Hybrid Theory (stylized as [HYBRID THEORY]) is the first debut studio album by American rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000 by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Don Gilmore, it was recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, in 1996-2000. Its lyrical themes deal with problems the band's lead singer Chester Bennington experienced during adolescence, including drug abuse and the conflict and divorce of his parents. The album takes its title from the previous name of the band, as well as the concept of music theory and combining different styles of genres.
Hybrid Theory peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, and received generally positive reviews from critics. The album was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, and became responsible for launching Linkin Park into mainstream popularity. Hybrid Theory has sold 27 million copies worldwide, and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2017 for sales surpassing 11 million units.
Four singles were released from the album: "One Step Closer", "Crawling", "Papercut", and "In the End".
In 2002, an entire remix album was released for Hybrid Theory entitled Reanimation. It featured reinterpretations of every song on Hybrid Theory as well as the special edition bonus tracks "High Voltage" and "My December".
Summary[]
Main article: History of Hybrid Theory
Track Listing[]
All tracks are written by Linkin Park, except where noted.
| Standard Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Papercut" | 3:04 | |
| 2. | "One Step Closer" | 2:35 | |
| 3. | "With You" | Linkin Park, Michael Simpson, John King | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Points of Authority" | 3:20 | |
| 5. | "Crawling" | 3:29 | |
| 6. | "Runaway" | Linkin Park, Mark Wakefield [1] | 3:03 |
| 7. | "By Myself" | 3:09 | |
| 8. | "In the End" | 3:36 | |
| 9. | "A Place for My Head" | Linkin Park, Wakefield, Dave Farrell [2] | 3:04 |
| 10. | "Forgotten" | Linkin Park, Wakefield, Farrell | 3:14 |
| 11. | "Cure for the Itch" | 2:37 | |
| 12. | "Pushing Me Away" | 3:11 | |
| Total length: | 37:45 | ||
| Bonus Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 13. | "My December" | Mike Shinoda | 4:20 |
| 14. | "High Voltage" | 3:45 | |
| 15. | "Papercut (live at BBC1)" | 3:09 | |
| Total length: | 48:59 | ||
Credits[]
- Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington – lead vocals
- Mike Shinoda – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard, piano
- Brad Delson – lead guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Hahn – turntables, samples, programming, backing vocals
- Rob Bourdon – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Dave "Phoenix" Farrell – bass, co-writing (on A Place for My Head)
- Ian Hornbeck – additional bass (on tracks 1, 9 and 10)
- Scott Koziol – additional bass (on One Step Closer)
- Mark Wakefield - former vocalist (credit given on tracks 6, 9 and 10)
- The Dust Brothers – sequencing, samples (on track 3)
- Artwork
- Frank Maddocks – graphic design
- James Minchin III – photography
- Mike Shinoda – soldier drawing, line art sketches, drawings
- Joe Hahn – line art sketches, drawings
- Production
- Don Gilmore – producer, engineering
- Steve Sisco – Engineering
- John Ewing Jr. – Additional engineering, Pro Tools
- Matt Griffin – Engineering assistance
- Andy Wallace – mixing
- Brian Gardner – Audio mastering, digital editing
- Management
- Jeff Blue – A&R, executive producer
- Natalie Preston & Arriana Murray – A&R Coordination
- Michael Arfin – Booking agent for Artist Group
- Michael Oppenhein & Jonathan Schwart – Business managers for Gudvi, Chapnik & Oppenhein
- Danny Hayes – Legal for Selverne, Mandelbaum and Mintz
- Petter Standish – Marketing director
- Rob Mcdermott – World representation for The Firm
Trivia[]
- It was the first album by Linkin Park to reach Diamond status.
- Many songs from the album were from past mixtapes of Xero, albeit with Bennington singing instead of Wakefield.
References[]
- ↑ Mark Wakefield served as vocalist from the band Hybrid Theory prior to Chester Bennington replacing him. While being on the band, Wakefield wrote multiple songs, being Runaway included in the main release of the album.
- ↑ Dave Farrell, better known as Phoenix, left Linkin Park prior to the release of their debut album, being replaced by Brad Delson as bassist. However, he had worked with the band on multiple songs, just as Mark Wakefield; Two of them being officialy released: "A Place for My Head" and "Forgotten"; Farrell returned to being band's bassist in late 2001.
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