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Meds is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Placebo, released on 13 March 2006, but was delayed in the US until 4 April. The first single on the new album to be released in the UK was "Because I Want You". "Song to Say Goodbye" was the first international single (released simultaneously with "Because I Want You"). The album was remastered from October 2005 to January 2006. Two songs, recorded on the album, feature duets with American singers: "Meds" with Alison Mosshart of The Kills and "Broken Promise" with Michael Stipe of R.E.M..[1][2] Frenchman Dimitri Tikovoi who mixed select songs on Once More with Feeling produced Placebo's fifth effort.[3]

Meds was leaked to the internet on 17 January 2006.[4] The official release date of Meds was 13 March 2006, making the leak almost two months early. It was projected by the band's record label to potentially cause a very dangerous loss of profit upon the album's release. Nevertheless, in most countries the album debuted relatively well, at No. 4 in Australia and No. 7 in the UK.[5][6] The second single from Meds was "Infra-Red", which was released on 19 June 2006 in the UK.

Background

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In 2003, Placebo released their fourth album Sleeping With Ghosts. The album went to No. 11 in the UK and sold 1.4 million copies worldwide, going gold.[7] In late 2004, Placebo's singles collection Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996–2004 was released (on both CD and as a DVD featuring the band's videos). The nineteen-song compilation included two new tracks, "I Do" and the single "Twenty Years".

In November, they played a one-night-only gig at Wembley Arena in which Robert Smith of The Cure made a guest appearance on two tracks, "Without You I'm Nothing" and a cover of The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry". This performance was to be their last UK gig until 2006. After the Wembley gig, Placebo went on a short Once More with Feeling tour in South America. On 2 July 2005 the group performed "Twenty Years" and "The Bitter End" at the Live 8 concert, at the Palais de Versailles in France (see Live 8 concert, Paris). After the touring had finished, they then began work on a fifth studio album.

Recording

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They began recording the album in December in 2005 at RAK Studios in London. Placebo had planned to record a more electronic, keyboard-driven sound on Meds; however, producer Dimitri Tikovoi suggested a back-to-basics approach. For the first track "Meds", they wanted a female voice on the song. Tikovoi suggested Alison Mosshart of The Kills, and they all agreed they wanted her to sing on the track.[8] With "Infra-Red", Molko wrote the lyrics backwards by starting with the last line and then working his way upwards.[9] "Space Monkey" was written during the Sleeping With Ghosts writing and recording, but they never used it for the album. Tikovoi turned up at the studio on a bicycle, and then Placebo took it along with a garbage can, the foot of a keyboard and some pieces of metal and Hewitt used them as drums for the song.[8] "Blind" and "Post Blue" were also written during the Sleeping With Ghosts era, with the guitars tuned the same way on both tracks. They were intended as B-sides, but decided to add them on the album in their original form but with the vocals re-done and more overdubs.[8] About "Because I Want You", Molko said that "When I went into the studio I wanted to out do the Foo Fighters and write a great American rock song."[9] During recording, Molko said their label asked them to write them singles and said he answered saying "Fuck You! We are going into the studio to write something with the distorsion to 100%," and they came out with "One of a Kind".[8] By the end of 2005, they had finished recording the album.

Composition

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Musical structure

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Lyrics and themes

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Packaging and artwork

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Release

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Molko and Olsdal at Coachella Festival in April 2007. Steve Hewitt and most of his drum kit are out of view.

On January 17, 2006, Meds leaked on the internet, being almost two months before the albums release.[10] It was projected by the band's record label to potentially cause a very dangerous loss of profit upon the album's release. On March 6, they released the UK only single "Because I Want You", and on the same day the second single "Song to Say Goodbye" was released worldwide.[11][12] "Because I Want You" managed to chart at number 13 in the UK Singles Chart, staying on chart for 3 weeks.[13]

Meds was finally released on 13 March in 2006[14], but was delayed in the US until 4 April. It was released on 12" vinyl, CD and digital download, but was also issued on cassette tape in Indonesia. A deluxe edition of the album was also released featuring the original album and a DVD featuring live performances and demos, in which some were released as a regular CD and some in a hardback book.[15] The Chilean two-disc edition includes a bonus disc of live tracks recorded at the Centro Cultural Estación Mapocho, Santiago on 1 and 2 April 2005, entitled Live in Chile. Meds was the first Placebo album to chart in the US, going at number 180 in the Billboard 200, and number 9 in the Heatseekers Chart.[16] Despite the label saying it would cause a dangerous loss of profit from the leak, it charted at number 7 in the UK Albums Chart.[17] The album also charted at number 1 in 5 different countries. The album went gold in the UK, and has sold over 1.1 million copies worldwide.[18] "Infra-Red" was the second single to be taken from the album, released on 19 June on 7" vinyl and CD.[19] The single charted at number 42 in the UK Singles Chart, and at number 35 in the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[17][20] The final single to be released from the album was "Meds", released on 9 October 2006. The single charted at number 35 in the UK Singles Chart.[17]

