Medicine (band)

Medicine are an American alternative rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990 by guitarist/keyboardist Brad Laner.^[1]

They are perhaps best known for their cameo appearance in the 1994 film The Crow, in which they performed "Time Baby II", although the soundtrack album includes a different version entitled "Time Baby 3", a track that features guest vocals from the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser.

History

Medicine was formed by ex-Savage Republic drummer Brad Laner,^[2] based on some 4-track recordings Laner was working on in 1990. After playing the tapes for music industry representatives, he was told that if he formed a band that sounded like the tapes, he could get a record deal. Laner then assembled a band of musicians from the Los Angeles music scene. Medicine's early lineup included Laner, drummer Jim Goodall (Severed Head in a Bag, Jon Wayne, Lopez Beatles), guitarist Jim Putnam, bassist Eddie Ruscha and singer Annette Zilinskas (an original member of The Bangles). Zilinskas left before any official releases and was replaced by former Fourwaycross singer Beth Thompson. On the basis of the original demo, the band were signed to Creation Records, becoming the first American band to do so. In America, Medicine signed to Rick Rubin's American Recordings label in 1992. With a signature guitar tone, created by running guitarist's Brad Laner's guitar through a Yamaha 4-track recorder, Medicine's music managed to distinguish itself from some of the more ambiguous endeavours of the shoegazing movement.

Their first album, Shot Forth Self Living, was released in 1992. It received airplay on college radio and coverage in alternative newspapers, with even a few of their videos played on MTV.

Their second album, The Buried Life, was released the following year, and gained Medicine more mainstream attention, including coverage in magazines like Creem.

The third album saw a new lineup with Matt Devine and Justin Meldal-Johnsen replacing Putnam and Ruscha respectively. Entitled Her Highness, it was released in 1995. The band broke up soon after.

Medicine reformed briefly in 2003, solely as a duo including Laner and Shannon Lee, the daughter of actor Bruce Lee. They released one album, The Mechanical Forces of Love.

The band's core lineup of Laner, Thompson and Goodall later reformed again and signed with the Captured Tracks label. Medicine released a new studio album, To the Happy Few, in July 2013, preceded by the single "Long as the Sun". On October 27, 2014, they released their sixth studio album, Home Everywhere.

Legacy

Pitchfork has hailed Medicine as the closest thing to being an American answer to My Bloody Valentine.^[3]

In 2012, Captured Tracks reissued Medicine's first two albums, 1992's Shot Forth Self Living and 1993's The Buried Life, with bonus material and rarities, as part of their Shoegaze Archive series.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Shot Forth Self Living (Def American/Creation, 1992)
• The Buried Life (American, 1993)
• Her Highness (American, 1995)
• The Mechanical Forces of Love (Wall of Sound/Astralwerks, 2003)
• To the Happy Few (Captured Tracks, 2013)
• Home Everywhere (Captured Tracks, 2014)

Singles and EPs

• "Aruca" (Creation 1992)
• "5ive" (Creation, 1993)
• "Never Click" (Beggars Banquet, 1993)
• Sounds of Medicine EP (American, 1994)
• "Time Baby 3" (American, 1994)
• "Candy Candy" (American, 1995)
• "Off the Vine" double 7" (Ectoplasm, 1995)
• Wet on Wet EP (Wall of Sound, 2002)
• "I Smile to My Eyes" (Wall of Sound, 2003)
• "As You Do" (Wall of Sound, 2004)
• "Time Baby 2" (Captured Tracks, 2011)
• "Long as the Sun" (Captured Tracks, 2013)

Live Albums

• Always Starting to Stop (Captured Tracks, 2012)
• In Session (Captured Tracks, 2013)

Compilations

• Remains 1992-1995 (self-released, 2011)
• Box Set (Captured Tracks, 2012)

Compilation appearances

• "Miss Drugstore" on Creation: Indie-Pop's Been Good to Us (Indiecator, 1992)
• "Never Click" on Particle Theory (Warner Bros., 1993)
• "Time Baby III" on The Crow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Atlantic, 1994)
• "Slut" on The Doom Generation - Music from the Motion Picture (American, 1995)
• "One More Night" on Tigerbeat6 Inc. (Tigerbeat6, 2001)
• "I Smile To My Eyes" on Labels Series (Labels, 2003)
• "As You Do" and "I Smile to My Eyes (Themroc Mix)" on Off The Wall - 10 Years of Wall Of Sound (Wall of Sound, 2003)
• "Live It Down" on Musique Dessinee 01 - Just A Groove! (2006, Production Dessinée)

References

External links

• Medicine Unofficial Website
• Medicine Article
• Lopez Beatles