Linkin Park Underground

Linkin Park Underground (commonly abbreviated as LPU) is the official fan club of the alternative metal band Linkin Park. The fan club's website provides message boards where users can share information on Linkin Park's upcoming projects and album news. Members are also given access to a custom @linkinpark.com e-mail address and information about the band before it reaches the public. Other bonuses include access to pre-sales of new Linkin Park material such as albums, clothing, and items such as their book From the Inside: Linkin Park's Meteora.

History
Founded in 2001 by Linkin Park and Jessica Bardas, the Linkin Park Underground allows fans of Linkin Park to share their passion for the band. Each year, a new membership package is released. In its first year, the LPU gave away a re-issued as a gift for signing up. The first 500 members of the LPU received a signed copy of the EP as a thank you from the band. Until January 31, 2005, there was a forum allowing fans to trade and sell Linkin Park merchandise. It was however closed after difficulties with several members.

In September 2005, a similar fan club called Fort Minor Militia was created for Mike Shinoda's hip-hop project, Fort Minor. The first 100 people to join had the DVD that was included with their first album, The Rising Tied, as well as other merchandise, signed by Shinoda.

Since then, the LPU had undergone some major website changes, and is currently in its seventh year. As it stands they have distributed seven "Underground" EPs with the bonus album ' being the latest release.

Items in each year's version of the "Full Access" Package:
* NOTE: Full listing of Year 7.0's package listed in section 3 below
* LPU Tee Shirt (design changes though from year to year)
* LPU Membership Card
* LPU Newsletter (at the end of the year, recapping that year's activities)
* Welcome letter from the band (format may change, as in LPU 6, which was an insert in the LPU 6.0 Album)
* the @linkinpark.com email address

Other items from past years (may not be all inclusive):
* Bumper stickers (1.0, 2.0)
* Window Clings (3.0)
* Wristband (4.0, 6.0)
* Key Ring (1.0, 5.0, 7.0)
**(The LPU 7.0 package features a Carabiner keychain)
* Wall Calendar (3.0 - with Meteora photos) [as an extended package for $5 more)
* Previous year + Current year combo package (2.0, 6.0) [as extended package, $5 additional cost - does not include previous year's Newsletter]
* Current year + Bonus package (7.0)

Exclusive EP releases
Hybrid Theory EP re-issue

Released on November 19, 2001, the Hybrid Theory EP re-issue was Linkin Park Underground's first exclusive EP release. It was recorded in 1999, after Xero disbanded and Chester Bennington joined the band, at this point called "Hybrid Theory", making the original EP a self-titled release. Despite being remastered, the band made several changes to the packaging and artwork of the LPU re-issue, making it noticeably less valuable. Because of this, Linkin Park individually hand-signed the first 500 copies of the re-release. The hidden track after "Part of Me" is credited to Mike Shinoda stating "Track 7 by Mike Shinoda" in the thank you letter.

Track listing

Personnel
*Linkin Park:
**Chester Bennington - vocals
**Mike Shinoda - vocals, MC, keyboard, rhythm guitarist
**Brad Delson - lead guitar, bass guitar
**Kyle Christener - bass guitar
**Rob Bourdon - drums
** - turntablist, samples

*Produced by Mike Shinoda.
*Tracks 1, 4, and 6 produced and mixed by Mudrock and Mike Shinoda.
*Tracks 2, 3, 5 and hidden track in track 6 produced and mixed by Mike Shinoda.
*Mastered by Pat Kraus.
*Art direction by Mike Shinoda.
*Cover art by Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn.

Underground 2.0

On November 18, 2002, the second year of the Linkin Park Underground was launched. The second fan club package was shipped to members and included an exclusive, six-track EP entitled Linkin Park Underground V2.0. This EP cannot be purchased in stores. A popular bootleg entitled "2.5" has been widely available on websites such as eBay.