Meds was re-released by Virgin in the United States in January 2007 with three extra tracks—"Lazarus", "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU" (both also B-sides on the "Meds" single), and "Running Up that Hill"—and "In the Cold Light of Morning" omitted (because it contains "dirty words").[21] The album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. "Drag" was used in the TV series Torchwood.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[22]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[23]
Alternative Press[24]
Mojo[25]
NME8/10[26]
Pitchfork5.1/10[27]
PopMatters4/10[28]
Robert Christgaumixed[29]
Rolling Stone[30]
Slant Magazine[31]
Q[32]

Meds received a generally mildly favourable critical reception. The album holds a Metascore of 65 at Metacritic, which indicates generally favorable reviews.[22] NME positively reviewed the album saying it was "secure, self-aware and even funny, this could well be the masterpiece they've always promised to make," and they gave it an 8 out of 10,[26] and Drowned in Sound said that "while there is nothing even marginally groundbreaking here, Placebo have still returned with another steady record in Meds."[22] Allmusic writer MacKenzie Wilson gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 saying that "their success has been gradual in the sense that their style and sound have progressed naturally with each album. Meds builds upon that notion while also embarking on a new phase for Placebo. Meds is their second coming," noting that its "as bare and honest as Placebo have ever been, thanks to French producer Dimitri Tikovoi's straightforward approach in getting the band to make a bona fide rock record. There's a fresh vulnerability here and a sense of danger, too; the album's title track quickly enters this sphere," ending the review saying "to some, Meds might come off as less interesting compared to the slickness of older tracks such as "Taste in Men" and "Every You Every Me." Some may be over Molko's constant analysis of sex, drugs, and desire. What you see is what you get with Placebo and, for the first time in a long time, that vision is clear."[23]

Mojo gave the album 3 out of 5 stars saying that "A third of these songs can rightly be claimed as classic Placebo pop."[22] BBC called the album "Compelling and chilling," and that "Placebo have once again proved themselves as a unique band who won't be going away any time soon."[33] PopMatters, however, began their review with "Sorry Placebo, this isn’t going to be a kind review. If history serves right, it seems your fans won’t care, and nor should they; you’ve been giving them the same knotted isolation encased in anthemic punk choruses for 10 years now," and ended the review with "Meds is cloaked in the sophisticated sheen of a band completely established; pushing in some areas, content to rely on established constructions and melodic elements in others. If you haven’t experienced the familiar cycle of infatuation-disappointment-indifference with Placebo, you could find these songs pleasant, at times even exhilarating. But I’ve just reached the final stage of that cycle, and nothing here forces me to reconsider."[28] Pitchfork Media writer Joe Tangari said that "as it is, five albums in, Placebo's shocking-to-your-grandma approach hasn't really changed much, though they've developed a little more stylistic nuance," saying Meds isn't a terrible album, but there's very little to get excited about on it either, and Placebo's calculated naughtiness is no more convincing than it's ever been. If you've enjoyed their past output, you'll likely enjoy Meds as well, but there's no need for anyone else to bother."[27]

Music videos

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The music video for "Infra-Red" features businessmen apparently conspiring against the public. They observe a computer disk containing a graphic of a DNA molecule with a hazardous ligand. Meanwhile, a group of ants interfere with their computer equipment. A character, identified as a corporate executive president, gives a press conference with the help of a computerized prompter, but the ants' interference causes the prompter to say "I lied to you. We are the enemy", which the president reads.[34]

Track listing

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All songs written and composed by Placebo, except "Running Up That Hill", written by Kate Bush

Original 2006 release
  1. Meds (featuring Alison Mosshart) - 2:55
  2. Infra-Red - 3:15
  3. Drag - 3:21
  4. Space Monkey - 3:51
  5. Follow the Cops Back Home - 4:39
  6. Post Blue - 3:11
  7. Because I Want You - 3:22
  8. Blind - 4:01
  9. Pierrot the Clown - 4:22
  10. Broken Promise (featuring Michael Stipe) - 4:10
  11. One of a Kind - 3:20
  12. In the Cold Light of Morning - 3:52
  13. Song to Say Goodbye - 3:36
2007 US re-release
No.TitleLength
1."Meds" (featuring Alison Mosshart)2:55
2."Infra-Red"3:15
3."Drag"3:21
4."Space Monkey"3:51
5."Follow the Cops Back Home"4:39
6."Post Blue" (Dave Bascombe mix)3:11
7."Because I Want You"3:22
8."Blind"4:01
9."Lazarus"3:23
10."Broken Promise" (featuring Michael Stipe)4:11
11."One of a Kind"3:21
12."Pierrot the Clown"4:22
13."Song to Say Goodbye"3:34
14."UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU"3:29
15."Running Up that Hill"4:53
Live in Chile bonus CD
  1. This Picture
  2. Special Needs
  3. Protect Me From What I Want
  4. I Do
  5. Black-Eyed
  6. Pure Morning
  7. English Summer Rain
  8. Twenty Years
  9. Nancy Boy
Special Edition bonus DVD
  • "The Death of Nancy Boy" (documentary) – 8:51
  • Lyrics in virtual booklet
  • "Twenty Years (Live at Wembley 05.11.04)" (video) – 6:05
  • "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" (featuring The Cure) (video) – 4:06
  • "Backstage at Live 8" – 4:19
  • "Long Division" – 2:44
  • "In the Cold Light of Morning (Demo)" – 4:27
  • "I Do (Demo)" – 2:32
  • "Pierrot the Clown (Demo)" – 4:58

Charts and certifications

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Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Placebo Feat. Alison Mosshart - Meds (CD) at Discogs
  2. ^ Michael Stipe to guest on new Placebo album | News | NME.COM
  3. ^ Dimitri Tikovoï Discography at Discogs
  4. ^ "Placebo - Meds (new Album Leak)". rllmukforum.com. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  5. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  6. ^ "2006-03-25 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts. 2006-03-25. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  7. ^ "Placebo / News". placeboworld.co.uk. 27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 24 December 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d "Brian Molko and Steve Hewitt, Rock Mag". Rock Mag. April 2006.
  9. ^ a b "Brian Molko interview with XFM". XFM. March 2006.
  10. ^ "Placebo - Meds (new Album Leak)". rllmukforum.com. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  11. ^ http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/music/singles#/because-i-want-you
  12. ^ http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/music/singles#/song-say-goodbye
  13. ^ "Placebo | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  14. ^ http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/music/albums#/meds
  15. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Placebo-Meds/release/645989
  16. ^ "Placebo – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  17. ^ a b c "Placebo | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  18. ^ "Certified Awards". BPI. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  19. ^ http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/music/singles#/infra-red
  20. ^ http://www.billboard.com/artist/340412/placebo/chart?f=377
  21. ^ "PLACEBO "Brian Molko Takeover Show" The Residency - live on Xfm radio (part one)". YouTube. 13 December 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  22. ^ a b c d "Meds - Placebo". Metacritic. Retrieved December 4 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  23. ^ a b MacKenzie Wilson. "Meds". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  24. ^ Alternative Press (May 2006): 176. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ^ Mojo (April 2006): 106. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ a b NME: 43. 11 March 2006. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ^ a b Joe Tangari (4 May 2006). "Placebo: Meds". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  28. ^ a b Dan Raper (4 April 2006). "Placebo: Meds". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  29. ^ Robert Christgau (18 April 2006). "Lost in the Lonely Crowd". Village Voice. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  30. ^ Rolling Stone: 69. 6 April 2006. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ^ Jonathan Keefe (7 April 2006). "Placebo: Meds". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  32. ^ Q (April 2006): 118. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/6fn8
  34. ^ Placebo - Infra-Red HD (Official) on YouTube
  35. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  36. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  37. ^ "Placebo - Meds". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  38. ^ "Placebo - Meds". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  39. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  40. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  41. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  42. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  43. ^ "Placebo - Meds - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  44. ^ a b "Greek Albums Chart". IFPI Greece. 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  45. ^ "GFK Chart-Track". Chart-track.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  46. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  47. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  48. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  49. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLIS. 2006-03-19. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  50. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". portuguesecharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  51. ^ "Placebo - Meds - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  52. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  53. ^ Steffen Hung. "Placebo - Meds". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  54. ^ "2006-03-25 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts. 2006-03-25. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  55. ^ a b "Meds - Placebo". Billboard. 2006-04-22. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
  56. ^ "Disque en France". Disque en France. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  57. ^ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  58. ^ "Gold and Platinum International Albums in Russia – 2006". National Federation of Phonogram Producers (in Russian). 2M. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  59. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
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Category:Placebo albums Category:2006 albums Category:Virgin Records albums

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