混合理论 (2000)

Hybrid Theory is the debut studio album by the American rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000, by 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 eventual divorce of his parents. Hybrid Theory takes its title from the previous name of the band as well as the concepts of music theory and combining different styles. It is also the band's only album in which bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell does not play, though he was credited as a band member and was a songwriter on two tracks.

Four singles were released from Hybrid Theory: "One Step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling" and "Papercut", all of which launched 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.

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) and one of the best-selling albums of all time. It is the second best selling rock album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. 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. A previously unreleased demo song, "She Couldn't", was released at the same time.

Background

High school friends Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon formed the rap rock band Xero in 1996. After their graduation, they recruited Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Mark Wakefield to perform in the band. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda's makeshift bedroom studio in 1996, resulting in a four-track demo album, entitled Xero, released in November 1997. Delson, who by that point was a student at UCLA, then introduced the band to Jeff Blue, the vice president of A&R for Zomba Music, whom he had interned for in college. Blue immediately took interest in the band, but this did not produce a record deal. After watching a Xero performance in 1998, he believed the band needed a different vocalist. Frustrated with the lack of label success, Wakefield and Farrell left the band.