LINKIN PARk- Hybrid Theory

Hybrid Theory

Hybrid Theory is the debut album by the American nu metal band Linkin Park. Released on October 24, 2000 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a commercial success, peaking at #2 in the U.S. Billboard 200 and reaching high positions in charts worldwide, despite receiving mixed reviews from publications. Recorded at NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, California, and produced by Don Gilmore, the album's lyrical themes deal with problems lead vocalist Chester Bennington experienced during his adolescence, including drug abuse and the constant fighting and divorce of his parents.



Four singles were released from the album: "Papercut", "In The End", 'One Step Closer", and the Grammy Award-winning "Crawling", the latter three of which were responsible for launching Linkin Park into mainstream popularity. Since its release, Hybrid Theory has been certified diamond by the RIAA, and to date has sold 24 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling debut album of the 21st century. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rock Album.

Background

Linkin Park was formed in 1999 when lead vocalist Chester Bennington joined the five members of the rock group Xero: guitarist Brad Delson, MC Mike Shinoda, drummer Rob Bourdon, turntablist Joe Hahn, and bassist Dave Farrell. Bennington's Phoenix band, Grey Daze, had recently disbanded, so his lawyer recommended him to Jeff Blue, vice president of A&R coordination for Zomba, who at the time was seeking a lead vocalist for Xero. Blue sent Bennington two tapes of Xero's unreleased recordings — one with vocals by former Xero member Mark Wakefield, and the other with only the instrumental tracks — asking for his "interpretation of the songs."[3] Bennington wrote and recorded new vocals over the instrumentals and sent the tapes back to Blue.[4] As Delson recalls, "[Bennington] really was kind of the final piece of the puzzle [...] We didn't see anything close to his talent in anybody else."[5] After Bennington joined, the group first renamed itself to Hybrid Theory and released a self-titled EP. Legal complications with Welsh electronic music producers Hybrid prompted a second name change, this time to Linkin Park.[3][6] Throughout 1999, Linkin Park was a regular act at the Los Angeles club, The Whisky.[7]


Music

Recording and production

The music that would ultimately become the Hybrid Theory album was first produced by Linkin Park in 1999 as a nine-track demo tape. The band sent this tape to various recording companies and played forty-two different showcases for recording industry representatives.[4][8] However, they were initially turned down by most of the major labels and several independent record labels.[3] The band was signed by Warner Bros. Records in 2000, due in large part to the constant recommendations of Jeff Blue, who had joined the label after resigning from Zomba.


Despite initial difficulties in finding a producer willing to take charge of the debut album of a newly signed band, Don Gilmore ultimately agreed to head up the project,[4] with Andy Wallace hired as the mixer. Recording sessions, which mostly involved re-recording the songs off the demo tape, began at NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, California in late 1999 and lasted four weeks.[4] The rap sections in most of the songs were significantly altered from the original, while most choruses remained largely unchanged.[9] Due to the absence of Dave Farrell, the band hired Scott Koziol and Ian Hornbeck as stand-in bassists; Delson also played bass throughout most of the album. The Dust Brothers provided additional beats for the track “With You”.

Bennington and Shinoda wrote the lyrics to Hybrid Theory based in part on early demos by Mark Wakefield.[3] Shinoda characterized the lyrics as interpretations of universal feelings, emotions, and experiences, and as “everyday emotions you talk about and think about.”[10][11] Bennington later described the songwriting experience to Rolling Stone magazine in early 2002:

“ It's easy to fall into that thing — 'poor, poor me,' that's where songs like 'Crawling' come from: I can't take myself. But that song is about taking responsibility for your actions. I don't say 'you' at any point. It's about how I'm the reason that I feel this way. There's something inside me that pulls me down. ”

—Chester Bennington, For Rolling Stone Magazine, 2002

A 30-second sample of "Crawling", the second single from Hybrid Theory. The song lyrically focused on Chester Bennington's experiences with child abuse in his adolescence.
“In the End”

“In the End”, the final single from Hybrid Theory. The song began with a memorable piano riff which was joined with Mike Shinoda's rapping which dominated the verses of the song.

