Seeing as I’m on a bit of a roll with Linkin Park at the moment, I figured I’d talk about a rare demo I came across a few weeks ago on LPLive.net.
If you’re really into Linkin Park, you might be aware that the group began with six members; friends Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson, along with recruits Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell, and Mark Wakefield. This progenitor to Linkin Park was called Xero, and through limited means, they put out a short demo tape. I have yet to find this one, so if you know a guy who might know a guy, let me know.
After the loss of two members, Farrell and Wakefield, and the subsequent addition of Chester Bennington, the group changed their name to Hybrid Theory. This is where the fun begins. Before the release of their EP, the group had pieced together an 8 track demo. Roughly half the CD would be included in Linkin Park’s first major release, while the rest would be sent to the scrap heap.
The first track, “Untitled”, would go on to become “In the End”. Lyrically different than the final product, the song’s flow was somewhat of a mess, but the overall recipe for a unique hit was there.
The second track, “SuperXero”, eventually became “By Myself”, but already contained the hard-hitting riffs it was known for. As with the previous track, this one was vastly different when it came down to the lyrics.
Track three, “Points and Authority”, later changed to “Points of Authority”, has a different chorus, which I actually prefer. The lyrics are also slightly changed, with a bit of the structure shuffled around.
The fourth song is “Crawling”. It’s the same song we all know, just with different lyrics for the verses, and a very strange change-up about two-thirds of the way through the song.
The fifth track, “She Couldn’t”, deviates heavily from the standard Linkin Park formula, it’s ambient and strange, and actually contains a fade out.
Track six, “Carousel”, is a fast-paced song which would find its place as the first track on the Hybrid Theory EP.
The seventh track, “Part of Me”, is a loud and aggressive track which wound up at the end of the Hybrid Theory EP.
The last track, “And Me”, is the most interesting song on the demo. Heavy and intense, the song is reminiscent of 90′s industrial rock group Stabbing Westward.
The demo serves as a fun look into the creation of arguably one of the most influential albums of the new century (so far).
