Garbage

This blew my expectations away. I only knew Only Happy When It Rains going in, and I don’t care for it. And honestly, the opening track was a snoozer. But goddamn, every other song. Just. Fucking. SLAPPED. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard alt rock blend genres like trip hop and industrial so masterfully into their sound. The songs are catchy, edgy, sexy. It’s a masterpiece of songwriting. Garbage absolutely does NOT live up to their name.

Not garbage! This Aussie gives it four Anzac biscuits out of five.

Like to say there's something important happening musically in this album, which did go Platinum in the US...so they must have done something right in connecting to the disaffected youth of the 90s? Garbage the band was apparently the "brainchild" of Butch Vig and Duke Erikson - Vig went onto produce Nirvana's Nevermind album, and the album's most well known track, Stupid Girl, borrows drums from The Clash's Train in Vain, and baselines from Credence Clearwater Revivial's Susie Q. But great music transcends time and makes you feel something. This album contains glimmers of genuine cool, but at its worst, is crass commercialisation of anti-establishment sentiment that makes me want to skip most of the tracks. Overall? More mash than bangers....skip this Garbage.

i forgot how many bangers garbage have. very strong album that.

I was aware of Garbage growing up, knew the singles, but never had their albums or followed them. I'd assumed they were all scottish and part of the brit pop scene. Definitely higher quality tunes here than the glut of 90s alternative rock bands. Bit of trip-hop vibes in some tunes like 'as heaven is wide'. 'Stupid girl' is still great.

Not bad, absolutely fine to have playing during work. But there's nothing remarkable about it either. And I don't think I could listen to much more of them than this album at a time without getting restless.

I remember when this came out and it felt fake from the get-go. I was 11 at the time so I couldn’t articulate it back then, but looking back now (and having just read Wikipedia) I know: it was pop music pretending to be alternative, complete with an imitation Courtney Love shoe-horned in at the last minute. But just like Linkin Park a few years later, the approach worked – Garbage sold millions and millions of albums. But 27 years later, none of it holds up. By the metrics we look back on the 90s that this could be measured against - pop, grunge and britpop - it comes across as fucking BLAND, overly long and full of manufactured Gen X cynicism. Basically no redeeming features or staying power. 1/5.

Rarely have I heard an album that blends similar genres in a way that the feel seamless as they intertwine. The influences of Shoegaze, Noise Pop, Industrial, Grunge and mainly Alternative Dance with Alternative Rock as the main genre creates a sound that makes you wonder if the description one person gives will be same the next will give it. Either way, this album is great introduction to a more hazy and noisy sound that, while not being as great as let's say "loveless" by mbv, has a much lower entry bar that might help people understand the greatness of said record when they haven't really set foot into mbv's extremely shoegazey and noisy sound sound. The opening track 'Supervixen' already gets you into the hazy and sometimes dreamy mood that still shares a lot of elements with Dance music that make you feel like you've been put on both ecstasy and LSD on the same time. I especially like the very shoegazey moments that explode out of thin air all over the song. With 'Queer' a slightly Trip Hop inspired sound appears and the shoegaze vanishes. But that allows the song to have a very strong chorus that shares some industrial elements as well. The guitar after the second chorus comes out of nothing and really makes this song a highlight on the album. 'Only Happy When It Rains' is one of the best known songs on the album and I do really like the grunge inspired crunchy guitar that really drives the song through out and the chorus is also really catchy but the longer the song goes on the more uninteresting it becomes after a while. The song 'As Heaven Is Wide' goes a very different direction with a more electronic and sample style sound that still works as a very dancey song with a lot of focus on drums and bass. While the sound they create might be something really different and forward thinking, it isn't as interesting as previous songs. 'Not My Idea' is one of the noisiest songs on the album and they perform that really well. The jarring guitar that appears throughout the song really sets a tone that is alternated with a more casual chorus. The song generally has a lot of dynamic and melodic changes that make it sound very special although like songs before, looses its interest after a while. A more psychedelic approach has 'A Stroke of Luck' that combines sounds from Trip Hop and Dream Pop with Grunge and Industrial parts to create a very mysterious and nocturnal sound. The second half of the album starts with 'Vow', a return to the Noise Pop and Shoegaze style that although I like the sound of the instrumental, gets ruined for me as I really do not like the vocal performance on this song. But as much as I do not like the vocals, the better is the guitar bridge which makes me really conflicted on this one. 'Stupid Girl' is another highlight of the album for many. Although the structure is something heard a million times before, the chorus is incredible once it starts. The continuing build-up really works to make the song feel organic and different for the most but not all the way. I like the electronic moments on 'Dog New Tricks' but I feel like the song had much more potential that wasn't build on enough. The hazy sound is done very well and it's much more dynamic than 'Stupid Girl' and I prefer it too but I still feel like they could've done more with the song than they ended up doing. 'My Lover's Box' might be interesting to some but it is not to me. The song just flows past my ears without sticking. The chorus is quite nice but that makes up a total of like 45 seconds in the whole song so I am not very fond of this one. A similar problem has 'Fix Me Now' although I like the chorus much more once it's actually there but considering it takes half the song the make it remotely interesting, the song just isn't as great as a lot of other songs even if the chorus is one of my favourites on here. It's the rest that makes it uninteresting. Closing track 'Milk' is the only song that is fundamentally different as it takes a very ethereal wave and electronic sound with typical Trip Hop drums. But all that makes it for me the best song on the album. It is just so beautifully dark and well... ethereal. The (I think) mellotron sample that reminds me a bit of Strawberry Fields Forever just adds to that. favourites: Milk, Queer, Supervixen, Only Happy When It Rains least favourites: My Lover's Box, Vow, Fix Me Now Rating: decent 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

