Collision Course (with DVD) Reviews

• Hot: great concept, great execution

  
  By A1U441Q60DRZKR on 2005-02-01
  Title says it all. This set is hot. The CD is good -- the DVD showing the making of, and the live show are awesome. I wasn't a Jay-Z fan, but after watching the DVD, I've gained a lot of respect for him. He's talented, and a great complement to Linkin Park.
  
  Others have said it: this is not a remix album, it's not a re-release, it's a mashup. It's an intentional blending of two distinct sounds. It shouldn't be rated in comparison to either act individually. I purchase a lot of music, and this is one of my better purchases in recent memory. Great concept, and flawless execution.
  
  

• Was Reanimation not a butchery enough?

  
  By A9YA983MXKCEL on 2005-01-06
  I'm with everyone who wonders what the hell happened to Linkin Park. Hybrid Theory was solid gold; Reanimation was anywhere from slight improvement (Crawling) to absolute butchery (In The End) of the same songs. Now LP has apparently decided that Reanimation wasn't enough of a mockery of their music, so they sent their songs to one of the most awful rappers in the world to be crapped all over and mutilated even more. WHY?!? WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS?!?
  
  

• Somewhat Unfortunate

  
  By A38G64S5VMRI1P on 2004-12-01
  "Collision Course" is Linkin Park's second remix record, their first being "Reanimation," a brilliant 2nd take on their debut record "Hybrid Theory." Unlike "Reanimation," however, "Collision Course" features Jay-Z and each song is actually a hybrid of an LP song and a Jay-Z song. Technically, it's not really a Linkin Park record (though if you watch the extra features you can see it clearly is) but part of the MTV "Mash-up" series.
  
  Another difference between this record and "Reanimation" is that the latter is actually a strong release with its own merit. "Collision Course," on the other hand, is a randomly assembled mosaic of two very different artists with songs of very different content. I understand that the point of the Mash Up series is to join two diverse artists, but in my opinion this is just too much - or rather it may not have been done in the best way.
  
  What you really have here is 12 songs, not 6. Each track is roughly half a Jay-Z song with Mike Shinoda and Jay-Z rapping LP lyrics over it, and then an awkward, often abrupt transition into an LP guitar riff with Jay-Z rapping his own lyrics over it and Chester occasionally screaming. It's rare on this album that I feel the two styles are actually *combined*. Instead it's usually Section A - the Jay-Z section; Section B, the LP section.
  
  Making the problem much worse is the lyrical differences between the two artists. Every Jay-Z song is topically centered around something like "I'm a pimp and I couldn't care less what you think of me." Every Linkin Park song, on the other hand, seems to be some emotional cleansing that is completely centered on how someone has hurt or affected them. Neither is bad on its own, but they mix like oil and water. The one exception to this is "Points of Authority/99 Problems" but in this case Mike Shinoda wrote entirely new lyrics for it that match Jay-Z's. It would've been much better had they done this as extensively for each song. As it is, the paraphrase another reviewer, any remix artist could've thrown this together in a weekend. The genius of "Reanimation" in completely absent on "Collision Course."
  
  The DVD, however, makes this barely worth the purchase. Not that it's especially great, just that it adds some cool behind the scenes footage of LP and Jay-Z in the studio working on the record.
  
  Overall I feel this is more for the Jay-Z fan than the LP fan. Most LP fans will be let down and somewhat horrified, especially at the major-keyed happy-go-lucky "Izzo/In the End." Hopefully Linkin Park will get back in the studio and Jay-Z will figure out whether or not he's actually retired.
  
  
  

• Great Idea + Great Artists = Original & Unique Album

  
  By A33LK02OFCFRJD on 2004-12-01
  The first thing that I must say is WOW! They picked two of the most influential musical artists of their genres and "mashed" them together. I think that Jay-Z's Black Album: Acapella Version was the inspiration for "mashing" artists together. For those of you who don't know what the Acapella Version is, it is a recording of Jay-Z rapping his lyrics only with no music in the background so that people could add their own beats and create remixes with Jay-Z's lyrics.
  
  The idea to mix two groups of different genres is sheer genius. I'm sure that the idea arose, but no one ever did anything toward incorporating two artists into remixed songs. The result of this combination is excellent. Take a rock, yet hip hip influenced Linkin Park, and mix with one of the all-time greats of rap, the clothing industry, and the soon-to-be president of Island/Def Jam/Rocafella Records, and you have one hell of a combo. I love this cd even though it has only 6 songs, but each one is as good as the next and the one before. Unfortunately, this cd can only be truly and thoroughly enjoyed by those who are fans of both LP & Jay-Z, and speaking as one, I love this cd! I am a long time fan of Jay-Z and LP, so it's perfect for me. I think it's awesome that they include a DVD of the live performance shown on MTV on such short notice (live on TV about 3 weeks ago). I recommend this cd to anyone, but mostly to anyone who loves remixes and collaborations of artists.
  
  

• If you like Linkin Park and/or Jay-Z, that's fine, but . . .

