in part come up with the intro for SIB? And I always thought he and Mike went half and half on the lyrics, as shown in the Making of MTM. I think we can all agree that Mike does MOST of the song writing and what not, but we really don't have any way of of knowing how much each individual band member really contributes.

 

Also, I recall that they each go and make a good amount individual seeds that they play for each other.

[Geki]

I'm sure Chester contributes much more than we actually think. Didn't get in part come up with the intro for SIB? And I always thought he and Mike went half and half on the lyrics, as shown in the Making of MTM. I think we can all agree that Mike does MOST of the song writing and what not, but we really don't have any way of of knowing how much each individual band member really contributes.

 

Also, I recall that they each go and make a good amount individual seeds that they play for each other.

The seeds I thought were made by all the members except Chester. Plus they really only did a lot of that for MTM. I think maybe the only songs he has actually contributed for LP music is the intro to SIB (keep in mind it was changed by Shinoda for the final version) and apparently some DBS demo that made it into a LP song during the ATS cycle. Probably The Messenger. But that was again later changed by Mike and the band, as shown in the making of ATS. Basically what I am trying to say here is LP really without Chester? Mike and the band make all the music and they also create all the setlists, release all the demos, etc. Chester just sings over whatever he is told by Mike. So the only real ''original'' music we have heard by Chester is Out Of Ashes, but even then it was changed by Julien-K. Whatever else he does are just live covers (BOW, Camp Freddy, guest appearances).

[RogueSoul]

Basically what I am trying to say here is LP really without Chester?

Without Chester we would have really shitty versions of HT, Meteora and Given Up

[Geki]

Without Chester we would have really shitty versions of HT, Meteora and Given Up

Yeah but what I'm saying is that Mike wrote all those songs basically, as well as the lyrics, and just had Chester re-record his vocals over them, or record his vocals to melodies that Mike had already came up with. So basically Chester is just a fake. Because Mike could hire anyone to just come in and sing/scream over stuff that had already been written.

 

I'm also going by the fact that the entire last two LPU albums barely featured any vocals from Chester and they were all demos. Also the fact that about 95% of the LP fanbase hates Chester and barely gives him any credit, so I'm thinking that maybe I'm the idiot who believes he is someone he's not? LP really is Mike's band and he writes every single song and comes up with everything. He is really the true musician. Chester just sings over songs that were already written, much like pop stars like Justin Bieber, but in a clever way

Edited December 13, 2012 by Geki

[gorast]

I don't think there was ever any real doubt that LP is Mike's band, and Mike's band alone. Dude does pretty much everything. Whenever there's an LP song that sounds like one person made it, it's guaranteed that Mike is the one that made it. Sometimes he even brands the songs interchangeably - Complimentary and Lockjaw were branded as Linkin Park songs, but they're really just Mike Shinoda songs (with Lockjaw featuring Rob).

 

As for Chester's input, I think maybe he does a little more than we think. We saw him writing lyrics for LT over the summer in that teaser video, didn't we? To say that he just goes in and sings is going a bit far, I think.

[Geki]

I don't think there was ever any real doubt that LP is Mike's band, and Mike's band alone. Dude does pretty much everything. Whenever there's an LP song that sounds like one person made it, it's guaranteed that Mike is the one that made it. Sometimes he even brands the songs interchangeably - Complimentary and Lockjaw were branded as Linkin Park songs, but they're really just Mike Shinoda songs (with Lockjaw featuring Rob).

 

As for Chester's input, I think maybe he does a little more than we think. We saw him writing lyrics for LT over the summer in that teaser video, didn't we? To say that he just goes in and sings is going a bit far, I think.

Yeah, it definitely is Mike's band. I would go as far to say that a good majority of the demos included on LPU9-LPU12 were solely Mike produced. Brad has never even heard 'Asbestos' before according to the LPU12 CD notes. We also saw Mike singing Leave Out All The Rest and The Little Things Give You Away long before the Chester versions came about. I think Mike sings every single melody and creates every song by himself. He's a genius. Chester probably just gets paid a lot of money to drive to the studio and record the vocals and melodies that Mike already made. It would explain why he doesn't know anything about LP songs that they aren't currently playing on tour, and it also explains why he lives in Arizona while LP all live in California, and why on all the making of DVD's, it only shows Chester wearing one or two outfits while it shows Mike in like 40 different outfits. Chester only comes when it's time to record the songs or when it's a photoshoot/video shoot time.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

I feel like a little teenie who reads bad stuff about his favorite singer lol

 

Chester does more than we think, im sure that he comes with a lot of melodies, writes a lot of songs, he's just not really skilled with computers and that's not great for him in a band that does a lot of their stuff in them

 

i've heard that whenever a melody comes to his head he just records it in his cellphone

he uses a lot of gibberish just to name somee: Blackout, Across the line

 

fuck he even wrote the guitar solo for Shadow of the Day with a piano

[Jgrosk]

Well in LPTV episodes it shows him playing guitar, piano, writing lyrics and humming melodies. I'm guessing most of the "poor me" lyrics in their early work was from Chester.