3 Americans and 1 Brit bridge the Britpop divide, packed with actual hits and could-have-been hits. But has the studio wizardry that sounded futuristic at the time dated? A little. And is not the follow up Version 2.0 even better? I think so. A strong 4.

Like the Gorillaz LP I wasn’t too crazy about the opening track but loved it after that. The song intros are catchy – they drag you in quickly. The band has a good ear for new-wavy pop riffs - with some distorted guitar thrown in. I like the balance of guitar vs electronic beats, and the fact that they can jump back and forth seamlessly between rockers to a more trip-hoppy feel. It was a good idea to recruit Shirley Manson on vocals - she’s quite versatile and varies her style nicely with each change of pace. It seems like all members contribute to the song writing which is good because it doesn’t bore you after a half dozen songs, in fact my favourite might be the last one, Milk (not sure if this is the Tricky production or not). A 9/10 for me.

Thick with the sort of 90s-00s edgy grime that rests upon the windowsill holding a copy of Underworld and Vampire: The Masquerade. Love it.

For whatever reason I havent really connected with Garbage. There’s some solid music here but I still feel kind of meh about it

Probably deserves a better rating from me for the extreme competence of the execution but in the end there's something a little too calculated in this, finely engineered to be a hitmaker of its era. The petulant lyrical sensibility (so exactly summarized by the album's biggest hit) is all the more eye-rolling for this blatant pop pandering.

I avoided this when it came out, assuming it was a half-baked dull grunge-adjacent cash in. Once again, my jaundice bats 1.000! Snoozey college rock tunes, clumsy mild-dominatrixy lyrics sung a bit off-key, no respite from the pleasantly mild trip-hop shadow beats throughout - music for people who found "Nevermind" a bit too intense but liked the T-shirts, appropriate given Butch Vig's role in the whole affair. How would you describe it: refuse, rubbish, scrap, trash...?

Garbage is exactly that, garbage. I hate to be so basic in my review and say the very obvious thing, but it's not just obvious in this case, it's resoundingly true. This is one of those bands that I skip when they come up in playlists or change the station on the radio for. I hate their sound, I hate the singing. The lyrics are all such whiny pathetic attempts to be the "edgy cool girl". "I'm only happy when it rains" - oh how pithy! how unique you are! *eyeroll*. This is the lowest point of 90s alt rock for me. I tried going into this with a more open mind today, to see if some of the deeper cuts annoyed me less than the singles, but it truly was all GARBAGE.