  
  By A24RIJL1ZDFVWK on 2005-10-10
  This is very upsetting. It just goes to show how the music industry isn't about music. It's about money. The music corporation has managed to come up with yet another album without getting any new material from the (lazy and mediocre) artists (using the term "artist" very loosely) just because people will buy it. Linkin Park has written about 23 songs in 7 years and managed to get 5 albums out of it. and millions of units sold and $$$.
  It's just a money making scheme. It's just record execs capitalizing off of the "mash-up" concept. It's just a gimmick. Why don't you just go out and buy a CD of various versions and remixes of McDonald's "I'm lovin' it"?
  
  And as for the music itself, it's just ridiculous. I would consider you very childish if you actually listen to this in any situation besides a dance party. This is nothing any serious music fan would actually listen to. These versions destroy the songs and take away whatever original meaning and power they had to begin with. They are rendered silly and pointless on this CD. Mash-ups rarely turn out very good.
  
  If you like Linkin Park and/or Jay-Z, that's fine with me, I won't dis you for it. But just stick with the original songs. Don't waste your money on this. Don't buy the same music twice just because it's remarketed, remixed and repackaged.
  
  
  
• Ehhhh.....that's all I can say!
  By A1HXQ3HBXG5NZE on 2004-11-30
  There is no doubt in my mind that both artist are amazing. But it seems as though they just made something that people would buy, and not something that really sounds good. Obviously, when you hear that one of the biggest names in rock is collaborating with one of the biggest names in hip-hop, you are going to buy the cd.
  
  I am saying to take a step back and think about it for a second. There are only two good tracks on the album, which, by the way, only has six tracks. The quality of the tracks don't even sound that great. Let's put it this way, any amateur DJ could have taken Jay-Z's beats and put Linkin Park's vocals on it and vice-versa. People will say that you have to buy the album for the the live performance DVD. The DVD is just what they play on MTV like every week, so you aren't missing anything.
  
  So, if you value your money then I say save it, because if you you aren't missing out on anything special. If you have an extra $20 to spend, then go right ahead and purchase this album.
  
  
• Solid, but not amazing
  By A2KM97AHR6UD5M on 2004-12-12
  The album, on the whole, is pretty solid stuff. I'm a Linkin Park fan, however, and if you're a Jay-Z sorta person, you might not be as enthusiastic - this sure ain't hard-core rap. LP, on the other hand, has always had some lighter rap from Mike Shinoda (who mixed this CD, so I see), so Jay-Z compliments their sound pretty well.
  
  The DVD, though, is great. I was less than impressed with Jay-Z - it seemed like Mike and Chester had a lot more energy between the two of them at the show. This might be the usual for Jay-Z, but it didn't bowl me over. Still, the show is fun to watch, and the camera work is a lot less chaotic than Live in Texas.
  
  If you're getting this for Jay-Z, you'll probably be disappointed. Linkin Park fans will enjoy both the CD and DVD, I think. Don't go into this expecting amazing music - it's fun to listen to, and certainly it's creative, but it is not some sort of artistic masterpiece.
  
  If it were a full-length album, I would give it a 4/5, but frankly, there's just NOT enough music to rate it that high. Given more the four days of time it took to make the album, though, a 3/5 ain't too bad. Hopefully the two of them will collaborate in the future on new material.
  
  
• Interesting concept - amazing execution
  By A3UZHPT6414PS0 on 2005-05-13
  Let me say this first, I am in no way a rap fan. I shudder when I hear Eminem or Tupac on radio....awful. Now Jay-Z I have really never heard of before this mash-up. I am definitely a Linkin' Park fan, and I had trepidations upon purchasing this DVD/CD in a digipack. But I was very surprised and pleasantly so, the combining of LP's rock with Jay-Z's rap is almost without hitches.
  The DVD is the winner of this item. It has the behind the scenes, the 6 song concert LIVE, as well as the MTV Mash-up. The two artists blended in well with each other and the two styles of music mixed well together and contributed to synthesis that will be remembered for a long time to come.
  I hope to see LP and Jay-Z join forces again real soon.
  
  
• Well Surprise, Surprise...
  By A26ISK2OA76RQ1 on 2004-12-02
  In Linkin Park's second side album between their cd's, like Reanimation was between Hybrid Theory and Meteora, once again a great success. Reanimation is also an excellent hip-hop blended album for Linkin Park and if you don't own that, I advise you to pick it up. Anyways, onto this review.
  
  Linkin Park is the biggest and most influencial rock band of the new millenium, and Jay-Z (even though he's retired) is one of the most popular hip-hop artists too. Even though I am not a big hip-hop fan, Linkin Park already features a lot of hip-hop vocals. The reason Linkin Park's hip-hop vocals work to me, are because of the guitar riffs behind them. Each and every song catches a new beat and adds new style to great lyrics. Even though Jay-Z is a different kind of rap then Linkin Park, the music still meshes very well.
  
  #1 - Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying from You ... Now first off I'd have to say that originally I hated Dirt Off Your Shoulder. With the additions of the guitar riffs behind Jay-Z voice and the addition of Mike Shinoda to the hip-hop vocals, I changed my mind. This is my favorite song on the cd and to rate with the numbers system 5/5.
  