The music of Hybrid Theory draws from diverse inspirations. Bennington's singing style is influenced by acts such as Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots,[3] while the riffs and playing techniques of guitarist Brad Delson are modeled after the Deftones, Guns N' Roses,[4] U2, and The Smiths.[3] The lyrical content of the songs primarily touches upon the problems that Bennington encountered during his childhood, including child abuse, constant and excessive drug and alcohol abuse,[3] the divorce of his parents, isolation,[12] disappointments, and the aftermath feelings of failed relationships.[13]

The album eventually produced four singles. "One Step Closer", the album's second track and first single, was gradually recorded in increments after Linkin Park struggled with "Runaway",[14] and features a guitar riff and electronic percussion in the introduction transitioning into a bridge with distortion-heavy guitars and aggressive drums.[15] It is also infamous for the "Shut up when I'm talking to you" refrain screamed by Bennington one minute and 48 seconds into the song.[15][16] The music video for "One Step Closer" was shot in a Los Angeles subway[17] and became an instant hit, eventually receiving heavy rotation on MTV and other music television networks.[4] Stand-in bassist Scott Koziol is shown performing with the band in two shots of the video.[17]

The second single was "Crawling". Lyrically, the song focuses on Bennington's personal experiences with child abuse — the physical violence, the difficulty in breaking the cycle of abuse, and the subsequent loss of self-esteem.[18] This concept is echoed in the music video, in which a girl (Katelyn Rosaasen) is abused by her father and can be seen in the beginning of the video with several visible bruises.[19]

"Papercut" was the album's third single, and its lyrics describe paranoia. The music video for "Papercut" features the band performing in a hallway opposite a completely dark room on the walls of which are scribbled the song's lyrics. Various supernatural themes are present in the video, and special effects are used to create eerie renditions, such as the "stretching" of Shinoda's fingers and the “melting” of Bourdon's face.[20]

The fourth and final single to come from Hybrid Theory was "In the End", which prominently features a signature piano riff performed by Shinoda. His rapping also dominates the verses of the song and is later joined by Bennington's vocals in the chorus. The music video for "In the End" was shot at various stops along the 2001 Ozzfest tour and was directed by Nathan "Karma" Cox and the band's DJ Joe Hahn, who would go on to direct many of Linkin Park's future videos (the two also directed the music video for "Papercut"). [21][22] Although the background for the "In the End" video was filmed in a California desert, the band itself performed on a studio stage in Los Angeles, with prominent CGI effects and compositing being used to create the finished version. Performing on a studio stage allowed Hahn and Cox to set off water pipes above the stage near the end and drench the band.[22] The music video won Best Rock Video in the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[23]

Although it did not become a single, another song from the album is "Points of Authority". Drummer Bourdon describes the recording process of the song: “Brad wrote this riff, then went home. Mike decided to cut it up into different pieces and rearranged them on the computer [...] Brad had to learn his own part from the computer.” Regarding the song, Delson praised Shinoda's skill, describing him as “a genius” and “Trent Reznor-talented”.[3]

Release

Hybrid Theory was released in the United States on October 24, 2000 following the debut of "One Step Closer" on the radio.[24] It entered the U.S. Billboard 200 charts at #16 in late 2000,[25] and was certified gold by the RIAA five weeks after its release.[4] In 2001, Hybrid Theory sold 4.8 million copies in the United States, making it the best-selling album of the year,[26][27] and it was estimated that the album continued selling 100, 000 copies per week in early 2002.[3] Throughout the following years, the album continued to sell at a fast pace and was certified diamond by the RIAA in 2005 for selling 10 million copies in the U.S.[28] It has sold 24 million copies worldwide as of 2007,[29] which makes it the band's best-selling album and the best-selling debut album of the 21st century.[15]

Four singles off the album were released throughout 2001, three of which were chart successes on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts.[30] The single "In the End" was the highest charting single from the album, which peaked at #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks charts and appearing on charts worldwide. The success of "In the End" was partly responsible for Hybrid Theory's chart success; it reached #2 in the Billboard 200 in 2002 behind Eminem's The Eminem Show.[31] The album also charted in 11 other countries at fairly high positions and ranked among the top ten in the charts of the United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand, Austria, Finland, and Switzerland.[32] At the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002, Linkin Park won Best Hard Rock Performance for their song "Crawling". Additional nominations for Best New Artist and Best Rock Album lost out to Alicia Keys and All That You Can't Leave Behind by U2, respectively.[33]