This was very refreshing to get right after Permission to Land and Appetite for Destruction, they've aged like avocado, Garbage's self-titled has aged like cognac. Garbage's strength is their unique sound that blends influences from 90s genres like grunge, shoegaze, noise pop, industrial rock, baggy/alt dance, IDM electronica, and even grebo. I don't think any other band really sounds like them, even though they fit snug into the generic "alternative rock" label. Shirley Manson is an extremely talented vocalist who's sultry but depressed vocals fit well with the rest of the band's music.

I had a crush on Shirley Manson in the 90s, but in hindsight, I think I probably had a raging erection for Butch Vig and his music production. Might still do.

My 90s rock nostalgia bias strikes again! Come to think of it, I enjoyed it more now than I did back then.

This remains one of my favourite albums of all time. So much raw energy and anger, the guitar is aggressively delicious and I can't get over how good the lyrics are.

I forgot to write this review last night, which tells us something. I associate Garbage with a mini-movement of bands that took the beigest elements of trip-hope - the beigest genre- and slapped them on watered down grunge or shoegaze (Sneaker Pimps for the former, Curve for the latter), and bored me. A couple of ok singles, I guess, and a wash of beige.

Now we're talking. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. A full 51 minutes of nonstop bangers. There's so many different genres thrown into this thing that you'd think the end product would be an unfocused mess, but every single song lands, is distinct from one another and nothing feels out of place or boring. Okay, maybe a part of that is my nostalgia talking, but this album is definitely not garbage (world's most original joke). The best songs are "Supervixen", "Queer", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Stupid Girl", "Milk". Can't narrow it down more than that.

Easily my favorite female vocal lead. Another ultimate perfect album. Wish I could add every song to my playlist. One of my easiest 5’s! 1. Only Happy When It Rains 2. Queer 3. Vow 4. Stupid Girl 5. Supervixen The whole damn album is a banger!

LOVED oldschool garbage. My brother used to listen to them and the cranberries and so I was very much so indoctrinated at an early age.

There were a lot of interesting things happening in music in the 90’s. Here’s an album of soulless manufactured copies of some of those interesting things.

These guys and gals are from Madison so I was prepared to be generous. But no. “Stupid Girl” seemed like it has some fun hooks, I guess, but the rest was pretty unlistenable.

5. This might just be my favourite album ever.

Awesome from beginning to end. One of my favorite albums of all time!

soooooooo good

Exactly my style.

one of the best records in th world

Awesome guitar. Fave track = Supervixen, the opener.

Fantastic album start to finish. Never listened to anything except the two main hits. This was a surprise 5* for me

MMMMM this feels like mid 90s alt comfort food. Stupid Girl partial writing credit is Joe Strummer from The Clash! Queer is an excellent song. Only Happy When It Rains is another great track.

An album of excellence. 25 years later (has it really been that long?) and it's still just as fresh as it was in the mid-90's. Not one week track or filler. Albums don't get any better.

Allein für „Milk“ wären schon fünf Sterne verdient.

Aunque afloje de repente.

This album took me back to my junior high days- LOVE.

