- Not to be confused with the Linkin Park album. For the early incarnation of the band, see Hybrid Theory (band).
Hybrid Theory is the eponymous debut EP by American rock band Hybrid Theory, released in June 1999 by Mix Media. is only considered a rap rock and alternative hip hop album that also draws influence from the then-surging rapcore and electronic movement with these characteristics of the burgeoning scene of rock, hip hop, hardcore punk, punk rock and electronica.
After its release, the band changed its name to Linkin Park and released its full-length debut album in 2000, also under the name Hybrid Theory.
About The EP[]
At the time, the band's name was Hybrid Theory (they were previously called Xero; the band changed name later in 1999, after Chester Bennington joined them, replacing Mark Wakefield).
Only one thousand copies were pressed, and the EP was sent to various record labels, including Warner Bros. Records. The remaining copies of the EP were sent to the first members of Linkin Park's newly-formed street team.
On November 19, 2001, Linkin Park Underground, Linkin Park's exclusive fan club, was opened. The first fan club package was shipped to members and included a re-mixed and re-mastered edition of Hybrid Theory EP, with edited inlay artwork, including a note from the band. The first 500 copies of the CD were individually signed by all six members of the band.
There is a little known about second album, it is a Demo CD, self titled;Hybrid Theory Demo . It is also known as Hybrid Theory Internal Review. On it there are eight tracks some are working titles for "In The End", "By Myself", "Forgotten", and a couple re-recordings of "Carousel", "Part of Me", and "And One". This album was not released to the public, it was a collection of early recordings of song that made it on Hybrid Theory and some re-recordings of songs on the the original EP. They compiled this before they changed there name to Linkin Park.
The Hybrid Theory EP has fetched several hundred dollars, from auctions on Web sites like eBay. Currently, the only way to obtain the EP is to purchase it from eBay, download it from any of a number of fansites or P2P File Sharing networks, or to participate in contests in the LPU in which the EP is awarded as a contest prize. However, the prizes awarded by the LPU are not copies from the original run; they are the less-valuable re-releases. Care must also be taken when purchasing the CD on eBay, as it is easy confuse a re-release for an original copy, and to pay more than the CD is worth. The differences between the original pressing and the LPU re-release include:
- Original pressing lists the 'Produced by' credit on the back insert to Hybrid Theory (the band's name at the time); the re-release was changed to show Mike Shinoda as producer.
- Artwork differences include a text box on the inner cover on the original containing the following quote - "After eight months, she was sure of one thing: that the baby's future would be determined by the convergence of its divided past."; the re-release does not.
- The inner cover/liner notes for the original list the band members at the time, including bassist Kyle Christener; the re-release contains a letter from Linkin Park to their fans and has quite different artwork from the original.
- The re-release of the Hybrid Theory EP's cover art is noticeably brighter than the EP's original release, and the picture in the inner cover is more blue in the re-release than the original.
Track Listing[]
- "Carousel" – 3:00
- "Technique (Short)" – 0:40
- "Step Up" – 3:55
- "And One" – 4:34
- "High Voltage" – 3:30
- "Part of Me" – 12:44
- The initial track that ends at 4:06, the anonymous Track 7 instrumental, which similar to "Session", begins at 10:00. The majority of the song is a static sound and beeping sound that loops for the duration in between 4:06 and 10:00.
Band Line-Up[]
- Chester Bennington – vocals
- Mike Shinoda – vocals, keyboardist, rhythm guitar
- Brad Delson – lead guitar
- Kyle Christener - bass guitar
- Rob Bourdon – drummer
- Joseph Hahn – turntables, sampling
Personnel[]
- Produced by Mike Shinoda.
- "Carousel" – Written by Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington and Rob Bourdon. Produced and mixed by Mudrock and Mike Shinoda.
- "Technique" (Short) – Written by Mike Shinoda and Joseph Hahn. Produced and mixed by Mike Shinoda.
- "Step Up" – Written by Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn and Brad Delson. Produced and mixed by Mike Shinoda.
- "And One" – Written by Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington and Rob Bourdon. Produced and mixed by Mudrock and Mike Shinoda.
- "High Voltage" – Written by Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn and Brad Delson. Produced and mixed by Mike Shinoda.
- "Part of Me" – Written by Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington and Rob Bourdon. Produced and mixed by Mudrock and Mike Shinoda.
- ''Track 7'' - Written, produced and mixed by Mike Shinoda.
- Mastered by Pat Kraus.
- Art direction by Mike Shinoda.
- Cover art by Mike Shinoda and Joseph Hahn.
- Bass by Kyle Christener and Brad Delson.
Trivia[]
- Dave Farrell, the bass guitar player for Linkin Park had no part in this album.
- The unnamed instrumental at the end of "Part of Me" is called "Ambient" or "Secret" by some fans. It is somewhat similar to Session of the album Meteora except that the track has a very melancholic mood.
- Jeff Duran was the first deejay in the United States to play Linkin Park on a commercial radio station (back when he was the afternoon drive deejay at KIXA 106.5).
- This is the last time Mike used uncensored profanity in his rapping before his Fort Minor releases and Linkin Park's album, Minutes to Midnight.
- The art design and photography was done by Mike Shinoda and Joseph Hahn, who have also done album art for Linkin Park's releases and also those of fellow Machine Shop artists Styles of Beyond.
- Samples from "Step Up" were used in "Kyur4 th Ich" the remix of "Cure For The Itch" that appeared on the 2002 remix album Reanimation.
- There were only 1000 of the original pressing, many sent out to Record Labels and Radio Stations also given out by the earliest of their street teams.