  #2 - Big Pimpin'/Papercut ... definately the bust on the cd. Papercut in itself was a good song. Big Pimpin' in itself was a good song. The mix between the two, uh-no. The slow-down of Papercut's lyrics with the Big Pimpin' music behind it, a little rough and not much edge to the sound. I recommend to pass on this song. 1/5... and that's a compliment.
  
  #3 - Jigga What/Faint ... excellent! Jay-Z rapping over the Faint music sounds incredible. The fast-paced song picks up even more with Jay-Z and his fast mouthed lyrics. When Linkin Park comes back in with their own part to Faint, it matches up to it's original quality. Great song 4.5/5
  
  #4 - Numb/Encore ... the most family oriented song on the cd. A good mix of Jay-Z and Chester Bennington in this song. Chester's additional lyrics of "What the hell are you waiting for" throughout Jay-Z Encore lyrics sounds quite soothing. A great concert song, and a very good song on this cd. Once again ... 4.5/5
  
  #5 - Izzo/In the End ... another suprisingly good song. Izzo by Jay-Z is one of my least favorite songs. The mix between the two however sounds great. In the End is of course Linkin Park's most famous song. Mike's mix and match with Jay-Z once again flows very nicely with the music and it's a good listening song. It doesn't quite match up with a few of the others though but still good ... 4/5.
  
  #6 - Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer ... very close to the greatness of Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From You. The mix of these three songs in absolutely insane. The beginning with Jay-Z rapping over Points of Authority sounds like how it should have originally been. Then after Points ends, Brad Delson kicks in the guitar from One Step Closer and Jay-Z continues to sing throughout One Step Closer mixing in with Chester and Mike. The police scene in 99 Problems with Jay-Z and Mike is my favorite part of this cd. Great song 5/5.
  
  The DVD includes the MTV Mash-Up performance which I thought included great energy and sounded great also. It's another good addition along with the cd, and except for the short length I would give the dvd a 5/5.
  
  Overall I would give the CD/DVD combo a 4.75/5 ... I know it's a weird number, but it's not perfect, but it's very very close! Incredible how great the mash-up really sounds between two total different ends of the spectrum of music. I recommend this for another hip/hop or rock fan.
  
  
  
• Gimme more mash-ups! I luv 'em!!
  By ASZBNS68A7OA9 on 2004-12-29
  Wow, what kind of genious thought up this idea? I mean, who has the kind of brain-power needed to even THINK to combine Linkin Park and Jay-Z? Talk about your polar opposites! There is some serious musical diversity at play here. Where else on this tiny blue planet could you find the crushing metal riffage of Linkin Park and the hardcore gansta rappage of Jay-Z ON THE SAME CD! I don't say this often and I may never again after this, but I am truly blown AWAY!
  
  This is such a cool idea, I hope that some other acts that are very different from one another get in on this sweet mash-up action! I've got a few ideas. How about Aaliyah and Destiny's Child MASHED-UP?!? Wait ... Aaliyah's dead, so that may have sounded tacky. Well then, how about Ludacris and Kenny Chesney? Can you HANDLE THAT? No one has EVER thought to combine rap and country artists on the same song or CD. Or, what if the illin' Beastie Boys co-llided with BENNY GOODMAN - THE KING OF SWING? White boy rap meets slammin' 1920's Big Band era music! Can you dig it?!?
  
  All hail Linkin Park and Jay-Z -- musical pioneers of this and any other generation!
  
  
• Best of both worlds...
  By A3L5Q4AZJSKHTA on 2004-12-01
  If you love Jay-Z and you love Linkin Park then this is a good one to have. My top 3:
  
  1. Numb/Encore - How can you go wrong with Numb, you can take the Numb musictrack and add your own words, and it would be a great song. "Can I get an encore, do you want more?", shuh, yeah!
  
  2. DOYS/LFY - Great JZ rap with the LP musical aggression. If you're thinking about getting in a fight and need to get real pissed, yet you don't want to lose your pimpin suave style, then this is the song for you.
  
  3. Breathe, Stretch, Shake - Oops this one isn't on the CD, but if you need a song to listen to on the treadmill - here it is.
  
  4. Izzo/In the End - This was a hard one to put at #3, I have to agree with some that it really didn't fit. In the End is such a great song. If they could have used the In the End musictrack and fit Izzo in, I'm sure it would have been number 1 on my list. This song barely beat 99 Problems/One Step, but the last minute of that song reminded me of an MTV music awards closing act where everyone and their parents are on stage and you don't know who in the world is singing, wrapping, cabbage patching...
  
  All in all - if you like:
  
  ...remixes of popular songs
  ...Jay-Z
  ...Linkin Park
  ...the Human Nature (Michael Jackson) and Right Here (SWV) remix
  
  then this CD is for you.
  
  
• Misunderstanding
  By AS09A83AUIFTD on 2004-12-03
  It seems as though misunderstanding of this collaboration is running rampant.
  
  Simply put, it's hot.
  
  Track 1, "Lying From You/Dirt Off Your Shoulder", is the best, IMO. That would explain why they led off with it. LFY is the most hip-hop sounding track LP has produced, at least for release in the US. It doesn't surprise me that the combination with Jay is awesome.
  
