Steal This Album!

For the album by The Coup, see Steal This Album.

Untitled

Steal This Album! is the third studio album by Armenian-American Metal band System of a Down, released on November 26, 2002, on American Recordings. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian, and reached #15 on the Billboard Top 200.

Toxicity II

In early 2002, medium-quality MP3s of the album were released on the internet under the name Toxicity II, a clear reference to the band's previous, multi-platinum record, Toxicity. The band issued a statement expressing disappointment in the fact that fans were hearing material that was unfinished, and worked to release a completed, better quality version of the album, which became what is now known as Steal This Album!. Many of the tracks on Toxicity II are early versions or rough mixes of the songs, featuring different arrangements, lyrics, and vocal melodies than their completed counterparts. Notably, there is a lack of vocals by Daron Malakian. Two songs on Toxicity II, "Virginity" (also known as "Cherry" or "Virgin Tea") and "Outer Space" (also known as "Fortress"), are absent from the final version of the album. Additionally, four songs not found on Toxicity II, "Fuck the System," "Ego Brain," "Roulette," and "Innervision" appeared on the final version of Steal This Album!, making the final version considerably different from the Toxicity II version.

Album information

Though often reported in the media as being a collection of B-sides and outtakes, the band insisted that the Steal This Album! material is of the same quality as the tracks which made it onto Toxicity. Vocalist Serj Tankian has said that the songs were left out of Toxicity "because they did not fit the overall continuity of the album". In May 2009, drummer John Dolmayan revealed that the album is his favorite System of a Down release. Similarly, Tankian also called the album his favorite System of a Down album in a 2012 AMA on reddit.

An alternate version of "Streamline" was used in The Scorpion King soundtrack, which was released in early 2002, and as a B-side on some copies of the "Aerials" single.

The album title is a possible reference to Abbie Hoffman's book Steal This Book, which is regarded as a classic example of counterculture literature. A similar title (Steal This Movie!) was used for a movie about Hoffman's life. A year prior to this album however, The Suicide Machines had already released an album titled Steal This Record. The Coup had also released a Steal This Album in 1998. However, the album track titled Fuck the System is a clear reference to an earlier Hoffman essay. This album's title can also be a reference to the unauthorized distribution of the leaked songs from Toxicity II.

The packaging for this album is quite unusual. The original album came in a normal CD jewel case with only a disc, and no booklet (an insert was included in later releases of the album and most European copies, since many stores sell them unsealed and so the impression of it being removed by accident could be avoided). On the CD and the back of the case, the text is styled as if written by a black permanent marker, in faux-bootleg appearance. This is an obvious response by the band to those who leaked the original Toxicity II CD.

Most songs on the album have received little appearance in concert. However, songs "Mr. Jack" and "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" were played extensively to live audiences.

Presumably shortly after being written in 2000, the song "Chic 'N' Stu" was played live before the release of Toxicity. After the end of the band's hiatus in 2011, the only songs to have been played from the album are "Pictures", "Highway Song", "I-E-A-I-A-I-O", "Mr. Jack", "Innervision", and "Roulette". In the 2013 tour they played also "A.D.D.". In 2015 on the Wake Up the Souls Tour, the songs "Bubbles" and "Chic 'N' Stu" were played in concert. In 2017 setlists in Europe, the band regularly performed the songs "Mr. Jack", "Pictures", "Highway Song" and "Roulette".

Multi-instrumentalist Arto Tunçboyacıyan sings on the song "Bubbles", making his third appearance with System of a Down (having appeared on two songs on Toxicity).

Commenting on the track "I-E-A-I-A-I-O", drummer John Dolmayan said it was inspired by an encounter he had with Knight Rider's actor David Hasselhoff in a liquor store in Los Angeles when he was around 12:

He was getting a drink, not an alcoholic beverage, a soda or something. He was walking out and I couldn't believe it! Here was Knight Rider in front of me! And I said, 'Knight Rider!' I must have been 12. He looked at me and he goes, 'Hey kid,' and he kind of pointed the finger [at me] cowboy style. I told Serj the story, so the lyrics, 'Meeting John at Dale's Jr. / Winked an eye and point a finger.' 'Dale's Jr.' was the liquor store. There's a little insight.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Alternative Press
Entertainment Weekly	B+
Kludge	7/10
NME
Slant Magazine
Amazon.com
Spin
Sputnikmusic
Ultimate Guitar

• E! - "As leftovers go, this Album is refreshingly tasty. Grade: B+"
• CMJ (12/16/02, p. 23) - "Both arty aggro and perverted political punk."
• Entertainment Weekly (11/29/02, p. 105) - "Steal This Album stands head-and-tattooed shoulders above its competition in the hard-rock genre."
• Rolling Stone (12/12/02, p. 93) - "An absurdist blast of political rage, silly theater and shattered math metal."
• Spin (2/03, p. 96) - 8 out of 10 - "The way these simple songs blur together works in the album's favor: Just when you think you've got a foothold, the ground disappears under your feet."

Alternative artwork

There are four limited-edition alternate CD designs, each designed and drawn by a member of the band. Tankian's is blue with a poem in white spiraling into its center, Odadjian's is red with psychedelic flames, Dolmayan's is black with a gray skull incorporating the album's title into its teeth, and Malakian's is white with the legs of a man (in jeans) and woman (in red stockings). All four versions are rare, but Malakian's is the rarest. Additionally, the vinyl edition of the album was released as a double picture disc with each side featuring one of these designs.

In Europe and the UK the standard version includes a one-sided front insert, the reason for this being that most CDs in the UK are not sold sealed so it might appear that the cover had been stolen had it been shipped without it. It is all white with the album title in black, similar to the original CD cover. The insert contains minimal information and contains a link to the official website for more track information.

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Chic 'N' Stu"	Tankian	Malakian	2:23
2.	"Innervision"	Tankian	Malakian, Tankian	2:33
3.	"Bubbles"	Tankian	Malakian	1:56
4.	"Boom!"	Tankian	Malakian, Odadjian	2:14
5.	"Nüguns"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian	2:30
6.	"A.D.D." (American Dream Denial)	Tankian	Malakian	3:17
7.	"Mr. Jack"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian	4:09
8.	"I-E-A-I-A-I-O"	Tankian	Tankian, Malakian, Odadjian, Dolmayan	3:08
9.	"36"	Tankian	Tankian	0:46
10.	"Pictures"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian	2:06
11.	"Highway Song"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian	3:13
12.	"Fuck the System"	Tankian	Malakian, Tankian	2:12
13.	"Ego Brain"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian, Tankian	3:21
14.	"Thetawaves"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian	2:36
15.	"Roulette"	Tankian	Malakian, Tankian	3:21
16.	"Streamline"	Tankian, Malakian	Malakian	3:37
Total length:				43:22

Personnel

System of a Down

• Serj Tankian — lead and backing vocals, keyboards, theremin, additional guitar
• Daron Malakian — guitars, backing and lead vocals
• Shavo Odadjian — bass, oud, backing vocals
• John Dolmayan — drums

Production

• Produced by Rick Rubin and Daron Malakian
• Engineered by Greg Collins, Darren Mora, and Dave Shiffman
• Mixed by Andy Wallace
• Worldwide Representation: Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group
• Additional Vocals by Arto Tunçboyaciyan on "Bubbles"

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Billboard 200	15
UK Albums Chart	56
Australian ARIA Top 50	11
New Zealand Top Album Chart	26

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2003	"Innervision"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	14
		Modern Rock Tracks	12

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) 5-album bundle	Platinum	40,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)	Gold	15,886
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.