Track listing

Personnel
* Linkin Park:
** Chester Bennington - vocalist
** Mike Shinoda - vocals, emcee, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, samples
** Brad Delson - guitarist
** - bassist
** Rob Bourdon - drummer
** - turntablist, samples

* "A.06" - produced by Don Gilmore and Linkin Park.
* "With You" (Live) - live version mixed by Mr. Colson. "With You" originally appears on Hybrid Theory. Performed at Docklands Arena in London, England on September 16th, 2001.
* "Pts.OF.Athrty" (Crystal Method Remix) - remixed by the Crystal Method. The Crystal Method appears courtesy of Geffen Records. "Points of Authority" originally appears on Hybrid Theory.
* "Dedicated" - produced by Mike Shinoda.
* "High Voltage" (Live) - live version mixed by Mr. Colson. Written by Linkin Park. Performed at a Docklands Arena in London, England on September 16th, 2001.
* "My December" - Produced and engineered by Mike Shinoda. Additional Pro Tools by Joe Hahn.
* Mastered by Pat Kraus.
* LPU co-coordination by Jessica Bardas.
* Art direction and design by the Flem.

Underground 3.0

On November 17, 2003, the third fan club package was shipped to members and included an exclusive, five-track EP entitled Linkin Park Underground 3.0. The CD also contained enhanced content. This EP cannot be purchased in stores. These tracks are a compliment to the 2003 release of Live in Texas, and to these tracks (and the Live in Texas album tracks) are available on the Live in Texas DVD. It was issued one day before Live In Texas was released.

Track listing
All tracks recorded live during the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, either in Houston, TX or Dallas, TX.

Enhanced content
* LPU Worldwide video
* "From the Inside" video
* "Don't Stay" and "Faint" video footage from "Jimmy Kimmel Live"
* Bonus multimedia content

Band line-up
* Chester Bennington - vocalist
* Mike Shinoda - vocals, emcee, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, samples
* Brad Delson - guitarist
* - bassist
* Rob Bourdon - drummer
* - turntablist, samples

Personnel
* "Don't Stay" and "Figure.09" written by Linkin Park. "Don't Stay" and "Figure.09" originally appear on Meteora.
* "With You" written by Linkin Park and the Dust Brothers. "With You" originally appears on Hybrid Theory.
* "By Myself" written by Linkin Park. "By Myself" originally appears on Hybrid Theory.
* "A Place for My Head" written by Linkin Park, Mark Wakefield, and Dave Farrell. "A Place for My Head" originally appears on Hybrid Theory.
* Recorded live August 2, 2003 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
* Recorded live August 3, 2003 at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas.
* Recorded during the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003.
* Produced and mixed by Josh Abraham.
* Engineered by Ryan Williams.
* Pro Tools engineering by Brandon Belsky.
* Mixed at Pulse Recordings.
* Live recording engineering by Joel Singer.
* Assistant live recording engineering by Hardi Kamsani.
* Recording equipment provided by Effanel Music.
* LPU Worldwide video filmed by Mark Fiore.
* "From the Inside" video directed by Joe Hahn and produced by Matt Caltabiano.
* "Jimmy Kimmel Live" performances produced by ABC.
* Referral contest video filmed by Mark Fiore and edited by Bill Berg-Hillinger.
* Enhanced CD layout by Sparkart.
* LPU coordination by Jessica Bardas and Michelle Yin.
* Art direction and design by the Flem.

Underground 4.0

On November 22, 2004, the fourth fan club package was shipped to members and included an exclusive, six-track EP entitled Linkin Park Underground 4.0. The CD also contained enhanced content. This EP cannot be purchased in stores. It contains 2 studio tracks, 2 live tracks recorded on the 2004 "Projekt Revolution" tour (a Nine Inch Nails cover "Wish" and "One Step Closer") and 2 more live tracks recorded in the summer of 2004 ("Breaking the Habit" from their 'Rock am Ring' performance and "Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down" from their set before the recorded 'Collision Course' concert).