  "Numb/Encore" is 2nd. It's the closest to a reinterpretation of the original rhythm track. It has been produced so that it sounds like the original "Numb" but is still distinct and somewhat new. And the heavier base line adds some depth that I always felt was missing from "Numb". This defines how all the mash-ups should have sounded all the way through, IMO.
  
  Next best is "Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer". In fact, I like Jay's lyrics better over POA than Mike's, personally. But it's a combination that works *very well* although it seems like it shouldn't.
  
  "Jigga What/Faint" works for several reasons - mostly the lyrics and flows. Jay is able to flow at speed over the faster beat of "Faint". I'm sure people who remember his younger days will probably get a kick out of him speeding up his flow on this track. Also, they extended this track out to multiple verses from Jay and Mike, intertwined, and it feels *more* like a mash-up and _less_ like a rhythmic experiment than the others.
  
  "Izzo/In The End" is hard to describe. That's probably a good thing, since we are re-interpreting the music of 2 different artistes. I really would have liked to see something more done with this, but the timing of Mike's lyrics over this track works fine.
  
  "Big Pimpin'/Papercut" works although, again, it seems like it shouldn't. If you like to bounce, it's the "Big Pimpin'" rhythm track so you'll be fine; if not, you should probably move on. That track was always an acquired taste.
  
  All in all, my biggest disappointment was that the tracks weren't extended out longer. That's a by-product of this being a first draft of this type of effort in an organized, legitimate fashion. There aren't any glaring production flaws. As far as those who criticize the entire effort, they probably don't understand the music. Musical experimentation is the reason LP exists. I liked them before this effort for 2 reasons: [1] they used a sound that obivously had hip-hop intonations and beats while maintaing a strong rock sound and [2] their lyrics are infectious and emotionally penetrating. Notice #1. They have mastered the art of melding rap and rock better than any of their predecessors. It only makes sense that this type of collaboration would come out.
  
  NOTE: "The Grey Album", DJ Danger Mouse's mixing of the Beatles' "White Album" and Jay-Z's "The Black Album", was not sanctioned. He may still face a lawsuit for doing it (to the person who said "this has been done before already this year"). See http://www.illegal-art.org/audio/grey.html
  
  Finally, to the guy who said that it sounds like this collaboration was put together in order to sell CDs - duh! The music industry is a business. Would they have done this - going through all the licensing and obtaining the necessary rights to create this album - if they didn't think they would get paid (they being the artists and even more so, the label)? NO. Especially not the labels. Of course they want to sell CDs. Of course, I think that, as artists, Jay and Linkin Park are probably more inclined to this type of collaboration for the sake of doing it than necesarily the monetary rewards (although they are businessmen too). I believe this because of some of the things we see on the DVD, about how this idea was originally presented to Jay and his response, as well as LP's previous efforts - primarily "Re-Animation".
  
  So all in all, the CD is too short, but better too short and hot than too long and crappy. Only so many tracks are going to blend well and lend themselves to multiple flows. Of course, a good rapper (i.e. Jay-Z and Mike) can flow over almost any beat, within reason. (Anyone who's ever been in a real cipher knows what I mean.) And the DVD has good background material. The DVD and online videos were great watching, to me, as a fan of LP. If you just want the tracks, I'm sure you can find them for download on the P2P networks. If you want the tracks, and the background, the artwork - the stuff fans crave - you want to buy this!
  
  
• Different...but predictable for Linkin Park..
  By A2VTS27TW13INR on 2004-12-06
  I am an Extreme Hardcore Fan of Linkin Park, I have been one of their fans since 1998, back when they were underground as "Hybrid Theory". I have every one of their CD's and I am proud of it, i love every CD...I rate Hybrid Theory 5/5, I rate Hybrid Theory EP 4/5, I rate Reanimation 4/5, I rate Metera 5/5, I rate Live In Texas 3-4/5, and I rate Collision Course 4/5...why not 5/5? because #1 it only has 6 tracks, I don't really care for rap that much unless if it's Mike Shinoda or Limp Bizkit, but Jay-Z was ok, he kept his beat...if you want me to rate sides on how Jay did and how LP did, then I will...Linkin Park on this album has done really well like they always have, but they seem to like to remix things alot, and don't get me wrong, i like remixes....some of the time, I liked Reanimation, lots of talent there...but I don't think that they should do remixes of every song that they create, and I have so many different versions of all of the songs that were on their Hybrid Theory CD that it's not funny, and it's getting old, i would like to hear new stuff rather then recycled stuff over and over again. All of their songs are great, but they remix too much. I rate LP 4/5 for their talent and overall score, now Jay-Z, I have had a Jay-Z CD in the past, I used to be hardcore Rap, then it got old fast, and it all started sounding the same...that's why i turned to Alternative rock...there's something always new in alternative rock. Jay-Z did ok on this CD, I am not jumping with excitement like I should be when I buy a new Linkin Park/Jay-Z CD...I'm not even going to touch on Jay-Z that much because I don't know his history, I personally don't care for his rap, and he can keep it...but overall he did ok...i rate Jay-Z 3/5. Sorry if i made anyone mad or angry by this review, I am a little bit dissapointed in both artists, but I will still listen to this CD because I am STILL a true Hardcore Linkin Park Fan!
  
