https://goo.gl/spHa86 Former Warner Bros. A&R Exec Jeff Blue Remembers Chester Bennington, Linkin Park's Early Days Jeff Blue is a multiplatinum producer and songwriter, and a veteran A&R executive who has worked at Atlantic, Interscope, Zomba Music Publishing and RCA, among other labels. In the late 1990s into the 2000s, Blue helped shepherd Linkin Park’s early career and negotiated its deal with Warner Bros. Records, bringing the band with him when he became a senior vp A&R at WBR. He is currently developing new duo Riot Child for his production company, Jeff Blue Music. Here, Blue remembers his longtime friend, the late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who died July 20. Jeff Blue同时是多张白金唱片制作人、歌曲创作人还曾在1990-2000年左右当很多家 唱片公司担任A&R部门的主管，他引导了LP最早期的职业生涯，并在进入华纳A&R部门 时带着LP一起进入华纳并签下了唱片合约，Jeff回忆了他认识的Chester It was 1997. A young and inspired Brad Delson was my intern at Zomba Music Publishing. The future Linkin Park founder-guitarist glanced at the Korn plaque and Limp Bizkit poster on my wall and told me he was going to put a band together that would change the world. 时间回到1997年，有一个年轻人Brad Delson，是我在Zomba Music公司时的实习生 他看着我墙上Korn和LB的海报告诉我，他要组一个会改变的世界的乐团 After seeing Brad's band, Xero, perform its first show, I signed it to a publishing development deal. Together, we set out on the four-year development run that would introduce the world to what became Linkin Park and the gentle purity and emotional complexity of an artist named Chester Bennington. 在看过Brad的乐团Xero表演第一场演出後，我把他们签下来了，并且安排了四年发展 事业的合约，这个乐团後来成了众所皆知的Linkin Park But that would come later, and with some tweaks to Xero's setup. After 44 showcases and 43 rejections from labels, it was apparent there needed to be a change. 不过这是後来的事情了，Xero成团後办了44场演出，有43个唱片公司都拒绝了 很显然有些事情需要改变 In 1999, attorney Scott Harrington suggested Chester from a band called Grey Daze in Phoenix as a possible new lead singer to complement Mike Shinoda. We called Chester and asked him if he wanted to make history by being the next big vocalist in a band that no one had heard of... yet. 在1999年一个叫Scott Harrington的律师建议一个在亚历山纳Grey Dze乐团的Chester 来跟Mike Shinoda互补，我们打电话给Chester，问他是不是愿意成为下一个伟大的主唱 虽然这个团都还没有人听过 Seizing the opportunity, Chester left his own birthday party to lay down vocals to the tracks I had overnighted him. By the time I got back to Los Angeles from SXSW, I had a demo tape from Chester. Chester离开了他自己的生日宴会，在我连夜寄给他的音乐中录了自己的歌声，当我回到 洛杉矶时，我就已经拿到他的demo了 What I heard floored me. Every crack of his voice had a story to tell. It was iconic, genuine, vulnerable, urgent, beautiful and hit you in the gut. I immediately called Brad and Mike and told them I was flying Chester out to Los Angeles. 我听到的声音让我惊呆了，他的声音中有这麽多的故事，非常有标志性、真诚、脆弱、 美好直入人心，我马上打电话给Brad和Mike告诉他们我要马上让Chester飞到洛杉矶 Into my office walked a kid with Coke-bottle glasses; a glittery, button-down black shirt two sizes too big; spiked black hair; and an unstoppable smile from ear to ear that lit up the room. I couldn't believe the voice I heard on the demo came out of the shy kid sitting before me. 来到我办公室的是一个带着厚重眼镜、刺刺黑头发、穿着大两号黑色闪亮衬衫的年轻人 同时他的脸上有个超大的笑容照亮了整个房间，我不敢相信我听到的歌声来自眼前的人 It took a couple of months for the band to jell, but the magic was there. Chester embraced his vulnerability and inner conflict, and his image soon reflected his powerful voice that would reach so many. 整个乐团调整适应花了数个月，但魔力就在那，Chester拥抱他脆弱的一面和内心的矛盾 而这展现在他的歌声中，最终影响了无数的人 The band, which was now going by Hybrid Theory, rehearsed out of a room with broken water pipes on Sunset Boulevard. I invited label reps, all of whom had previously passed on the band, to see the new version. Although he was performing in a small, leaky room in front of an audience of only one person, Chester treated it as a stadium filled with 50,000 fervent fans. While screaming his signature lungs out, he would sing within inches of the A&R executive's nose. You could feel his breath on your cheeks. He had the confidence to put his soul out there, telling his story the only way he could: in your face. You either got it or you didn't. 