‘Reanimation’ Revs Up Rock Remixes

“Reanimation,” the remix version of Linkin Park’s hit debut album, “Hybrid Theory,” is off to a roaring start in its first week in stores, suggesting that a concept that’s worked well in hip-hop can also succeed in rock.

Retailers are expecting “Reanimation” to debut strongly when first-week sales are released on Wednesday: The album probably will enter the national album chart at No. 2 behind Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising.”

“They’ve really made a remix record that stands on its own,” says Bob Bell, senior pop buyer for the Wherehouse chain. “It’s an unusual project, but they seem to have put a lot more care into a remix album than most artists do.”

The remix versions of “Hybrid Theory’s” songs feature Staind singer Aaron Lewis, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Orgy’s Jay Gordon, Jurassic 5 rapper Chali 2na, hip-hop group the X-Ecutioners and more than a dozen others.

Although hip-hop and R&B; remix albums by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Jennifer Lopez and Destiny’s Child have become hits, Linkin Park’s is a rarity in the rock world, one that’s all the more unusual because it remixes an entire album, and because that album was the group’s first.

The fact that “Hybrid Theory” was the biggest selling album of 2001 (the release has tallied 7.3 million copies since its release in 2000) translates to a huge potential market for “Reanimation.” Yet despite the millions of albums Limp Bizkit has sold, its remix collection has sold only 566,000 since its December release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“Reanimation” may sell half that much or more during its first week in stores.

“It shows just how strong their fan base is if you can have that type of response to a group on a remix project,” says Best Buy’s Joe Pagano. “It also bodes very well for the new project.” The band’s next studio album is in progress and doesn’t have a firm release date.

Beyond the positive fallout “Reanimation” should have for Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington and his five bandmates, will it spur others to follow the group’s lead and rework earlier hit albums?

“These things may have a pretty quick burn too,” says Tower Records’ Southwest region director, Bob Feterl. “It’s a little early to tell.”

Still, says Wherehouse’s Bell, “I think this speaks well for the whole concept and shows that when you do a great job on a remix album, fans will respond.”