  
• A Collaboration Between Cultures that Sounds Phenomenal
  By A1EAORZE450W5Y on 2004-12-13
  If you hate rock music, don't buy this album. If you hate rap music, don't buy this album. If you are open-minded about music and listen to different music genres, you'll love this album. Every song is a great. I just can't get enough of this CD. I have been a so-so Jay-Z fan over the years, and I had heard a few Linkin Park songs that I liked. This album has made me big fan of both. This is the type of music the U.S. Marines probably played in their M1 Abrahams on their way into Baghdad. It gets the adrenaline pumping. The CD only has 6 songs, but the DVD was fantastic and made up for 6 tracks. These artists have talent and it shows. That's why they are at or near the top of the charts consistently. Forget about the naysayers here, because they either hate mainstream music or are blindly in love with their own genre (rap or rock). This fusion of cultures was intriguing, if only a tease. I'd venture to say that with the recent announcement that this album is #1 on Billboard, you'll see a full album collaboration between LP and Jay-Z, with all new material in the future. I can't wait.
  
  
• Music for retards
  By A87EGZ7N6N8LG on 2005-01-15
  OK, Jay-Z, this was a very bad move. You are a very talented rapper (see Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint, Black Album), while Linkin Park is an angry band for middle school kids who are expressing their feelings for the first time. Obviously, you saw it as a money-making scheme, but have some integrity. Someone came over to my house and put this song in the cd player and my ears wanted to vomit. They didn't even attempt to match the moods or lyrical content of the songs. This music is completely ridiculous and anyone with half a brain would realize the idiocy of it. The production on this album isn't even solid, it just sounds awkward. It sounds like they said "hey put this beat in here, ok i'm tired of that, through in this rockin guitar riff. yeah bro dude this rocks!"
  
  Avoid this musical diarrhea.
  
  
• Good CD
  By A2LF4WTW12R1V on 2005-02-14
  Reading some of the other comments here, you would think this CD is terrible. The fact is that most of these users who say its bad actually hit the nail on the head, but don't even realize what they've said. IT'S A MASH-UP. It says so ON THE LABEL. This was not meant to be a stand alone Linkin Park or Jay-Z album. Neither is it meant to be part of either artists' lineup. It is an addendum, people. That being said, you can't match it up against Linkin Park's or Jay-Z's past works other than as a reference. Though it does have the original recordings of both, they have been twisted and reshaped to make new songs.
  Now, rating this CD/DVD by the CORRECT method I would have to give it 4 stars. I personally loved the collaboration, and felt that both artists' put some quality work into this album. My only complaint is the meager 6 songs. The DVD is a nice addition, and is great to watch. But the CD is almost like a teaser. Great bass, awesome (yet familiar) guitar riffs and perfect synchronization put this CD in its own class. I think this CD is a great one, but I would highly recommend sampling a track or two before purchasing to see what you are getting into.
  
  
• Just to clear things up...
  By A2SKA3C34M02VV on 2004-12-04
  A common misconception for many people is why Jay-Z and Linkin Park agreed to doing such a CD; one that clearly was a call for money. But there's more here than just that.
  
  The idea of a collaboration between Jay-Z and Linkin Park to create mash-ups was concieved by MTV; after all, they did appear on the show MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups (not to mention the fact that the cover of the CD says explicitly, 'MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents...'). Why did they agree to this? Because they thought it'd be fun. The CD, the live performance all exist because Jay-Z thought it'd be cool to work with Linkin Park, and vice versa.
  
  If you are here to hear new material by either Jay-Z or LP, you might as well turn away now. There are some people that gave this album bad ratings due to lyrical mismatches and so on and so forth, but the reader must keep in mind that this is a MASH-UP. A mash-up is where two artists' songs are literally mashed together to create something new.
  
  There's nothing new here, just remixes of some popular Jay-Z and Linkin Park songs. If it were anything else, it wouldn't be a mash-up, would it?
  
  With this in mind, the Collison Course album is absolutely amazing. Consider that it took DJ Danger Mouse (of the Beatles and Jay-Z's Grey Album fame) over a month to create 12 mashed up songs of the Beatles and Jay-Z. Now consider that it took the members of Linkin Park and Jay-Z 4 days to create 6 mash-ups, with rerecorded vocals and instrumentation and live performance practice included. This album took a lot of effort, and it shows. Songs like Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From You and Jigga What/Faint may sound effortlessly seamed together, but only with hard work and dedication could such an effect be achieved.
  
  So, "What the hell are you waiting for?" Buy this album to experience another breakthrough in mash-up history. Or just to hear your favorite Jay-Z or LP song mixed with the other's.
  