Just like Linkin Park Underground V2.0, a fake version is commonly available on sites such as eBay. It contains 20 tracks including the 4.0 EP, Collision Course EP, and other Linkin Park live tracks.

Track listing

Enhanced Content
* "Figure.09" live from the Projekt Revolution tour in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 14 , 2004.
* "Easier to Run" live LP Underground tour 2003.
* LPU World Wide Video.
* LPU Newscaster Outtakes.
* Animated Buddy Icons & Desktop Wallpaper.

Band line-up
* Chester Bennington - vocalist
* Mike Shinoda - vocals, emcee, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, samples
* Brad Delson - guitarist
* - bassist
* Rob Bourdon - drummer
* - turntablist, samples

Underground 5.0

On November 21, 2005, the fifth fan club package shipped to its members and included an exclusive EP entitled Linkin Park Underground 5.0. The EP features live tracks from the band's performance during Live 8 Philadelphia on July 2 2005 with Jay-Z, and it is not available for purchase in stores. The songs "In the End" and "Numb/Encore" were the only songs to be featured on the Live 8 DVD, the rest of the performances, except "Crawling", are available on this CD.

Track listing

Personnel
* Linkin Park:
** Chester Bennington - vocalist
** Mike Shinoda - vocals, emcee, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, samples
** Brad Delson - guitarist
** - bassist
** Rob Bourdon - drummer
** - turntablist, samples

*Additional Musician:
** Jay-Z - vocalist (Tracks 3-6)

* "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit", "Lying from You" and "Faint" - Originally Appeared on Linkin Park's "Meteora".
* "Papercut" - Originally appeared on Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory".
* "Public Service Announcement" - Originally Appeared on Jay-Z's "The Black Album"
* "Dirt off Your Shoulder" - Originally Appeared on Jay-Z's "The Black Album".
* "Big Pimpin'" - Originally appeared on Jay-Z's "Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter".
* "" - Originally Appeared on Jay-Z's "Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life".
* All tracks recorded live at Live 8 in Philadelphia, PA. July 2 2005.

Underground 6

On December 5, 2006, the sixth year of the Linkin Park Underground was launched. The sixth fan club package was shipped to members and included an exclusive, six-track EP entitled Linkin Park Underground 6.

Shortly after it was announced, the album was leaked onto the Internet. The CD includes a studio demo version of "QWERTY" (which may have been recorded to compromise for it not appearing on Minutes to Midnight). "QWERTY" contains a darker guitar riff than previous songs, and includes Chester screaming much harder than before. Also, a new song called "Announcement Service Public". The title is a play on words of Public Service Announcement, hinting that if reversed, there will be a subliminal message. Chester can be heard saying, "You should brush your teeth, and you should wash your hands" when the track is played in reverse. It is equal in length to Session from the studio album Meteora.

For the first time, it was sold at Best Buy on December 5, 2006 while supplies lasted. Buyers still had the option of buying it online though.
A different limited edition package was sold at every Projekt Revolution 2007 show and the cover was red as opposed to green. However, all the content is the same.

Track listing

Personnel
* Linkin Park:
** Chester Bennington - vocalist
** Rob Bourdon - drummer
** Brad Delson - guitarist
** - bassist
** - turntablist, samples
** Mike Shinoda - vocals, emcee, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, samples

* "Breaking the Habit" (originally appeared on Meteora), "Pushing Me Away" (originally appeared on Hybrid Theory); "Reading My Eyes" (originally appeared on the Xero demo) (earlier name of Linkin Park — prior to their "Hybrid Theory" band name with vocalist Mark Wakefield as opposed to Chester Bennington.)
* Tracks 1 and 2 were recorded at The Mansion at Laurel Canyon and Korn Studios.
** Produced by: Rick Rubin and Mike Shinoda.
** Engineered by: Andrew Schepps.
** 2nd Engineer: Phillip Broussard Jr.
** Additional engineering by: Dana Nielson.
* Tracks 3 -6 were recorded live at the Chiba Marine Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on August 13th, 2006 at the Summer Sonic Festival.
** All tracks mixed by: Ethan Mates and mastered by: Brian "Big Bass" Gardner
* "Reading My Eyes" originally included profanity, however no profanity is included in Linkin Park Underground 6.0. The live performance in Japan was the first time since 1999 that "Reading My Eyes" has been played by the band.