Following the success of Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park received invitations to perform at various rock concerts and tours, including Ozzfest, the Family Values Tour, KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas, and the band's self-created tour, Projekt Revolution, which was headlined by Linkin Park and featured other bands such as Cypress Hill and Adema.[3][5] During this time, Linkin Park re-united with their original bassist, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell.[3] The band kept an online journal on their official website throughout their 2001 and 2002 touring regime, in which each band member made a respective notation. Although the notes are no longer on their website, they are available on fansites.[34] Linkin Park played 324 shows in 2001.[3]


Special edition

A two-disc special edition of Hybrid Theory was released on March 11, 2002 in Japan.[35] The first disc contains the original album, and the second disc features live performances of “Papercut,” “Points of Authority,” and “In the End” recorded at the Docklands Arena for BBC Radio 1. Also featured on the second disc are two previously unreleased tracks: “My December”—a song from the “In the End: Live & Rare” EP—and “High Voltage”, a reprise version of a song originally on the Hybrid Theory EP.


Reception

Initial reception of the album was positive. Stephanie Dickison of PopMatters, commented that the band was a "far more complex and talented group than the hard rock boy bands of late," and claimed that "they will continue to fascinate and challenge music's standard sounds."[16] Sputnikmusic described Hybrid Theory as "a defining mainstream album at the turn of the century, and for good reason" and gave the album three points out of five.[15] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote that “the men don't know what the angry boys understand,” and gave the album a "two-star honorable mention rating," citing "Papercut" and "Points of Authority" as highlights of the album.[36] Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone commented that Hybrid Theory had "as much potency as albums by Limp Bizkit or Korn" and called it an album that "reflects the frustration of life."[37]

A number of reviews, however, also panned the album. Sputnikmusic, though praising the album's initial style, also stated that "Hybrid Theory has its obvious drawbacks." The publication described Delson's guitar riffs as "often bland and unoriginal" and claimed that “the variety [of the album] lacks incredibly”.[15] All Music Guide writer William Ruhlmann said that "Linkin Park sounds like a Johnny-come-lately to an already overdone musical style" and called "One Step Closer" "a typical effort," referring to the lyrics of the song's chorus.[24]


Later recordings

Later in 2002, Linkin Park released an album entitled Reanimation. It included the songs of Hybrid Theory remixed and reinterpreted by fellow nu metal artists and several underground hip hop artists.[38] Contributors to the album included Jonathan Davis, Aaron Lewis, and Black Thought. The sound of later Linkin Park albums would involve experimentation with classical instruments such as strings and piano, both of which, along with the same elements of electronica from Hybrid Theory, are prominently included in the band's second studio album, Meteora.[39] As Shinoda explains the difference in the sound between Hybrid Theory and Meteora: "That electronic element has always been there in the band - it's just that sometimes we bring it closer to the front."[40]


Accolades

Despite mixed and lukewarm reviews, Hybrid Theory found itself in several “must have” lists that were compiled by various music publications, networks, and other media. Some of the more prominent of these lists to feature Hybrid Theory are shown below: [41]Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
The Village Voice United States Pazz & Jop[42] 2001 159
Classic Rock United Kingdom The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All-Time[43] 2005 72
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame United States The Definitive 200[44] 2007 84
Robert Dimery United States 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[45] 2006 *
Record Collector United Kingdom Best of 2001[46] 2001 *
Rock Sound France Les 150 Albums De La Génération (Top 150 Albums of Our Lifetime)[47] 2006 58

* denotes an unordered list


Track listing

All songs written by Linkin Park, unless otherwise stated.


01. "Papercut" – 3:05
02. "One Step Closer" – 2:35
03. "With You" (Dust Brothers, Linkin Park) – 3:23
04. "Points of Authority" – 3:20
05. "Crawling" (Wakefield, Hahn, Shinoda, Bennington, Delson, Bourdon, Farrell) – 3:30
06. "Runaway" (Wakefield, Linkin Park) – 3:04
07. "By Myself" – 3:09
08. "In the End" – 3:36
09. "A Place for My Head" (Wakefield, Farrell, Linkin Park) – 3:04
10. "Forgotten" – 3:14
11. "Cure for the Itch" (Wakefield, Farrell, Linkin Park) – 2:37
12. "Pushing Me Away" – 3:11


