Steal This Album!
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Steal This Album! is the name of an album released by System of a Down. Produced by Rick Rubin, Steal This Album! was recorded in mid-2002 and released on November 26, 2002 by American Recordings. The album reached No. 15 in the Billboard Top 200.
This album was released shortly after a collection of medium-quality MP3s found their way onto the internet under the name "Toxicity 2", a year after the release of the group's multi-platinum record, Toxicity. The band issued a statement expressing their disappointment that their fans were hearing unfinished material, and immediately began recording studio versions of the "Toxicity 2" material. Most, but not all tracks from the original leak made it onto Steal This Album!, and several new tracks such as "Roulette" were also added. Many song titles, lyrics, and melodies were changed, making the new album significantly different from the unfinished product.
The album title is a reference to Abbie Hoffman's book Steal This Book, which is regarded by many as a classic example of counterculture literature. A similar title - Steal This Movie - was used for a movie about Hoffman's life. It certainly could be argued that, like Hoffman, System of a Down have used some of their lyrics to discuss radical political opinions. The choice of album title could also be interpreted as being a reference to the Recording Industry Association of America's campaign against peer-to-peer MP3 file-sharing, which attracted significant mainstream media attention, both before and since the album's release. Given the aforementioned history of the album, such a view is given creedence.
"Streamline" was used in The Scorpion King soundtrack, which was released in early 2002.
Track listing
- "Chic 'N' Stu"
- "Innervision"
- "Bubbles"
- "Boom!"
- "Nüguns"
- "A.D.D."
- "Mr. Jack"
- "I-E-A-I-A-I-O"
- "36"
- "Pictures"
- "Highway Song"
- "F**k The System"
- "Ego Brain"
- "Thetawaves"
- "Roulette"
- "Streamline"
Toxicity 2
- "Everytime"
- "Steamline"
- "Virginity"
- "Waiting For You (Version 1)"
- "We Don't Give a"
- "Side of the Freeway"
- "On My Mind"
- "Want Me to Try"
- "Why?"
- "Chupa Cabra / Power Struggle"
- "Therapy / Chic 'N' Stu"
- "Outer Space"
- "Your Own Pace"
- "Defy You"
- "Waiting For You (Version 2)"
Charting singles
- 2003 - Innervision - Mainstream Rock Tracks - No. 14
- 2003 - Innervision - Modern Rock Tracks - No. 12
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