“C’mon baby, can you bleed like me?”
Garbage‘s Bleed Like Me is one of the many pivotal records that helped to inform my music taste in high school.
From the very first part-menacing, part-alluring purr of “I’ve got a fever, come check it and see…” from Shirley Manson off the top of the record’s “Boy Boyfriend,” I was hooked.
I don’t remember which track first caught my attention. Might have been “Why Do You Love Me” or “Bleed Like Me.” It’s a little surprising now that my preppy, Britney Spears-loving gay ass even gave Garbage a spin, but hey, looks can be deceiving. And thankfully, my taste evolved beyond the bubblegum.
Besides, at a time of Evanescence and Avril Lavigne, with all my pop girlies going rock at the time – Hilary Duff! Lindsay Lohan! Ashlee Simpson! – it was only a matter of time before I too became a rock chick.
Beyond the band’s gritty aesthetic, the snarling guitar riffs and pounding drums, the group’s catchy hooks should appeal to the ear of any discerning pop fan, and the poignant, jagged lyricism hits to the core. The subsequent deep dive into their discography, lyrical themes and interviews taught me that they’d already been standing alongside the societal outcasts for years, including the LGBTQ community (“Queer,” “Cherry Lips,” the list goes on), and that the outspoken frontwoman herself, Goddess that she is, is a singular rock heroine.
In any case: Bleed Like Me is now being made available on vinyl for the first time since its 2005 release, just shy of its 20th year anniversary.
The record was fully remastered and expanded, and will be released on April 5.
There are a variety of formats, including a 2-CD, a white vinyl, and a deluxe 2-LP red vinyl, and the reissue is set to include B-sides, rare tracks, remixes and alternate versions of tracks.
“This album was tricky to make and resulted in the band taking a 5-year hiatus shortly after it was released. However, over the years, it has become a mainstay of our discography, so we decided to finally make it available on vinyl due to the many pained pleas from our fans,” Shirley explained of the repackage in a statement.
This one’s a must. Check out the tracklistings for all of the formats below.
Pre-order Bleed Like Me on vinyl right here.
Bleed Like Me expanded reissue tracklistings:
2CD
CD1: original album remastered
Bad Boyfriend
Run Baby Run
Right Between the Eyes
Why Do You Love Me
Bleed Like Me
Metal Heart
Sex Is Not the Enemy
It’s All Over but the Crying
Boys Wanna Fight
Why Don’t You Come Over
Happy Home
CD2: B-Sides, Remixes and alternative versions
Space Can Come Through Anyone
Nobody Can Win
I Just Wanna Have Something to Do
Honeybee
Never Be Free
Badass (October 2003 Ruff Demo)
Tell Me Where It Hurts
Betcha
All The Good In This Life
Witness To Your Love
Bad Boyfriend (Sting Like a Bee Remix)
Bleed Like Me (Kuppers Klub Radio Edit)
Sex Is Not the Enemy (IL’s Vocal Mix)
Sex Is Not the Enemy (Devil’s Gun Circuit Sex Remix)
Never Be Free (Goth Mix)
Tell Me Where It Hurts (Belle de Jour Mix)
Witness To Your Love (Acoustic)*
2LP
Side A: original album remastered
Bad Boyfriend
Run Baby Run
Right Between the Eyes
Why Do You Love Me
Bleed Like Me
Metal Heart
Side B: original album remastered
Sex Is Not the Enemy
It’s All Over but the Crying
Boys Wanna Fight
Why Don’t You Come Over
Happy Home
Side C: B-Sides
Space Can Come Through Anyone
Nobody Can Win
I Just Wanna Have Something to Do
Honeybee
Never Be Free
Side D: B-Sides
Badass (October 2003 Ruff Demo)
Tell Me Where It Hurts
Betcha
All The Good In This Life
Witness To Your Love
1LP
Side A: original album remastered
Bad Boyfriend
Run Baby Run
Right Between the Eyes
Why Do You Love Me
Bleed Like Me
Metal Heart
Side B: original album remastered
Sex Is Not the Enemy
It’s All Over but the Crying
Boys Wanna Fight
Why Don’t You Come Over
Happy Home
DIGITAL HD/SD
Original album remastered
Bad Boyfriend
Run Baby Run
Right Between the Eyes
Why Do You Love Me
Bleed Like Me
Metal Heart
Sex Is Not the Enemy
It’s All Over but the Crying
Boys Wanna Fight
Why Don’t You Come Over
Happy Home
B-Sides, Remixes and alternate versions
Space Can Come Through Anyone
Nobody Can Win
I Just Wanna Have Something to Do
Honeybee
Never Be Free
Badass (October 2003 Ruff Demo)
Tell Me Where It Hurts
Betcha
All The Good In This Life
Witness To Your Love
Bad Boyfriend (Sting Like a Bee Remix)
Bleed Like Me (Kuppers Klub Radio Edit)
Sex Is Not the Enemy (IL’s Vocal Mix)
Sex Is Not the Enemy (Devil’s Gun Circuit Sex Remix)
Never Be Free (Goth Mix)
Tell Me Where It Hurts (Belle de Jour Mix)
Witness To Your Love (Acoustic)
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Photo credit: Frank Ockenfels III
