Some albums are so attached with their creator’s popularity, that when someone merely mentions their name, you immediately envision it. The case with Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind, Linkin Park’s 2000 album Hybrid Theory, among many others, when it comes to Alternative Rock’s Garbage chances are you think of their mega 1995 self-titled debut, as well as 1998’s Version 2.0. Two records that launched Garbage to the top of the Alternative Rock world, like many other artists, there are still other albums worthy of equal attention.
Case and point, let us not forget Garbage’s impressive 2001 effort Beautiful Garbage; which while not as commercial success as those that preceded, was no less impressive. An album full of quality tunes and one which kept the band moving forward, four years later in 2005 they put out the sometimes-overlooked Bleed Like Me. What was the band’s fourth overall studio album, it was also perhaps their most difficult.
In short, the band were running on empty after years of recording and touring; so, when it came time to begin work on Bleed Like Me in early 2003, the members were all in different places mentally. This, matched with the fact that Vocalist Shirley Manson had undergone surgery on her right vocal cord and was instructed to rest, all but halted all recording sessions. Fortunately, they were able to refocus and find the inspiration needed to complete the album in late 2004, planning for a release in the spring of 2005.
No doubt conceived under less-than-ideal circumstances, Bleed Like Me finally arrived on April 11, 2005 and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, on its way to selling 73,000 copies in its first week. Becoming Garbage’s first top-10 album on the chart, they embarked on some touring in support of the album, but by the late summer of that year, the band were all but completely drained. With the writing internally on the wall for some time coming, this led to an immediate hiatus. Disappointing to fans, but clearly understandable knowing the tension mounting between the band themselves, minus a brief return in 2007, Garbage was all but silent for five long years when they began recording some new music.
So, there is no arguing that Bleed Like Me is historically attached to some turbulent times for Garbage… ones which resulted in a 7-year gap between albums before the release of Not Your Kind of People in 2012. However, it is not to say that Shirley Manson, Steve Marker, Duck Erikson, and Butch Vig, among the others involved, are not proud of the material. In fact, they should be extremely proud of it; because it is one of those records that real fans seem to adore. Call what you will, maybe it is the stripped back Rock sound entwined in each song, or maybe it is just that they are that good, Bleed Like Me is one of those endeavors that has aged pretty well.
This in mind, due to the popular demand of fans, Garbage have decided to put out an expanded edition of Bleed Like Me in 2024. An exciting proposition, this expanded edition became available back on April 5th through Ume and includes the original album completely remastered, but also paired with slew of B-sides and alternative versions. A massive 28 tracks in total to digest, some highlights a part of this edition include the B-sides “Tell Me Where It Hurts” (which was on the 2007 compilation Absolute Garbage) “Never Be Free,” but also a really fantastic cover of Ramones’ “I Just Wanna Have Something To Do.” Beyond this, there is plenty more in the bonus material to stink your teeth into, but you simply cannot overlook the 2003 demo of “Badass” (originally on the 2005 maxi single of “Run Baby Run”).
In the end, this reissue is an absolute must have for Garbage fans everywhere. Moreover, the coolest aspect is not only can you find it on stream services, but if you are someone who truly appreciates actually having a physical copy of an album, you can pick it up as a 2CD set, or in vinyl for the first time ever! Looking at the vinyl pressing, you have the single 1LP white vinyl, or the highly recommended deluxe 2LP red vinyl. Pressed to a high-end 180-gram black wax, the sound is crisp and enclosed in an extremely high quality packaging.
Overall, everything discussed is why an investment in any format of the reissued Bleed Like Me is worth it, but you would be remiss not to invest in the 2CD set, or more so, one of the beautiful vinyl copies. That is why Cryptic Rock gives the deluxe expanded edition of Garbage’s Bleed Like Me 5 out of 5 stars.
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