  EDIT: I've been seeing a lot of bad reviews of this, trying to peg the album as a 'sell-out.' This is completely ridiculous as 1) Linkin Park AND Jay-Z are getting no money from the album (with MTV, Warner, etc. getting most of the cash) and 2) sell-outs do the same thing over and over and over again... Yet here we see a band and a retired rapper doing something they haven't done before, and crossing into new lands. Linkin Park has elements of metal, rock, hip-hop, electronica, and even more, truely a hybrid. Jay-Z has respect for rock, and shows it with this album. How can you call these two sell-outs when they clearly are not? This is just another effort to improve musicianship and close the gap on these so-called 'genres,' of which so many exist that every band pretty much has a genre for itself.
  
  
• Clash of the Titans...
  By AMM73HO70PRZG on 2005-01-01
  except that there's harmony. Any fan of Linkin Park and/or Jay-Z should pick up this album. My only complaint is that there should've been more, but it's still worth it.
  
  
• ??????What happened to linkin park?>?>??????
  By A2IMKMCN0PJ99T on 2005-01-06
  Linkin Park could be an amzing band but sadly they became sellouts and oriented to the preps, posers, and even rappers! With each album they keep getting worse and changing.
  
  Hybrid theory- Amazing, original, and great talent.
  Reanimation- Remixes- horrible, very lazy and unoriginal.
  Meteora- Not bad. Better than reanimation but still did not live up to the first album.
  Collision Course- I lost all respect for them after this one. Now I hate rap (no offense) and i hate jay z. So this was the worst album yet and I beleive Linkin Park will become the next beastie boys(thats not a good thing)
  
  
• stop over-analyzing it.
  By A1GKSZJXD7RLND on 2005-01-19
  it seems to me people either hate it because they like one artist and not the other, or they're over-analyzing the fact that the lyrical content wasn't a cohesive match.
  
  stop over-analyzing it. this is a FUN album. if you just listen to it, regardless of whether it makes lyrical sense, you'd find that it's quite fun and enjoyable, and it sounds damn good! this really is quite possibly one of the best cross-genre pairings ever!
  
  i listened to the album in a friend's car and liked what i heard. i'm a big LP fan, and i've liked some Jay-Z songs before, so i bought myself a copy and found that i could listen to it repeatedly without getting tired of it. it's got excellent replay value. the DVD was a HUGE bonus. these guys had fun on this project, and i had fun watching them doing it! it's always fun seeing the artists being themselves and not what fans think they "ought" to be.
  
  i'm giving this 4/5, if they had achieved lyrical cohesiveness, i'd give it 5/5.
  
  
• Kill me
  By A3HZTTUED559KI on 2005-03-04
  Hybrid Theory and Meteora are two of my favorite albums, but listening to this, I just wanted to fill my ears with concrete. What the *&%*$# were Linkin Park thinking?
  
  
• Not really my thing
  By A1LZCMTA54SNI3 on 2004-12-21
  I heard some (most) of the material on this CD, and i'm afraid it left me cold. a lot of it sounded like poorly mixed fan work. The concept itself didn't entirely appeal to me, either. The LP disc "Reanimation" had much the same effect on me, so if one enjoyed that, they will likely appreciate this work, as well.
  
  A lot of the music was Jay-Z rapping over LP's tracks, not really my scene altogether. But, again, others may enjoy this more. I personally would opt for "Meteora" or "Hybrid Theory" over this particular one.
  
  I think the thing that irritated me most was that when mixing the songs, there was little connection between the LP lyrics, and the Jay-Z lyrics. Connecting any work written by the former with the song "Big Pimpin'" seems extremely out there on a thematic level.
  
  I did like the "99 problems/One step closer" connection, however. That is why i have given this album 2 out of 5. I'm sure it is well worth the purchase for others, however, it is not my thing.
  
  
• Now THIS is definitely the "Best of Both Worlds"...
  By A1A2SWJHNJ10FP on 2004-12-23
  For anyone that has been living deep in the recesses of musical knowledge over the last year, the term "mash-up" is where a DJ takes the lyrics of one artist's songs and combines them somewhat flawlessly with the beat of another artist's song from another different genre of music.
  For example, take the lyrics to Destiny's Child's hit "Bootylicious" and lay them on top of the beat of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and what do you get? "Smells Like Booty". You might be laughing at this title but believe it or not it actually exists, as anyone who uses Kazaa or any other music downloading site can tell you.
  
  One artist who has found himself being mashed-up frequently at times is Jay-Z, who was the focal point of two mash-up albums that brought this underground trend to the mainstream forefront, DJ Danger Mouse's The Gray Album (using Jay's Black Album and the Beatles' classic White Album) and The Double Black Album (again, The Black Album but this time paired with Metallica's own "Black Album" from 1991)
  
  So when MTV decided that a legal mash-up project would be a good idea for a special album project, they enlisted Linkin Park to try and pull it off. So who better to team them up with than the man who has been mashed-up more than potatoes at a Thanksgiving dinner, Jay-Z?
  
  Collision Course is the end result of what had originally been planned as a one-shot song deal that suddenly turned into a 6-song EP album that showcases what happens when the self-proclaimed "best rapper alive" is partnered with one of the hottest alternative rock groups out today.
  