[Astat]

You have to keep in mind that prior to Minutes to Midnight, ~95% of Linkin Park material started off as demos that Mike and Brad came up with together. Most of the material Chester writes starts off as just acoustic guitar and vocals, which rarely seems to get used on LP albums, with the exception of The Messenger and Skin to Bone (which wound up as an electronic "Mike-ified" song anyway). There are always exceptions to the rule (Hands Held High being a piano demo Brad brought in, The Little Things Give You Away starting off as a drum beat Rob came up with, Chester writing Easier to Run as a lyrical exercise before they wrote any music for it, etc.), but Mike's always been the most prolific writer in the band. It's not so much that Chester is the odd man out, it just goes back to Linkin Park being Mike's baby. Not that that's a bad thing, plenty of bands have one primary songwriter.

[FearOfTheDuck]

In almost every band, there's one or two members who write pretty much all the songs before the other band members even hear them. Things get done quicker that way. Mike writes the main body of pretty much all LP's songs in the same way that Matt Bellamy in Muse, BJ Armstrong in Green Day or Jeremy McKinnon in A Day to Remember do in their respective bands- that doesn't mean the other band members aren't really part of Linkin Park.

[SOHAIL_Lq]

we've seen just few clips & then we come up & say,that guy isn't part of the band,what is wrong with you all,one was talking about replacing "brad",yeah,replace the one who found the band,replace the one who is in herat of million ppl,replace him who is playing guitar since 1990?I mean come on,yeah mike is back bone,they all contribute in the songs,we can't just say after watching a 50 min video that this guy doesn't work with the band,he screams,he sings,his voice in incredible,magical.........computer work from chester?no,he hates computer,writing lyrics isn't easy,but the tone of vocals,he can do this,we can't say he is not playing a vital role in band,the band is on top because of these 6 guys,no mike,no lp,no chester no lp,please,leave it.NO LP member,NO LP

[SergSlim]

I don't care about anything wrote in this thread, because I don't care who writes music, lyrics, etc for the band, as long as I like this music. But this one phrase just caught my eye:

Also the fact that about 95% of the LP fanbase hates Chester and barely gives him any credit

 

Where the hell did you get this "fact"? Is there any statistics? 95%? Really? Are you crazy?

[[AndOne]]

Chester paid for the parking tickets xD

[LPMaskMan]

ITT: Mike fans vs Chester fans

[LinkinMark]

My head hurts from facepalming multiple times

[SFNL14]

Where the hell did you get this "fact"? Is there any statistics? 95%? Really? Are you crazy?

Its not 95%. Its actually 83%

[maxstar]

Also the fact that about 95% of the LP fanbase hates Chester and barely gives him any credit, so I'm thinking that maybe I'm the idiot who believes he is someone he's not?

Man, all fanbase like Mike as genius with music and stuff but WHOLE fanbase adore Chester for his voice and professionalism and who he is

[SOHAIL_Lq]

let's close this topic lol

[gorast]

I think it's a little rude to up and dismiss this topic like it's worthless. It brought up questions about the contributions of each member and how equal they really are - though we know they don't really have to be. That doesn't mean you guys can just come in and shit all over the topic without reading a single post of it.

[Qwerty18]

Mike being the brain of the band isn't new to me lol

 

However, I think we don't give Brad enough credit for what he does in the music process. In LPTVs/making of records, we can often see both him and Mike discussing where the songs should be going.

[hahninator]

Chester does more than you think. Remember that he came up with the Shadow Of The Day guitar solo melody on piano? He wrote it, and Brad learned it and translated it into the guitar part you hear on the CD.

 

And in LPTV you can see Mike and Chester making the lyrics for Catalyst. Chester does a lot of the vocal work and also some other stuff, like he writes some small parts of songs.

[ThePretender]

And don't forget that Chester is essential to Linkin Park. He's their signature. Linkin Park without Chester sounds like something (-one) is missing. It also has to do with presentation, how the band is presented to the world. Rihanna wouldn't listen to Linkin Park without Chester because she likes him xD.

[sckofelng]

And don't forget that Chester is essential to Linkin Park. He's their signature. Linkin Park without Chester sounds like something (-one) is missing. It also has to do with presentation, how the band is presented to the world. Rihanna wouldn't listen to Linkin Park without Chester because she likes him xD.

Rihanna also dates Chris Brown again.. wouldn't call Rihanna liking Chaz that much of a big deal.

[ThePretender]

Rihanna also dates Chris Brown again.. wouldn't call Rihanna liking Chaz that much of a big deal.

That last sentence wasn't also that serious Who cares about her?

Edited December 13, 2012 by ThePretender