"Disco Techs and the Sex-O-Lette"? Harsh but fair. Bitch Vig produced some of the biggest and most influential and best sounding albums of the height of grunge; Nevermind, Dirty, Gish, Siamese Dreams, Bricks Are Heavy (and, for an obscure Australian connection, Feedtime's Suction). But I think he and his production mates looked at the music industry and saw ripe pickings. They could take their innovative production chops and alternative taste to craft pop music with some real edge. Being a bit older and experienced, they realised two things; 1) they needed someone to front the project and 2) what traps to avoid. The secret sauce is Shirley Manson. She is an incredibly charismatic and compelling front person, and brought an edge to the material and the presentation that cannot be under-estimated. Her input to lyrics and vocal hooks are excellent, but the real trick is her understanding of the visual aspect. The singles from this album all sound great on radio, but they really pop as videos. I remember being slightly surprised that Garbage were a pop act, given Vig's production credits, but found myself humming along on the radio or when I saw them on music TV. I have never owned this record, but I remember nearly half the album from nearly 30 years ago, which is quite a testimony to the hooks and melodies. Garbage weren't the first band to fuse alternative rock and dance pop beats (think Curve, Madchester, MBV remixes, Primal Scream, or even U2's Achtung Baby), but were one of the first to achieve commercial success as more than an outlier. I think it's because they really are a pop band that used those alternative influences, kind of like a Eurythmics or Depeche Mode for the late 90s. I hear My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, Public Enemy, trip hop and a host of noisy bands polished up and incorporated into a commercially palatable form, with high quality toplining. Depeche Mode is probably the closest model; mopey semi-goth lyrics on pop songs you can dance to. They also used a similar production technique of throwing a bazillion ideas to tape and then filtering out an arrangement in the mix. Is it a coopting of those influences, just a cynical cash-in, sell-out? It's hard to tell in a period when major record labels were strip-mining to alternative music scene as the next big thing. And Garbage's signature quality was irony, which furthers muddies the waters. Can you tell if they really mean anything they do or say? Is Manson's sexualised presentation a form of powerful self-expression and feminine power, or is it a willingness to be exploit sexuality for commercial gain? She has repeated a story of a record exec telling her that he masturbated to her picture, but I can't tell from her telling whether she thinks this is a good or bad thing, an example of sexual harrassment or proof positive of her power over this man? Maybe both. Similarly, is the music of Garbage just a cynical cash-in or a triumph of alternative tastemakers in a corrupt industry? Garbage certainly enjoyed the trappings of industry success (big advances and recording budgets and tours and photo shoots and million dollar videos) while it lasted. This S/T record is a terrific pop record, with five or six really strong a memorable tunes, and the production method and incorporation of alternative sounds has been massively influential. You still hear echoes of this in pop music today. Personally, I find the band's irony (bordering on sarcasm) a bit mean and hard to really love. But I have been surprised at how strong the album is and how much I enjoyed listening to it. It has really held up over the decades, which can be especially hard in the pop genre. Four stars.

It was not garbage!

30 seconds in I had completely fallen in love with Supervixen. My first time listening to Garbage and I really loved it. I also have Dinosaur Jrs first album 4*, and I think this one is better. There is more variety and experiment with the music. However I’m still not sure it quite hits 5*

"Nice T Shirt" I was at the London Astoria to see the Rapture, it was their first UK show and I was keen to see the after hearing their incredible single, House of Jealous Lovers. They were playing a club night and I arrived with a friend and handed in my jacket to the person who managed the cloakroom. "Thanks", I replied. looking down at my Garbage T Shirt. I wasn't much of a fan, but at the time I worked for their record label and it was a promotional only shirt. I said as much to the pretty girl with the Australian accent who was giving me a raffle ticket so i could claim my coat later. "If you give me your address I'll send you one". She did. And I did. And that is where I met Alicia. The girl who was to become my first girlfriend. She loved Garbage. And I loved her.

Time travel to the 90s with me as we listen to the soundtrack of ennui, brought to you by Garbage.

This album felt a little bit overproduced, but it was definitely solid and a unique sound, especially for its era. I obviously knew a few of the singles from the record, but it was interesting to hear some of the lesser known tracks and recognize the emphatic sound behind them that was consistent from track to track. Overall a solid 90s record worth revisiting in small doses

The wheels had started coming off the early 90’s alt-rock insurgency by 1995. By then, the music industry had well and truly figured out how to turn the sounds of the American underground into a formulaic and marketable product. So it should come as no surprise that a band helmed by Butch Vig, the producer of some of the early 90’s biggest and biggest sounding alt-rock records (Nevermind, Siamese Dream, Sonic Youth’s “Dirty”), would be able to put together a record that would end up being a well executed shiny, synthetic hit. It’s a great sounding record, with a couple extremely popular hits, but aside from those hits, Garbage’s debut might make you wonder: if this wasn’t Butch Vig’s band, would they have been able to obtain the same level success?

Sounds very mid 90s. Shirley Manson’s voice is fairly distinctive. They sounded like a more poppy version of Hole on some songs.