  Most of the tracks are definitely hot in showing that Hova can definitely match his smooth flow and unique wordplay to the beats that LP lay down, especially on the closing track, Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer. What really makes the track a standout is how LP's Mike Shinoda takes over the part of the police officer that Jay recorded for 99 Problems and how Jay hardly needs to shift style or speed as the beat changes.
  
  The thing that really makes this a great package is that it includes a DVD that shows how the project came to be in the studio, how the artists prepared and rehearsed to get ready for a special concert to preview the new material before the album release, and the concert itself.
  
  Hopefully MTV will do another mash-up project sometime in the near future. As for this, unlike the 2 disasterous "Best of Both Worlds" projects that Jay-Z performed with R. Kelly, this definitely fits the "best of both worlds" definition to a T...
  
  
• This is horrible
  By A21G7BGDWL1NKQ on 2005-01-03
  This compalation is horrible. Linkin Park was better by themselves!!! I'm sorry but "Patercut" does not belong "Big Pimpin'". I would rather take several kicks to the groin than listen to one song on this album. Jay-Z i would like to thank you for runining a wonderful band. You are in my eyes one of the worst artists of our time!
  
  Sincerly,
  Chris Gunn
  
  
• sucks! not worth the 29 cents i paid at allofmp3
  By A185DR21STGFNA on 2005-01-05
  except for the one song that you hear each time you turn on the radio, the others simply suck. baaaaaaaad
  
  
• This is beyond bad for Linkin Park...
  By AKCOMDZCRXZR0 on 2005-01-12
  Linkin Park used to be my favorite band out there, when Hybrid Theory came out. Even with Meteora, they kept their beat as an incredible band, but they seemed to take a step for the worst. I, among many others, believe Linkin Park needs another "Hybrid Theory", because, this cd is just plain awful. I know many will disregard my review because I dislike hip-hop, but i must tell you, Linkin Park had Hip-Hop before, and I liked it, so I thought this wouldn't be different. This is not only a bad cd, it's just stupid. Why combine Jay-Z and make more rap to your already rap-metal genre? And why do they continue to take the same songs, and make remixes (hence, Reanimation(sucked)). I'm not saying you won't enjoy this, but... listen to it! You're better off getting a cd that's worth listening to, with less senseless rap and stupid lyrics.
  
  
• This album should be burned and buried...
  By A2RS0KNQV6YYAQ on 2005-01-13
  Linkin Park have fallen.Lets face it fans they have betrayed us and everything they stood for when they made Hybrid theory.The first thing I would like to say is what happened you guys? What went wrong?
  
  No for those who blame the mtv mashup folks, I'm no fan of theirs but LP did agree to do this.Its not as if someone held them at gunpoint and forced them to make this album.
  
  Let me make this clear.I was a fan of Jay-Z.He wasn't amazing but some songs of his were uite catchy.I have one of his albums.But Linkin Park.I loved Linkin park.Theyw ere the group that proved that you didn't have to curse to make yourselves and your songs -cool.You didn't have to do what everybody else was doing.You could be original, different and get respect for it.
  
  Now its 'all about the money' or so it seems.Live in texas? The three high voltage remixes? Collision course? Reanimation? What is up with the remixing.Enough people! If a song is good, why is there this -almost pathetic- need that they can't control themselves from remixing there somngs.Again and again and again...
  
  Jeez.Reanimation was the only good one.But the others? The frat party and pancake festival? They are ripping off there fans money again and again and taking advantage of the fact that we want all there songs.My sister bought hybrid theory again, ebcause it was a *snicker* special addition with two! (Get this two! Bonus songs./I mean wow, you guys how nice of you to give us the privelege of buying you album.
  
  (Can you tell I'm getting saracstic)
  
  I hate this album so much that I am writing reviews against it everywhere I can because I don't want YOU to waste your money.
  
  All the songs with the exceptions of numb suck.(Which is why they released the only good song on the album).There is so much cursing and demeaning women by calling them [...](something the hip hop industry should be sued for) as Mike says in a song.
  
  This is horrific.I could go on and on but i wont.I'll end this with a "please dont buy this album, you're ears deserve better'
  
  
• has anyone mentioned that linkin park... sucks?
  By A2ZNSR0BVR1972 on 2006-04-24
  Though a fan, I'm quite critical of Jay-Z. He has some tight songs, for sure... but Linkin Park is music for idiots. Why take a pretty good track like "Big Pimpin" and ruin it with LP? What do you expect when you take a song thats already half-crappy like "Izzo" and put the worst representation of modern rock behind it? Sure, an improvement for Linkin Park, but does Jay-Z really want his name attached to this piece of dung? Too late for second guesses, I suppose.
  
  
• Great stuff overall
  By ABGK1BJ4IE2WJ on 2004-12-09
  First of all the idea of Collision Course is extremely exciting. That said, Linkin Park and Jay Z, for the most part, have done a great job with this one. Their mashups, especially Numb/Encore, are very well done. My main complaint is that six songs on the CD is a bit slight. A couple more would have really completed this awesome CD/DVD combo. What is included is awesome. The inclusion of the DVD makes this a worthwhile purchase and makes up for the lack of songs. A very interesting concept that has been well executed. If you are a Linkin Park or Jay Z fan, I recommend checking out this one.