* LP Underground Coordination: Jessica Bardas, Natalie So, Mona Kasim
* Production Coordination: Ryan DeMarti and Natali So
* Art direction: Bandmerch
* Linkin Park Worldwide Representation: Rob McDermott for Mad Mac Entertainment

LP Underground 7

On November 27, 2007, the LPU posted a notice that the upcoming version of the exclusive EP, 7.0, would be available on December 5, 2007. Linkin Park later announced on their official MySpace page that this package would also be available in Best Buy stores. On December 5, 2007, the seventh fan club package was shipped to members. It includes an exclusive EP entitled LP Underground 7. The CD contains 10 tracks recorded live during the 2007 Projekt Revolution Tour.

The LP Underground 7 Limited Edition Best Buy Fan Pack has been available at select Best Buy stores since the end of December 2007. Since February 2008, there has been a tour edition of the package sold exclusively at merchandise booths of their shows. This edition has a teal colored cover and contains a bonus sticker.

Track listing

Personnel
* Linkin Park:
** Chester Bennington - vocalist
** Rob Bourdon - drummer
** Brad Delson - guitarist
** - bassist
** - turntablist, samples
** Mike Shinoda - vocals, emcee, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, samples

LP Underground 8

Although the eighth year of the Linkin Park Underground has not officially been announced yet, Linkin Park Underground members (in the USA) have been given the opportunity to design the logo for the eighth EP. This is by means of an online contest. The contest began on April 9, 2008 and ended on April 23, 2008, the winning entry has now been decided upon. The final draft for the eighth EP, built around the winning entry, has not yet been released publicly.

1 Year Membership Package Contents
LPU Online-Only Pass:
* Opportunities for presale tickets and meet & greet passes
** Meet and greet passes and pre-sales are subject to availability
* Access to members-only website www.lpunderground.com
* Your own e-mail address [name@linkinpark.com]
* Exclusive audio & video clips
* Exclusive merchandise online
* 15% LPU members only discount on most items at linkinparkmerch.com

LPU 7 Pass:
* LPU 7 online only items above
* LPU 7 T-shirt
* LPU 7 CD with 10 live recordings featuring the best of Projekt Revolution 2007
* LPU 7 sticker pack
* LPU 7 shoelaces
* LPU 7 carabiner keychain
* LPU 7 membership card
* Letter from Linkin Park
* Annual newsletter (LPU 7.0)
* Mobile benefits including exclusive LPU ringtone, wallpaper, contests, and text alerts
** Standard rates apply

LPU 7 Bonus Pass:
* All LPU 7 pass items above
* Five collectible bonus LPU items from the past years (LPU 1 through 6), as selected by LPU Headquarters. Bonus items will include a previous Linkin Park Underground CD (1.0-6.0) and four other selected collectible items (such as a LPU sticker, and guitar pick, membership card).

Membership prices
:Updated for LP Underground v7.0, launched on December 5, 2007
The price did increase by US $3, but that $3 goes as a charitable donation to Plant trees with American Forests via their charity, Music for Relief; as voted on by the members of the LPU on the LPU message board. (More details and poll results at the LPU Message Board thread.) This is given on behalf of the members of the LPU.

*Full Access Pass — United States and Canada = $28
*Full Access Pass — International = $35
*Online Only Pass (No Merchandise) — All Countries = $15
*Bonus Pass — United States and Canada = $38
*Bonus Pass — International = $45

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