Wiki
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Release Date
26 October 2002
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Length
16 tracks
"Steal This Album!" is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on November 26, 2002, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian and peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard 200.
Background
In early 2002, medium-quality MP3s of the album were leaked online under the name "Toxicity II". The band expressed disappointment that fans were hearing unfinished material and worked to release a completed, higher-quality version of the album, which became "Steal This Album!".
Although it was often described in the media as a collection of B-sides and outtakes, the band clarified that the material on "Steal This Album!" was of the same quality as the tracks featured on their previous album, "Toxicity". Vocalist Serj Tankian explained that the songs were not included in "Toxicity" because they did not fit the album’s overall continuity. In May 2009, drummer John Dolmayan revealed that "Steal This Album!" was his favorite System of a Down album. Tankian also expressed similar sentiments, calling it his favorite in a 2012 Reddit AMA.
The song "Streamline" appeared in an earlier version on "[album artist=Various Artists
]The Scorpion King" soundtrack, released in 2002, and as a B-side on the CD2 edition of "Aerials". Multi-instrumentalist Arto Tunçboyacıyan provided vocals on the track "Bubbles", marking his third appearance with the band, having previously contributed to "Toxicity".
"I-E-A-I-A-I-O" was inspired by an encounter drummer John Dolmayan had with actor David Hasselhoff in a liquor store in Los Angeles when Dolmayan was around 12 years old.
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