  Numb/Encore (5) Quality stuff. My favorite.
  Jigga/What (4.5) Very interesting, infectious mix.
  Big Pimpin/Papercut (4) A good, solid mix.
  Dirt off Your Shoulder/Lying From You (4.5) Flows nicely and is a great mix.
  Points Of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer (4.5) Nice transition mid-way through, another good mash.
  Izzo/In The End (4.5) Very good, although In The End could have been better in this mix I think.
  
  

• Half the songs were good, the other half...not as good.
  By A3EMMHOKBOYDKL on 2004-12-04
  Collision Course: Jay-Z/Linkin Park
  A review by Justin D. Hurkman
  
  Introduction: I am a HUGE Linkin Park fan, hell I even have my own parody tribute band. It would be awesome if I had the lyrical talent to parody the Jay-Z parts, but I just don't feel up to it, no matter how absurd this collaberation is. Really, it's great, I saw the concert on MTV, and the DVD is probably worth the price of the CD, and it probably has a few more rock parts (I hope), but here's the reviews of the different songs as I listened to the album.
  
  The CD:
  
  01-Dirt Off Your Shoulders/Lying From You: A noticably good song on the album, perfect blend of the two songs, makes me want to bob my head up and down to the beat, actually, I did that-gave into the feeling. Great way to kick off the album. Note: I LOVE the frapichino (is that how's it's spelled?) line at the begining of this track!
  
  02-Big Pimpin'/Papercut: At this point, the album seems to go a little downhill, this song should've had more LP stuff in it, it's just Papercut lyrics to the Big Pimpin' music, and of course the lyrics from the original song. And personally, I think the beat is kinda crap and the flutes are super-annoying. So are the "shaa-shaa-shaa-shaa" or whatever it is in the background. It was highly dissapointing after such a great song like DOYS/LFY. Hopefully, it just has to grow on me...I mean, it's kinda catchy now that I'm listening to it a second time.
  
  03-Jigga What/Faint: Better than Track #2, but nowhere near as good as Dirt off Your Shoulders, it has LP parts and Jay-Z parts, but they seem to be pretty much just from the regular songs and mixed up. I prefer the songs like DOYS/LFY and the next one, the single-
  
  04-Numb/Encore: I heard this one first, and it's by far the best track on the entire 6-track album. The way the Numb parts are actual remixed and very well to boot. I just wish every track was like this one. I also like the words, like many of my LPU peeps-"What the hell are you waiting for?".
  
  05-Izzo/In the End: The Jay-Z parts are great, but when they start doing "In the End" to the same beat, it just feels...I don't know...WRONG! Where's the rock? Another very dissapointing track for me.
  
  06-Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer: It's official, half this album is great! The other half is pure rap crap. Considering that Linkin Park is supposed to be all about Rock and Rap, there's a dissapointing lack there-of. But in this song, I love it when Mike Shinoda is the cop, so do the LPU peeps.
  
  The DVD:
  
  I figured I'd go ahead and watch the DVD too to offer a complete review of what you get for the price.
  
  Studio (behind-the-scenes) Stuff: Wow, this is worth the price of the DVD, watching LP members recording is just priceless for any hardcore Linkin Park fan such as myself. I also just like watching the process in which things are made, and that's just me.
  
  Live Performances: I thought they were going to do "It's Goin' Down", maybe they either changed their minds, or I was misinformed, because it was at the begining of the MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups show in little parts, or maybe it's somewhere else on the DVD, I'll just have to see. I also think I'm having audio problems...weird...damn computer...anyway, it's basically the same thing as far as the music, only live, which does give it some added points for visual. But basically, it's not much different, I wish they could've improvised some rock riffs for the live performance, but no dice.
  
  Special Features: The same show, as it aired on MTV, as I thought...it's not a "pure live" performance, and not complete because it goes to clips of Jay-Z landing in a plane, and ends short. They should've freakin' included the full performance, but noooo...it's all about LP and JZ, they can't include a complete song without Jay-Z. That sucks so much...
  
  
  Conclusion: As I said, half of this album was a dissapointment music-wise, but with the behind-the-scenes stuff on the DVD along with all it's LP group-interaction in the studio, that bosts my satisfaction up to about 70%. So I'd say maybe 7/10 is my final verdict on the album.
  
  It's not that I HATE rap, I like some of it, but it just doesn't sound right sometimes with LP songs, and now that I've actually listened to it I can't be called a pesimist. And I also mention that I really liked Reanimation, but Reanimation this is not. Numb/Encore comes the closest, DOYS/LFY comes in second, tracks 03 and 06 at least have LP music in them, but it isn't seriously remixed in any way. Of course, I do realize this is NOT supposed to be a remix album, but still...with Numb/Encore as the single, I expected something so much more like that.
  
  So yeah, 7/10.
  
  For the purposes of Amazon.com, I give it a 4 out of 5, since this album is in my opinion, just because it's LP, above average. But only JUST.
  
  

• Meteora
• Hybrid Theory
• Reanimation
• Minutes to Midnight
• The Rising Tied