This his some good spots and a some bad spots for me. The singles were ubiquitous in my teen years as Shirley was scottish so Garbage were claimed as one of ours even though they are an american band playing american rock. Shirley herself was responsible for scarousing many teenage boys and i was one of them. The second half of the album showcases the songwriting chops of the band and there are some good tracks. However there is a lot of this that strikes me as bland 90's american college rock of which ive had my fill. This genre for a brit is the equivalent on this list of the americans who complain about too much british indie. Ive struggled through pixies, janes addiction and this and it just bores me generally

A burning pile of soulless toxic waste polluting the airways.

Dull, tuneless, fake.

Blending 90s pop with 90s alternative in such a accessible way is what made this album a breakthrough in the 90s and it's still what keeps it fresh to this day. -Germ Never listened to the album in full, but it's just banger after banger. Singer is amazing, and the band manages to blend so many genres and makes each one their own. - mitona

Oh I love this album

How did I only know one song from this album? I love it. Garbage provides charismatic vocal delivery layered over dark, hazy atmosphere. And the blending of genres stops it from being repetetive. The first half flies by effortlessly, and though the second does drag a bit, I'm willing to ignore it. Also, having Only Happy When It Rains in such a gloomy album is an ironic statement of respectable proportions.

Solid record! Hadn’t listened to it in ages, lots of bangers

grandios

This is a classic album from my teenage youth. "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and "Stupid Girl" are phenomenal singles, the opening track "Supervixen" is the perfect start and final song "Milk" is a magnificent come-down. The album is meaty and powerful. Love it as much as I did in my teens.

Only happy when it rains: definitive.

I have always been a fan of Garbage but this entire album was such a treat. 21 tracks too!

love this album so much. They were the opener at my 2nd concert. Opened for The Smashing Pumpkins in 1996. The crowd went wild when her mic stand with the pink thing on it came out. It’s just as good now as it was then.

Amor por los 90

funkily rollicking melancholic psychedelic grunge pop

This is an album that I will keep on repeat! Pop rock from 90s with interesting lyrics an intense rhythmic

Fantastic album. There was something different about them when they showed up. Great sound, groovy basslines.

This kicked off a whole afternoon of ‘95/‘96 albums that were great. I forgot that the non-hits on this are sometimes better than the hits.

Great

I love the slight noise/industrial sound of this album.

Love this album. Five count en five stars

Absolute banger. What they mean when they say all killer no filler. Their most famous hits are on here but don't sleep on the other songs on this album. It's all greatness.

This was fantastic. Such a different sound.

Hard rocking.

Queer

I really enjoyed this.

Fav: Queer; Only Happy When it Rains; Not My Idea; Vow; Dog New Tricks; Fix Me Now

Garbage (1995) is an easy 5/5 for me. I was 15 when it came out, and it instantly became one of those albums that helped shape my taste and outlook. It was sleek, dark, sarcastic, and seductive, capturing the exact mix of rebellion, emotional intensity, and self-awareness I was beginning to explore. My best friends were obsessed with it too, and we kept it in rotation well into our university years. The production is pristine but gritty, full of layered loops, grunge guitars, and trip-hop textures that made the entire sound feel addictive and slightly dangerous. A huge part of that is Butch Vig. As both producer and drummer, he built the album with obsessive attention to detail, blending grit with polish in a way that gave it lasting edge. Shirley Manson’s presence is magnetic. She moves effortlessly between icy detachment and raw confession. At the time, she was everything: smart, tough, sexy, and completely uninterested in being likable. The lyrics struck a nerve, walking a line between nihilism and vulnerability. Lines like “Do you have an opinion? A mind of your own?” felt like a direct challenge. The sound doesn't stay in one lane either. It pulls from alt-rock, industrial, shoegaze, electronica, and pop, blending them seamlessly. This was moody music you could dance to, scream to, or just get lost in, and that emotional versatility is exactly why it still resonates.

Legit one of my favorite albums of all time. When I first saw them in concert I thought I was just taking Jenny to go see a concert that she liked but when I saw them I was blown away. I honestly wasn't sure how they were making all the sounds that they were making on stage. It was amazing. I really enjoy the soft music and then they hit that wall of guitars. You can tell the drummer is an amazing producer as well as a musician. He produced many amazing albums from the 90s including Nevermind.

Still really good all these years later.