Bonus disc

These tracks are included in the bonus disc of the "special edition" of Hybrid Theory.
13. "Papercut" (Live at Docklands Arena, London) – 3:13
14. "Points of Authority" (Live at Docklands Arena, London) – 3:30
15. "A Place for My Head" (Live at Docklands Arena, London) – 3:11
16. "My December" – 4:20
17. "High Voltage" – 3:45


Personnel

All information is taken from the CD.[48][I]


Linkin Park

Chester Bennington – lead vocals
Rob Bourdon – drums, background vocals
Brad Delson – lead guitar, background vocals, bass
Joseph Hahn - DJ, samples, artwork
Mike Shinoda – lead vocals (rapping, MC), rhythm guitar, keyboards, mixing, artwork

Session musicians
Ian Hornbeck – bass (tracks 1, 9 and 10)
Scott Koziol – bass (track 2)
The Dust Brothers – beats on track 3, programming



Production

Don Gilmore – producer, engineer
Jeff Blue – executive producer, A&R co-ordination
John Ewing Jr. – additional engineering
Matt Griffin – assistant engineer
Steve Sisco – engineer
Andy Wallace - mixer
Brian Gardner – mastering, digital editing
Natalie Preston – A&R co-ordination
Ariana Murray – A&R co-ordination
Frank “Flem” Maddocks – art direction, design
James Minchin III – photography



Chart performance


AlbumChart Peak position
Billboard 200 [49] 2
UK Top 40 [50] 4
Swedish Top 60 [51] 4
New Zealand [52] 1
Austria [53] 2
Finland [54] 4
Switzerland [55] 5
France [56] 17
Netherlands [57] 13


SinglesYear Song Peak positions

US Hot 100
[30] US Modern Rock
[30] US Main-stream Rock
[30] UK
Top 40
[50] Sweden
[51] New Zealand
[52] Austria
[53] France
[56] Netherlands
[57]
2001 "One Step Closer" 75 5 4 24 46 – 38 – 57
2001 "Crawling" 79 5 3 16 27 37 8 – 45
2002 "Runaway"† – 40 37 – – – – – –
2002 "Papercut" – 32 – 14 – – 43 – 39
2002 "In the End" 2 1 3 8 3 10 6 40 5

An en-dash (–) denotes countries in which the singles did not chart.
† - “Runaway” was not released as a single, but it did chart in the U.S.


References


Album
^ I Hybrid Theory (album liner notes), Warner Bros. Records, 2000


Footnotes


^ Linkin Park biography. VH1.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
^ Complete Linkin Park discography. The LP Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
^ Linkin Park demos. The LP Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
^ BBC Radio 1, Evening Session Interview with Steve Lamacq, June 13, 2001
^ BBC Session Interview. LP Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
^ Chester Bennington biography. The LP Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
^ Sharpened review. Sharpened.net. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
^ One Step Closer facts. Song Facts. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Crawling facts. Song Facts. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Crawling video info. Forfeit the Game. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Papercut video secrets. Forfeit the Game. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ An interview with bassist Phoenix. Rough Edge. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ a b In the End facts. Song Facts. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ MTV Video Music Awards History. Rock on the Net. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Hybrid Theory tops best-sellers of 2001. MTV.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
^ Gold and Platinum: Diamond Certified Albums. RIAA. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Hybrid Theory total sales. Live Earth. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Linkin Park single chart history. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
^ 2002 charts. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
^ Linkin Park international charts. Rockdetector.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
^ Linkin Park at Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
^ Linkin Park touring journal. Forfeit the Game. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Eliscu, Jenny. "New Faces", Rolling Stone, January 18, 2001, p. 29.
^ Reanimation review. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Hybrid Theory's accolades. Acclaimed Music. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
^ Pazz & Jop Critics Poll of 2001. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
^ Classic Rock - The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All-Time. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
^ The Definitive 200. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
^ A Selection of Lists from Record Collector Magazine. Rocklist.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
^ Les 150 Albums De La Génération. Acclaimed Music. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
^ Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park CD. cduniverse.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
^ Linkin Park album chart history. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
^ UK album chart archives. everyhit.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
^ Swedish album chart archives. hitparad.se. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
^ New Zealand album chart archives. charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
^ Austrian album chart archives. austriancharts.at. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
^ Finnish album chart archives. finnishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
^ Swiss album chart archives. hitparade.ch. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
^ French album chart archives. lescharts.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
^ Dutch album chart archives. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved on 2007-07-16