Background
LP Underground X: Demos is the eleventh CD released by Linkin Park to their fanclub, the LP Underground. It was released on November 17, 2010 to coincide with the release of LPU 10. The album contains ten demos, ranging from the Xero days to the early A Thousand Suns sessions.
A few months before the release of LP Underground X: Demos, Linkin Park released A Decade Underground, which was a compilation CD that included everything from Songs From The Underground, as well as "Across The Line" and "Pretend To Be", the latter of which was included again on LP Underground X: Demos.
Writing and Recording
The ten tracks on the CD include demos from all eras of the band, and one remix. "Coal" comes from the Xero sessions, "Oh No", a very early demo for "Points Of Authority", comes from the Hybrid Theory sessions, "Unfortunate" and "Halo" both were taken from the Meteora recording sessions, "Divided", "Pale", and "What We Don't Know" were done during recording for Minutes To Midnight, "Pretend To Be" was started during Minutes To Midnight, but was finished later on, "I Have Not Begun" was recording during the early parts of the A Thousand Suns process, and "What I've Done (M. Shinoda Remix)" is, obviously, a remix of "What I've Done" done by Mike Shinoda. This remix differs slightly from the "Distorted Remix" released on Minutes To Midnight.
While "I Have Not Begun" was recorded during the A Thousand Suns sessions, the lyrics were written earlier than that.
Composition
All of the demos on the CD give some insight to the band's mentality while recording each album. Interestingly, "What We Don't Know" is actually fully mixed and mastered, meaning that it's technically a b-side to Minutes To Midnight. This isn't the first time a fully completed song was released on an LP Underground CD, as "Across The Line" was released on the ninth LP Underground CD, and it, too, was completely finished.
Track Listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unfortunate (Unreleased Demo 2002) | Linkin Park | 2:07 |
| 2 | What We Don't Know (Unreleased Demo 2007) | Linkin Park | 3:39 |
| 3 | Oh No (Points Of Authority Demo) | Linkin Park | 2:05 |
| 4 | I Have Not Begun (Unreleased Demo 2009) | Linkin Park | 3:06 |
| 5 | Pale (Unreleased Demo 2006) | Linkin Park | 5:01 |
| 6 | Pretend To Be (Unreleased Demo 2008) | Linkin Park | 3:56 |
| 7 | Divided (Unreleased Demo 2005) | Linkin Park | 3:40 |
| 8 | What I've Done (M. Shinoda Remix) | Linkin Park | 3:40 |
| 9 | Coal (Unreleased Demo 1997) | Linkin Park | 3:39 |
| 10 | Halo (Unreleased Demo 2002) | Linkin Park | 3:42 |
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington
- Rob Bourdon
- Brad Delson
- Joseph Hahn
- Phoenix
- Mike Shinoda
Production
- All song written by Linkin Park
- Mastered by Mike Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Management
- LP Underground coordination: Jessica Sklar, Jessica Mazur, Adam Ruehmer
- Linkin Park worldwide representation: The Collective
- Management team: Michael Green, Jordan Berliant and Ryan DeMarti
- LPU thanks: Nate Auerbach, Aaron Ray, Trish Evangelista, Mona Kasim, Tamar Kaiserman, Harold Gutierrez and Maddie Brady
- Special thanks to Warner Bros. Records, Universal Music Publishing, Machine Shop Marketing
- LP Underground founded by Linkin Park and Jessica Sklar 2001
Artwork
- Artwork: Josh Vanover, Frank Maddocks
- Photos: Frank Maddocks, Mark Fiore
- Art direction: Andrea Seib, Frank Maddocks
- Design: Donny Phillips
Trivia
- LP Underground X: Demos was the last fan club exclusive CD to feature the word "Demos" on its title.