Pozitivno iznenađenje. Ne samo da singlovi nisu jedine odlične pjesme, nego možda ima i nekih sporednih podjednako dobrih ili boljih. Izuzetno ujednačen i kvalitetan album.

Call me a racoon because I love Garbage. Where has Garbage been all my life? Give me more Garbage.

Una cazzo di hit

Absolute classic. Loved it throughout my youth already.

Maybe the best 90’s alt/grunge album I’ve listened to.

A true gem of the 90s!

Debut Album? Did not know that, but no matter ... it's good! This could be/should be somewhere in my regular rotation. I did have the pleasure of seeing them in concert, with my daughter!!!

Day 4. I feel weird giving 2 albums a 5 star in a row. I was listening to this album trying to find a single reason why it shouldn't be 5 stars, but I couldn't. First of all, I am completely unfamiliar with "Garbage" save for an old Guitar Hero cover, so I had no idea what I was getting into with this. What I got was an album without a single bad song. It's a freaking Grunge band with a Scottish Female singer, what a crazy combination!! My personal favorite song on this album is "Queer". When an album is so good that it makes you do a deep dive on the entire band, you know you've done well. Way to go Garbage!!

'If flesh could crawl My skin would fall From off my bones and run away from here' Best lyrics of this whole album.

I love female vocalists for rock bands it’s like peace on earth

Really fucking good. I didnt get the first half or so, but the back half opened my mind up. Thumb emoji. Makes me miss Nat and Diana.

Great Friday listen. I don’t have to think much about the rating, for this is one of my favorite albums from the mid-90s. Top Tracks: Supervixen Queer Only Happy When It Rains Not My Idea Stupid Girl 9/10

I was intimidated by the length of this album before I listened but now I just want more and more.

One of the first albums I bought for myself, have always always loved it

5. Top!

i think if you replaced shirley Manson with a dude i would hate this so maybe I'm just a misandrist

Stupid Girl 😍😍

I swear that music peaked twice in recent history. First, in the 60’s-70’s folk singer songwriters (which tends to be generally loved) and then again with 90’s alt rock (which doesn’t get as much love at it deserves!). I love the whole sound that comes from this album. The music can get crunchy at times but holds back when it benefits the song. The vocals are wonderfully apathetic in sound. It only took a couple of songs for me to know this was going to score very highly, and the rest of the album held true.

Hell yeah, I do listen to garbage. Garbage to idealne połączenie brudu i przebojowości, alternatywy i popu, melancholii i zadziorności. Shirley Manson hipnotyzuje swoim głosem – czasem chłodnym, czasem pełnym ukrytej wrażliwości – podczas gdy warstwa muzyczna pulsuje industrialnym rytmem, grunge’owym brudem i elektroniką. Słabe 5

Fantastic from beginning to end. I've heard most of the songs before but as heaven is wide was new to me and might be my favorite garbage song now.

Yay I get to write the cliche album project comment!!! This is the reason I’m doing this, to discover these absolutely banging albums that I would never have heard otherwise. 5* babyyyyyy

very emotional, very magical. the last track got me in tears 100/10

Okay, look. I'm being aggressively subjective in my ratings. I'm not a professional music critic, I'm not preparing a chronicle of important developments in music history. I am but one middle-aged bisexual woman documenting her own personal taste. That said... You know how I figured out the bisexuality thing? The music videos for Only Happy When It Rains and Stupid Girl made me feel funny. The album with Queer on it helped me realize that I'm queer. This album is so significant to my personal history, I was honestly a bit surprised to see it come up in the generator! I love this album to bits, obviously. 30 years later my youthful crush on Shirley Manson has faded into a warm fuzzy memory, but the music will never get old. This is absolutely my idea of a good time.

Sounds like the perfect CD to throw on at a party in the 90's. Fucking banger rock/dance tracks. God damn so many bangers

huh jako zanimljiv album, prva je malo preintenzivna al dalje je worth another listen

What a vibe this album is! Not my go-to genre, but absolutely loved this. I'm not usually for high pitched female voices, which is why I contemplating giving it 4* but the fact I left them on for a solid hour longer than the album makes me bump it to a 5.