News

Placebo / RE:CREATED

‘Director’s Cut’ reissue of debut

By Jamie Atkins

Comments

32

Reworking of 1996 debut plus bonus tracks • Box set includes remixes, live tracks and demos

Placebo have announced a reworking of their 1996 self-titled album, due in June.

The London-based three-piece, led by Brian Molko, caused a stir in the mid-’90s with a couple of singles on indies (‘Bruise Pristine’ on a Fierce Panda split 7” and ‘Come Home’ on Deceptive) before signing to Virgin subsidiary Hut. Placebo’s glammed-up image, post-grunge riffs and Molko’s distinctive vocals (not to mention the singer’s talent for promotion) quickly earnt them a besotted fanbase and in 1997 they broke through, with the spikey and sassy ‘Nancy Boy’ reaching No 4 in the singles chart and helping their debut album to go platinum.

Thirty years on, the band have returned to Placebo to give the album’s 10 tracks, plus the original CD’s ‘secret track’ ‘HK Farewell’ and ‘Come Home’ B-side ‘Drowning By Numbers’, a sonic overhaul for RE:CREATED.

Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal explain, “We think of this record as a director’s cut. We haven’t recreated it from scratch. We went back to the original master tapes and brought 30 years of playing these songs live back into the record.

“This project was about finally finishing the record, dragging it into the 21st century sonically, while preserving the integrity and the spirit of the original. It’s not about improving it, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s about completing it.”

In terms of variants, the 2CD edition adds live tracks and demos on CD2, while a 2LP deluxe vinyl offers remixes on its second disc, along with a seven-inch single. A single vinyl LP is album-only but also comes with the seven-inch single. A Placebo store-exclusive box set offers everything across 3LPs, includes the seven-inch and adds a cassette with demos (same demos included on CD 2).

Completists may be disappointed that the dozen or so B-sides and mixes released across the album’s singles haven’t been included in any of the formats. Best keep hold of those CD singles / seven-inch singles / tapes a bit longer.

RE:CREATED is out 19 June 2026 via Elevator Lady.

Tracklisting

RE:CREATED Placebo /

    • LP1 – RE:CREATED
      Side One
      1. Come Home
      2. Teenage Angst
      3. Bionic
      4. 36 Degrees
      5. Hang On To Your IQ
      Side Two
      1. Nancy Boy
      2. I Know
      3. Bruise Pristine
      4. Lady of the Flowers
      5. Swallow
    • LP2 – Remixes
      Side One
      1. Bionic (Sirens 12” Club Mix)
      2. Bruise Pristine (Sirens legato Remix)
      Side Two
      1. Swallow (Sirens World of Shadows Remix)
      2. I Know (Sirens Triceps Are Better Remix)
      3. Lady of the Flowers (Electric Friends Remix)
    • 7″
      Side One
      1. Drowning By Numbers
      Side Two
      1. H.K. Farewell

Tracklisting

RE:CREATED Placebo /

    • LP1 – RE:CREATED
      Side One
      1. Come Home
      2. Teenage Angst
      3. Bionic
      4. 36 Degrees
      5. Hang On To Your IQ
      Side Two
      1. Nancy Boy
      2. I Know
      3. Bruise Pristine
      4. Lady of the Flowers
      5. Swallow

       

    • LP2 – Remixes
      Side One
      1. Bionic (Sirens 12” Club Mix)
      2. Bruise Pristine (Sirens legato Remix)
      Side Two
      1. Swallow (Sirens World of Shadows Remix)
      2. I Know (Sirens Triceps Are Better Remix)
      3. Lady of the Flowers (Electric Friends Remix)
    • LP3 – Live recordings and demos
      Side One
      1. Teenage Angst
      2. Nancy Boy
      3. Bruise Pristine
      4. Lady Of The Flowers
      Side Two
      1. Teenage Angst
      2. 36 Degrees
      3. Nancy Boy
      4. Bruise Pristine
      5. Swallow
    • 7″
      Side One
      1. Drowning By Numbers
      Side Two
      1. H.K. Farewell
    • Cassette – Demos
      1. Teenage Angst
      2. 36 Degrees
      3. Nancy Boy
      4. Bruise Pristine
      5. Swallow

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

32 Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
32 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments