Nukleopatra is the sixth studio album from British synth-pop band Dead or Alive, first released in Japan in 1995 by Epic Records. Nukleopatra was subsequently issued by several different labels in different territories, with varying track listings, timings and artwork.
In the early-1990s, Burns and Coy signed with Pete Waterman's PWL Records and work was started on new tracks co-written and produced by Mike Stock. The sessions were aborted when Stock abruptly quit over his dissatisfaction with his share of publishing royalties on the new material.[3]
Work on new material recommenced at PWL with Barry Stone taking over co-production duties and the project now funded by Sony Japan.[3] The first release was a cover version of David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel", released as a single under the name International Chrysis - named after the late transsexual nightclub performer. An initial version of the track, featuring new lyrics written by Burns, was blocked by Bowie - who legally denied permission to use new lyrics, and unsuccessfully requested the track not be covered by the band at all.[3] The extra lyrics were then used for the album opener "Nukleopatra".
Several of the tracks on Nukleopatra were re-written, re-recorded or remixed versions of songs from Fan the Flame (Part 1), which had then only been released in Japan, and the unfinished Fan the Flame (Part 2). Burns had also collaborated with the Italian Eurodance-duo Glam to produce the single "Sex Drive", which was re-recorded for inclusion on Nukleopatra. In 1997, Burns claimed that some of the song covers were included as "album fillers", when studio time to write new material was cut short as "the record label started to fall to bits".[4]
The album was initially released by different labels in various territories between 1995 and 1998. The band claimed that Pete Waterman refused their request to use Paul Oakenfold and other remixers to work on further singles, as he had wanted to write and produce for the band himself.[3]