Meds

Meds
Studio album by Placebo
Released	13 March 2006
Recorded	RAK Studios, London
Genre	Alternative rock, synth rock, rock
Length	48:22
Label	Virgin (2006)
Producer	Dimitri Tikovoi
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (favorable) link Pitchfork Media (5.1/10) link Rolling Stone link
Placebo chronology
Once More With Feeling (2004) Meds (2006)
Alternate cover
Special edition cover

Meds is Placebo's fifth album. The album was released in most countries on 13 March 2006, although it was released three days earlier in Australia (standard and special editions) and New Zealand (standard edition only). Illegal copies had previously been available on the Internet since 17 January 2006, prior to the official announcement of the release. "Because I Want You", released on 6 March 2006, is the first UK single from the album. The first single outside of the UK is "Song to Say Goodbye", released on the same date. The second single from Meds was "Infra-Red" ,released on 19 June 2006 in the UK. The third and final single was "Meds". "Meds" received significant exposure in the U.S.; it was within the 50 most-played alternative rock songs as of mid-May 2006. The album was re-released by Virgin Records in the U.S. in January 2007, including an extra three tracks ("Lazarus", "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU", and "Running Up That Hill"), but omitting "In the Cold Light of Morning". This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions.

Track listing

Original release

1. "Meds" (featuring Alison "VV" 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) – 4:20
11. "One of a Kind" – 3:20
12. "In the Cold Light of Morning" – 3:52
13. "Song to Say Goodbye" – 3:36

U.S. release

1. "Meds" (featuring Alison "VV" 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. "Pierrot the Clown" – 4:22
11. "Broken Promise" (featuring Michael Stipe) – 4:20
12. "One of a Kind" – 3:20
13. "Song to Say Goodbye" – 3:36
14. "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU" – 3:30
15. "Running Up That Hill" (Kate Bush cover) – 4:56

"Running Up That Hill" is apparently digitally remastered, but otherwise the same version that was released in 2003 as part of the limited edition Sleeping with Ghosts bonus disc, copies of which can still be found in many stores. "Lazarus" and "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU" are found on the last single released of the album by the same name "Meds".

Special edition DVD

1. "Documentary"
2. "Lyrics"
3. "Twenty Years (Live at Wembley 05.11.04)"
4. "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep (Placebo and The Cure)"
5. "Backstage at Live 8 Photo Galleries"
6. "Long Division (Audio)"
7. "In the Cold Light Of Morning (Demo) (Audio)"
8. "I Do (Demo) (Audio)"
9. "Pierrot the Clown (Demo) (Audio)"

Trivia

• The special edition version of Meds has a different-colored cover with a "Special Edition" next to the word "Meds".
• The special edition DVD has every song on it in instrumental form. Played when viewing lyrics in the lyrics section (Karaoke style)
• In March 2007, before their second concert in Chile, Placebo released "Meds: Special Edition Chile", including a second disc with 9 songs of their double concert in April 1 and 2, 2005 at Estación Mapocho.^[1]
• Some of the songs on the leaked copy(s) of Meds appear to differ slightly from the versions on the album as eventually made commercially available. "Song to Say Goodbye", for one, has a subtly different structure and a clearly different vocal performance from Brian Molko.
• Song lyrics contain many references to other songs and albums:
  1. "My Funny Valentine" by Rodgers & Hart ("Blind")
  2. "Unhappy Birthday" by The Smiths ("Infra-Red")
  3. "Beggars Banquet" by The Rolling Stones ("Infra-Red")
  4. "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young ("Song to Say Goodbye")
  5. "Mother Nature's Son" by The Beatles ("Song to Say Goodbye")
  6. "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers ("Post Blue")
  7. "Planet of Sound" by Pixies ("Space Monkey")
  8. "The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails ("Post Blue")
  9. "Bite the Hand That Bleeds" by Fear Factory ("Post Blue") "Bite the hand that feeds / tap the vein that bleeds"
  10. "Into the Void" by Nine Inch Nails ("One of a Kind")
  11. "I Am One" by Smashing Pumpkins ("One of a Kind")

Chart positions

• #1 - France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Mexico, Chile
• #2 - Germany
• #3 - Finland, Portugal
• #4 - Australia, Italy, Argentina
• #5 - World Chart
• #7 - UK
• #10 - Netherlands, Czech Republic
• #12 - Norway
• #20 - Denmark
• #33 - Sweden
• #95 - Canada
• #180 - U.S. (5,974 units in the first week)

References

1. ^ http://www.wow.cl/prontus_wow/site/artic/20070320/pags/20070320123022.html