Red Medicine

Red Medicine is the fourth studio album by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi, released on June 12, 1995, by Dischord Records.

Red Medicine
Studio album by Fugazi
Released	June 12, 1995
Recorded	January–February 1995
Studio	Inner Ear Studios, Arlington Guilford House, Guilford
Genre	Post-hardcore noise rock art punk experimental rock
Length	43:48
Label	Dischord
Producer	Fugazi
Fugazi chronology
In on the Kill Taker (1993) Red Medicine (1995) End Hits (1998)

Background

On Red Medicine, Fugazi began to move into more experimental styles of music, including noise punk, psychedelia ("By You") and dub ("Version").[1]

Writing and recording

The group began work on Red Medicine in 1994, after touring in support of In on the Kill Taker. The writing of the album involved several months of jam sessions and recording at Guilford House, a secluded country estate located in Guilford, Connecticut.

The album's recording sessions took place from January to February 1995 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. The band worked with the engineer Don Zientara, but did not choose to work with the producer Ted Niceley again. Fugazi opted to retreat from the in-your-face production values of In on the Kill Taker and instead worked to create an ambient sound which would display greater depth. To achieve this, the band handled the production themselves and, in doing so, became more confident with in-studio experimentation.[2] This is evident in the incorporation of short, sampled segues, ("Do You Like Me", "Birthday Pony"), instruments such as the clarinet (as heard on "Version"), and alternate tunings used on songs such as "Latest Disgrace" and "By You".[1] Footage of the band both writing and recording the album can be seen in the film Instrument.

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Chicago Tribune	[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
The Great Rock Discography	6/10[6]
MusicHound Rock	3/5[7]
Music Story	[8]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[9]
Rolling Stone	[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Spin	7/10[11]

The album was a critical success: Mark Kemp of Rolling Stone called the album "rock solid".[1] Andy Kellman of AllMusic wrote, "With more drive and playful goings-on, the arrangements sound much looser than on Kill Taker, while remaining just as gut-kicking and brainy."[3]

Pitchfork put the album at number 42 in its "Top 100 Albums of the 90s".[12]

Tour

Fugazi embarked on an extensive worldwide tour in support of the album, performing a total of 172 dates between March 1995 and November 1996.[13][14]

Covers

Both Refused[15] and No Knife[16] covered "Bed for the Scraping". Red Hot Chili Peppers play "Latest Disgrace" as the introduction to "Parallel Universe" on their Live at Slane Castle video.[17]

Track listing

All songs by Guy Picciotto, Ian MacKaye, Joe Lally, and Brendan Canty.

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Do You Like Me"	Picciotto	3:16
2.	"Bed for the Scraping"	MacKaye	2:50
3.	"Latest Disgrace"	Picciotto	3:34
4.	"Birthday Pony"	MacKaye	3:08
5.	"Forensic Scene"	Picciotto	3:05
6.	"Combination Lock"		3:06
7.	"Fell, Destroyed"	Picciotto	3:46
8.	"By You"	Lally	5:11
9.	"Version"		3:20
10.	"Target"	Picciotto	3:32
11.	"Back to Base"	MacKaye	1:45
12.	"Downed City"	Picciotto	2:53
13.	"Long Distance Runner"	MacKaye	4:17

Personnel

• Ian MacKaye – guitar, composer, vocals
• Guy Picciotto – guitar, clarinet, composer, vocals
• Joe Lally – bass guitar, composer, vocals
• Brendan Canty – drums, composer

Technical

• Jem Cohen – cover art, photography
• Sly Dunbar – composer
• Fugazi – cover art, mixing, photography, primary artist
• Joey P. – photography
• Robbie Shakespeare – composer
• Don Zientara – engineer

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1995	Billboard 200	126

References

1. Kemp, Mark (July 13, 1995). "Red Medicine". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
2. "Interview with Guy Picciotto of Fugazi (2001)". Morphizm. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
3. Kellman, Andy. "Red Medicine – Fugazi". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
4. Roth, Jason (July 13, 1995). "Fugazi: Red Medicine (Dischord)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
5. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Fugazi". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
6. Martin C. Strong (1998). The Great Rock Discography (1st ed.). Canongate Books. ISBN 978-0-86241-827-4.
7. Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
8. "Red Medicine". Retrieved April 18, 2020.
9. DeLuca, Dan (July 2, 1995). "Fugazi: Red Medicine (Dischord)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
10. Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Fugazi". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 315–16. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
11. Strauss, Neil (September 1995). "Fugazi: Red Medicine". Spin. Vol. 11 no. 6. p. 111. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
12. "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. November 17, 2003. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
13. Angela Lewis, "pop", The Independent, 12 May 1995. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
14. ^ a b c d Perlah, Jeff. Guitar World. March 2002.
15. "Refused "My War" (Black Flag cover) / "Bed for the Scraping" (Fugazi cover) (live video)". Exclaim. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
16. "Various - Everybody Wants Somewhere: A Tribute To Fugazi". Discogs. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
17. "Red Hot Chili Peppers - Live At Slane Castle". Discogs. Retrieved March 7, 2019.