System of a Down

In early January, 2005, a new track called "Cigaro" was leaked onto the Internet (some say it was leaked by the band itself, considering it was leaked onto a web page which featured a "mesmerizing" spiral and was performed by the band at their Big Day Out appearances several days after the leak) to praise from fans. In 1970, The Turtles released More Golden Hits, which contained the singles Sound Asleep and The Story of Rock and Roll, and in 1971, a B-sides and rarities album, Wooden Head, their last album. The dates and order of release for these two albums were somewhat controversial among fans and fan sites in early 2005, as some believed that the release was to be in the opposite order and the first one was to come out in April. In spite of Turtle Soup's critical success, commercial acclaim was low and the band soon began disintegrating. Mesmerize will be released in May while Hypnotize will be released approximately four months after. Kaylan and Volman then rebelled against White Whale's attempts to push The Turtles towards Monkees-style studio chicanery, and they recorded Turtle Soup, a critically well-received album that was inspired by The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society. They are Mesmerize and Hypnotize. Elenore may be the only Top Ten single to contain the lyrics et cetera.

In 2004, the band recorded two brand new albums for release in 2005 that will be released 4 months apart from each other. "Elenore" and "You Showed Me" were Top Ten singles. One version of the CD resembles a CD Recordable that was labeled with a felt-tip marker, and the other four featured designs by individual band members. Later in the year, The Turtles released a concept album called The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, in which the group pretended to be eleven different bands, each with a song. There are four different designs of the album available. 1968 was a fairly successful year: The next two singles, Sound Asleep and The Story of Rock and Roll charted in the middle of the top 100, but were never received quite as well. Their third album, containing songs from the Toxicity and System of a Down recording sessions, was released as "Steal This Album!" because early recordings of most of the songs had leaked out onto the Internet. Golden Hits was released later that year, charting in the top 10.

Father Armeni also said that in Armenia a self righteous suicide has taken place. System of a Down received constant airplay in the United States throughout late 2001 and 2002 with their hits, Chop Suey!, Toxicity, Aerials, off their second album, Toxicity, and Innervision off their third album, Steal This Album!. Two other top-15 singles followed, You Know What I Mean, and She's My Girl, which marked a shift by the band towards psychedelic music as the genre became more popular. He asked God why have you forsaken me in your eyes. 1967 became The Turtles' most successful year in the charts, with another song written by Bonner and Gordon, She'd Rather Be With Me, which reached #3 on the US charts in the late spring, and actually outcharted Happy Together overseas. The title comes from a poem of Father Armeni, who wrote about Armenia after the genocide of 1915. The album by the same name was released in April and charted at a high of #25. Their first big hit was the controversial "Chop Suey!", released in the late summer of 2001. With its tongue-in-cheek atmosphere, incessant background guitar riff, addictive chorus and backing vocals, simple drum and organ lines, and even an oboe playing along during the second chorus, it spent three weeks at #1 on the American charts in 1967, the only Turtles record to do so.

The album also has the dubious distinction of being the #1 album in America on the week of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their biggest hit and signature song, "Happy Together", considered 1960s pop at its best, provided a turning point for The Turtles. However, their big break came from their sophomore effort, Toxicity, which debuted at #1 on the American and Canadian charts, eventually going multi-platnium. It occurred to the band that, for eight months, they had been performing a certain song on stage that was moderately popular with the fans, but had yet to be recorded; originally written by songwriters Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, Happy Together seemed almost a parody of itself, and had been rejected already. The band enjoyed moderate success with their first singles, Sugar and Spiders, off their debut album System of a Down. In the beginning of 1967, a heavy touring schedule combined with a lack of recent chart success were cited by Don Murray (drums) and Chuck Portz (bass), who left the group to be replaced by John Barbata and Chip Douglas, respectively. Their main influence is noticeably the heavy metal veterans Black Sabbath and Slayer, but they have many other musical influences such as jazz, fusion, Armenian folk music, classic rock, blues, industrial metal, and, vocally, opera. However, their second album You Baby never entered the top 200, and of several singles released that year only two (Grim Reaper of Love, Can I Get to Know You Better) entered the top 100.

Their diverse instrumentals range from baritone electric guitars, electric mandolins, sitars, 12-string classical guitars to many other East Asian instruments. Their third single, You Baby charted in the top 20 in early 1966. All four members are of Armenian ancestry, and some of their songs are about Armenian history and politics. Their second single, Let Me Be also appeared in the top 30 that fall. System of a Down is a heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, USA consisting of Serj Tankian (vocals, keyboards), John Dolmayan (drums), Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals) and Shavo Odadjian (bass). Similarly to The Byrds' career, The Turtles' first break was with a Bob Dylan cover, It Ain't Me Babe, which was a Top Ten hit in summer 1965 (see 1965 in music) and the title track to their first album. "B.Y.O.B." from Mesmerize (2005) (announced, yet to be released). With the help of DJ and club owner Reb Foster, The Crossfires signed to White Whale Records, and, adjusting to the prevailing musical trends of the time, became a folk-rock group known as The Tyrtles, the misspelling an ode to The Byrds that was soon dropped.

"I-E-A-I-A-I-O" from Steal This Album! (2003). The band was formed by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman in Westchester, California in the 1965, as a surf rock group called The Crossfires. "Boom!" from Steal This Album! (2003). The Turtles are an American bubblegum pop, psychedelic and folk-rock band, best known for 1967's "Happy Together" (see 1967 in music). "Innervision" from Steal This Album! (2002). "Psycho" from Toxicity (2002).

"Aerials" from Toxicity (2002). "Toxicity" from Toxicity (2002). "Chop Suey!" from Toxicity (2001). "War" from System Of A Down (2000).

"Spiders" from System of a Down (1999). "Sugar" from System of a Down (1998). "Boom!" from Steal This Album! (2003). "Toxicity" from Toxicity (2002).

"Aerials" from Toxicity (2002). "Chop Suey!" from Toxicity (2001). "War?" from System of a Down (2000). "Spiders" from System of a Down (1999).

"Sugar" from System of a Down (1998). Hypnotize (27 September 2005). Mesmerize (17 May 2005). Steal This Album! (26 November 2002).

Toxicity (4 September 2001). System of a Down (30 June 1998). Andy Khachaturian - Drums. John Dolmayan - Drums.

Shavo Odadjian - Bass. Daron Malakian - Guitar. Serj Tankian - Vocalist & Keyboardist.