Hybrid Theory Demo CD List

Summary

Over the years, there have been a lot of demos that have started circulating amongst the fanbase from the 1999 and 2000 years of the band. Below, we take you to each release and give you information on it to hopefully help you understand it better. For song comparisons, see the comparison guide in the wiki to get exact differences between the songs.

These are listed by RELEASE date to the fans, not the date RECORDED. If you have been a fan for a few years, you'll recognize the order below.

Hybrid Theory - Hybrid Theory EP

Date: 1999

Release Date: 1999

Tracklisting:

01. Carousel

02. Technique (Short Version)

03. Step Up

04. And One

05. High Voltage

06. Part Of Me

Summary: Released in 1999 and re-released to the LP Underground in 2001, the Hybrid Theory EP was the band's first release with Chester. It featured six songs, two of which have been performed live that we know of - Step Up and And One. And One was the first song to be written when Chester joined the band, followed shortly thereafter by Blue and Slip, two songs found on the LP Underground 11 album, which were both in the first batch of tracks written with Chester. A new version of High Voltage was recorded for the One Step Closer single in 2000.

Hybrid Theory - Demos (2 Track)

Date: 1999

Release Date: Unknown (2006?)

Tracklisting:

01. A Place For My Head (Esaul)

02. By Myself

Summary: The two track demo is a unique item. Created after the Hybrid Theory EP, it was used by the band to pass out to friends, family and those in attendance at the Hybrid Theory band shows, likely in 1999 and early 2000. We are unsure of the exact date that these demos started circulating online, but we do know that nkramar ripped them in lossless and shared them in 2006 in a large demo torrent (later unfortunately sold in Japanese bootleg shops due to them grabbing the professional-looking download). These demos were likely released before the nine track that is next on our list. With just two tracks, this is the only time that A Place For My Head has "(Esaul)" in parentheses after it. The demo has more scratching in the bridge and different lyrics in the verses and chorus compared to the version on the nine track demo. By Myself has different lyrics, the song ends on a different lyric, the bridge is off beat, and the vocals sound a bit different than later versions found below. These songs are unique to this release.

Hybrid Theory - Demos (9 Track)

Date: February 11, 2000

Release Date: 2005 by LPFuse

Tracklisting:

01. Untitled

02. Points and Authority

03. Super Zero

04. Crawling

05. Carousel

06. Part Of Me

07. And One

08. Rhinestone

09. Esaul

Summary: This was the first large release of demos into the community. LPFuse's Energy (Simon) did the honors when he obtained the only known copy of a nine track demo of songs. This is where things immediately started to get confusing, as the date was February 2000, after the Hybrid Theory EP, but different versions of Carousel and Part Of Me were on the CD. This means that Linkin Park revisited those two songs for Hybrid Theory (obviously And One too since the live version in 2000 was different than the Hybrid Theory EP version) but they didn't quite make the cut. This was the first Crawling demo with Chester screaming the "Ahh, I hate you so much right now!" part to start the song and with the "raindrops" bridge. We could go on and on about the differences, but the most important thing to gather from this release is that it was the first large set of Linkin Park demos to hit the web.

Linkin Park - Plaster (David Kahne Mix)

Date: June 2, 2000

Release Date: March 11, 2008 (by LPAssociation, LPLive, LPFuse, and LPProjekt)

Tracklisting:

01. Plaster (David Kahne Mix 1 of 4)

Summary: Plaster is listed here just to make the list complete. This version of the song is an earlier version than what is on the six track demo. LPA, LPL, LPFuse and LPProjekt released it together in March 2008. This was the first version of Plaster to hit the Internet, followed by the one on the six track demo over four years later in 2012. Find more information on that demo below and find more on Plaster on our exclusives page for the song in the wiki.

Hybrid Theory - Demos (8 Track)

Date: 1999

Release Date: July 1, 2009

Tracklisting:

01. Untitled

02. SuperXero

03. Points and Authority

04. Crawling

05. She Couldn't

06. Carousel

07. Part Of Me

08. And One

Summary: In 2009, LPLive was able to purchase the eight track demo CD on eBay and release it to the fanbase. Included on this demo CD was the unreleased demo entitled She Couldn't, which was the first time that the mellow track had even been heard of. Due to a sample in the song, it couldn't be released to the LPU after the discovery of the CD, which actually was being discussed at the time. Crawling features a few differences, with the "Ahh, I hate you so much right now!" scream at the beginning of the track removed, as well as the quiet section before the first chorus and the short break between the first chorus and second verse also being absent. Carousel and Part Of Me are both musically similar to the demos on the 9-track CD, but feature different vocal parts, including some different lyrics from both the 9-track demo versions and the HTEP versions.

Hybrid Theory - Demos (7 Track)

Date: February 2000

Release Date: May 20, 2012 by LPAssociation

Tracklisting:

01. Untitled

02. SuperXero

03. Points And Authority

04. Crawling

05. Carousel

06. Part Of Me

07. And One

Summary: The seven track demo was next to be released and it came in May 2012 just as the Living Things World Tour was kicking off. LPAssociation came across the demo CD, which was the exact same as the eight track demo from LPLive in 2009 except without She Couldn't. Due to the eight track demo suffering from static on some songs, the seven track demo by LPA provided a legit quality upgrade to the remaining seven songs.

Hybrid Theory - Demos (6 Track)

Date: May 8, 2000

Release Date: September 15, 2012 by LPAssociation

Tracklisting:

01. Plaster

02. Papercut

03. Crawling

04. Points Of Authority

05. Dust Brothers

06. Untitled

Summary: This is arguably the best demo release since the original nine track demo by LPFuse in 2005, over seven years prior. The pressing date of this internal CD confirms that several versions of the songs were circulating at once, likely so the band could get a good idea of which versions to go with for their eventual Hybrid Theory debut. These six demos are very interesting and are the earliest known demos for Papercut and Dust Brothers. Both songs have completely different vocal takes and the actual song structures are different, especially the ending to both songs. Mike is nowhere to be found on the With You choruses and this is even before Joe laid his scratching down on the bridge. Plaster is actually a later demo than the June 2, 2000 demo (listed below)...yes we know that the dates are very confusing...they even confuse us. Obviously two (or more) versions of the song existed on CDs at the exact same time. Anyway, the Plaster here is a lot more similar to the album version of One Step Closer. While Points Of Authority and Untitled were already released, Crawling features a different vocal take than the other demos.