Linkin Park would not compromise on their breakthrough debut full-length, Hybrid Theory. Selling millions of albums worldwide, the band was rejected by just about every label known to man before Warner Bros. signed them, and the rest is history.
However, the band went through a few name changes before settling on the Linkin Park moniker – namely Xero. Xero released a demo tape in 1997, containing songs that would eventually be reworked for Linkin Park. Notably, Chester Bennington hadn’t joined the band yet, as the vocals were filled by Mark Wakefield instead. Considering it was the first official release from the band at that point, you can imagine prices are skyhigh for this bit of Linkin Park history – and you would be right.
The Xero demo tape, released in 1997, was already a hot collector’s item – and Discogs.com now says it’s the priciest cassette tape ever sold on their site – coming in at a whopping $4,500. The tape was sold just last year, dethroning Prince. The cassette tape managed to outdo the likes of Prince, Metallica, and even Rage Against The Machine, which is always impressive company to be in.
