Hybrid Theory
Hybrid Theory is the debut studio album by American rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000, through Warner Bros. Records. 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. Hybrid Theory takes its title from the previous name of the band as well as the concept of music theory and combining different styles. This is also the only album on which bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell does not play.
This article is about the album. For the theory of hybridism, see Hybrid (biology).
Four singles were released from Hybrid Theory: "One Step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling" and "Papercut", all of them being responsible for launching Linkin Park into mainstream popularity. While "In the End" was the most successful of the four, all of the singles in the album remain some of the band's most successful songs to date. Although "Runaway", "Points of Authority", and "My December" from the special edition bonus disc album were not released as singles, they were minor hits on alternative rock radio stations thanks to the success of all of the band's singles and the album; "Runaway" has also made several appearances on radio stations.
Generally receiving positive reviews from critics upon its release, Hybrid Theory became a strong commercial success. Peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200, it is certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top 10 in 15 other countries and has sold 32 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling debut album since Guns N' Roses's Appetite for Destruction (1987). At the 44th Grammy Awards, it won Best Hard Rock Performance for "Crawling".
On August 13, 2020, Warner Records announced a re-release of Hybrid Theory for its 20th anniversary.[6][7] A previously unreleased demo song, "She Couldn't", was released at the same time.[6]
Composition
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,[8] while the riffs and playing techniques of guitarist Brad Delson are modeled after Deftones, Guns N' Roses,[9] U2, and The Smiths.[8] The lyrical content of the songs primarily touches upon the problems that Bennington encountered during his childhood, including constant and excessive drug and alcohol abuse,[8] the divorce of his parents, isolation,[20] disappointments, and the aftermath feelings of failed relationships.[21] Stylistically, the album has been described as nu metal,[22][23][24][25][26][27] rap metal,[22][28][29][30] rap rock,[31][32][33][34] alternative metal,[34][35] alternative rock,[36][37] and hard rock.[38][39]
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", and features a guitar riff and electronic percussion in the introduction transitioning into a bridge with distortion-heavy guitars and aggressive drums.[40] It is also famous for the "Shut up when I'm talkin' to you!" refrain screamed by Bennington one minute and 48 seconds into the song.[40][41] The music video for "One Step Closer" was shot in a Los Angeles subway[42] and became an instant hit, eventually receiving heavy rotation on MTV and other music television networks.[9] Stand-in bassist Scott Koziol is shown performing with the band in the video.[42]
The second single was "Crawling", which Bennington described as "about feeling like I had no control over myself in terms of drugs and alcohol."[43]
"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.[44]
The fourth and final single to come from Hybrid Theory was "In the End", released on October 9, 2001. The song 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").[45][46] 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.[47]
The music video won the Best Rock Video award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[48]
"Points of Authority", the fourth track on the album, has its own music video that can be found on Frat Party at the Pankake Festival, the band's first DVD. Drummer Rob 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".[8] On live performances of the song, when Shinoda raps the line, "Forfeit the game" verse for the third time in the song, Bennington would rap the verse along with Mike.[24]
Artwork
With Hybrid Theory being Linkin Park's first album, Mike Shinoda, who had worked as a graphic designer before becoming a professional musician, has stated that the band had looked through books for inspiration on how to present themselves for the first time. The result was a winged-soldier which Shinoda illustrated himself. According to Chester Bennington, the idea of the soldier with dragonfly wings was to describe the blending of hard and soft musical elements by the use of the jaded looks of the soldier and frail touches of the wings.[49] The art style was largely influenced by stencil graffiti, including early works by Banksy.[50] The cover also features scrambled lyrics of the album's songs within the background, though the lyrics of "One Step Closer" are the most prominent.[51]
Tours
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-FM'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.[8][10] During this time, Linkin Park reunited with their original bassist, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell.[8] 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.[52] Linkin Park played 324 shows in 2001.[8]
Hybrid Theory 20th Anniversary Edition
October 9, 2020
1997–2002
- NRG Recording Studios
- (North Hollywood, California)
- Don Gilmore
- Mike Shinoda
May 31, 2012
2007–2010
29:03