这时团名改叫混合理论，在日落大道一个水管都破的房间彩排，我请了所有当初拒绝 过他们的唱片公司再来听，虽然Chester在一个破旧的房间里还只有一观众，他的表现 像是在有五万个粉丝的表演场地一般，除了他标志性的嘶吼，他还会跑到听着的前面唱 你可以在脸上感到他的气息，他自信地将他的灵魂掏出，用他的方法告诉你他的故事 你可能可以了解，又或许不了解 And still, every label passed. But the rejection only served to fuel the band's determination. For some reason, the labels didn't hear Mike's exceptional writing, Chester's soaring melodies, the band's well-crafted dynamics and the undeniable chemistry between Chester and Mike. But the fans soon would. 但是所有唱片公司还是拒绝了他们，但拒绝只让这个团更加坚定，不知为何唱片公司听 不到Mike所写杰出的歌词，还有Chester爆炸性的旋律，也听不到整个乐团完美的互动 还有Mike和Chester之间的化学反应，但是之後粉丝们都听得到 Several labels pursued me to do A&R after I secured a deal for Macy Gray, whom I developed at Zomba. I insisted that I bring Hybrid Theory under my new contract as my first signing. The one label executive who was truly interested in Hybrid Theory was Warner Bros.' Joe McEwen. Despite being the smallest offer, I knew the label provided the perfect environment for the band to thrive. 有些唱片公司请我去A&R部门，而我坚持我的新合约里要带着混合理论这个团 而华纳唱片的执行长Joe McEwen就是真正对这个乐团感兴趣的唱片公司， 虽然所提供的有限，但我相信这个唱片公司会给他们好的环境去茁壮 However, before we started the album, McEwen moved on from Warner Bros., leaving the fate of the band uncertain. At NRG Studios in Los Angeles, Chester and Mike continued to refine their iconic sound, working together on lyrics and melody to create a combined voice that would touch the hearts of millions. Manager Rob McDermott and I were told the band had to change its name due to a legal conflict; everything from Plear to Platinum Lotus Foundation was considered, and finally, I believe it was Chester who suggested the name "Linkin Park," after Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, Calif. 但在还没录专辑前McEwen就离开了华纳，让这个乐团的未来不确定起来 在NRG录音室，Mike和Chester持续写歌写词，而他们结合的声音未来将触动数百万人 我被告知这个团的团名因为法律上撞名，所以必须更改，有各式各样的名字像是 Plear、Lotus Foundation等等都有被考虑，最後是Chester建议用Sata Monica的林肯公园 的变形Linkin Park作为团名 I remember going into a back room to listen to the latest roughs. I came back with tears in my eyes. Mike and Chester said, "Oh, man, you hate it." I replied, "I'm speechless. You created a timeless piece of work. These are tears of joy. Let's go mix!" Those are the moments you never forget. 我还记得有次去听他们最新做出来的歌曲，听完都流泪了，Chester和Mike说 喔～你讨厌这首，我说我无言了，你们写出来的歌将会流传许久，我是高兴的眼泪 这些是你永远不会忘记的回忆 In 2000, at a radio convention, programmers got an early taste of "One Step Closer" and began demanding to play the track. Warner Bros., in poetic synergy, rushed out the single to rock radio and moved up the release date for the album, now called Hybrid Theory, to October 2000. A few weeks later, Chester and I were vacationing in Mexico. A girl walked past Chester, saw his wrists adorned with fire tattoos, and said to her friend, "That's the guy in the video I told you about!" The "One Step Closer" video had been out only a couple of weeks, and that was all the confirmation I needed to know that Chester, along with the rest of the band, was on his way to stardom. 在2000年的radio covention，大家第一次听到了One step Closer，并且很多人要求 要播放这首歌，华纳唱片马上决定发出单曲，并且把混合理论的专辑发行日提前到 2000年的10月，几个星期後，我和Chester去了墨西哥度假，有一个女孩经过看到了 Chester手腕上的火焰刺青，转头跟朋友说:他就是我之前告诉你的MV上的人 而当时One step Closer的MV才放出没有几个礼拜，那个时候我便知道Chester和其他 团员将成为明星 Only a couple of months after that, I flew to Sacramento, Calif., to present the band with its first gold plaque for sales of 500,000, and at the same time, I was able to say it already had been certified platinum. We all walked onstage to see thousands of kids singing each word to every song. And that was just the beginning. 几个月後，我飞到Sacroamento去颁给他们金唱片认证，因为卖了五十万张，在同时 其实那个唱片应该已经是白金唱片了(一百万张)，我们走上台，看到成千上万的孩子 唱每首歌的每个字，而这只是个开始 Every week, at least one person tells me how Chester and Linkin Park's music touched their lives, serving as a release, a catharsis, a therapy for inner turmoil. Chester was an inspiration to myself and the world. He was an example that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, but that at the same time we are all human and vulnerable. He let us know we are not alone, that we all feel self-doubt, despair, rage and exhilaration. 每一周，至少有一个人告诉我Chester和Linkin Park的音乐是怎麽触动他们的生活， 还有作为内心不安时的治疗与出口，Chester对我和世界而言都是灵感的来源， 他是一个活生生的例子，当你决心要做什麽事情，你能达到任何你想做的事， 但同时你仍然是拥有脆弱一面的人类，他告诉我们我们并不孤单， 我们都会自我质疑、和感到绝望、生气和快乐 I'm so glad Chester had the time on this planet to bless us all with his special gift. His voice will live forever. 我很开心Chester能够对世人展现他的天赋，这是一项礼物，他的声音将永生不死 --

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