This is a Random Album Generator.
Garbage
Garbage
1995
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For whatever reason I havent really connected with Garbage. There’s some solid music here but I still feel kind of meh about it
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.
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.
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.
Fantastic album start to finish. Never listened to anything except the two main hits. This was a surprise 5* for me
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.
Such a classic, hard hitting 90s sound. Feels very emblematic of its era without feeling dated. The vocals are just sex.
I fell in love to this album in highschool. Tiffany, the lead singer, and thinking for myself.
Amazing album. Slightly uneven around the "no my idea" mark, but finishes strong with an impressive number of just banger tracks. Holds up well 27 years later.
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.
I was very surprised by the quality of this record. It has a very interesting sound, and reading into the production really showed how great this band is. Their style is grunge, but stands out from the rest of the pack with their interesting and unique sounds, and sampling production. Hearing some of these foreign sounds puts you in the space they want you to be in, then they hit you with a crunchy guitar and a wall of sound. Pretty great stuff.
My 90s rock nostalgia bias strikes again! Come to think of it, I enjoyed it more now than I did back then.
Stimulating and moody at the same time, this is captivating indie/pop/rock with good vocals from Shirley Manson, brazen lyrics, some interesting sound effects, backwards guitar (plus some odd pauses in the middle a song). Tracks like 'As Heaven is Wide', 'A Stroke of Luck' and 'Dog New Tricks' have a woozy, discordant psychedelic edge and these are the more satisfying tracks. 'Stupid Girl' is the monster hit that any 90's teen will recognize. All in all, it's a worthwhile effort that neatly sums up all that was good about guitar based alternative/rock in the mid nineties.
This is an absolute top album for me. Didn't discover Garbage until the end of the 90s so I hadn't heard this album much.
Hot damn. What sn album. It's pop, it's industrial, it's perfect. I love the bendy blending of guitar and vocals.
Absolutely loved the 90's grunge vibe. Felt a lot like Eve 6 with the hard cuts in the sound of the music.
I'm assuming this is an iconic album for women's rights activists. I really enjoyed the stories that played along in the album.
Bien, muy bien. Garbage siempre ha sido una banda que disfruto, pero de la cual no me he hecho nunca fan. Shirley Manson me cae muy bien y este disco es agradable, con buenas dosis de rocksito. Además de las muy ubicadas "Only Happy When It Rains" y "Stupid Girl", me gustaron "Dog New Tricks" y "A Stroke of Luck" que tiene un ritmo considerablemente más lento a las demás. Y ese ambiente triphoposo-etéreo (?) de "Milk" también me gustó mucho para el cierre. Muy noventero todo. 8.5/10
Àlbum d'adolescència dels 90. El productor Butch Vig va buscar l'èxit comercial partint de les guitarres distorsionades que el grunge havia popularitzat tant, en bona part també gràcies a ell. La producció del disc és impecable, té una llarga llista de temazos, i segueix sonant a pop fresc i molt ben executat.
Bien, sonidos no propiamente limpios pero no sucios, un buen balance. Una vibra 90s af. Creo que las que más me gustaron fueron As Heaven is wide (porque tiene una ondita de metal industrial, literal me imaginé a Rammstein haciendo un cover, o a Garbage coverando a Rammstein) y Queer que es un sonidito distinto del resto del álbum, como más pop (?). Mood: muy limpio para que suene a basura.
I've only ever heard and enjoyed the singles before, so it was no surprise to discover this is a great rock/pop album, Shirley Manson has an excellent voice.
Presentación de Garbage, con toda la fuerza propia de un debut y ya poniendo sobre la mesa su sonido característico. Rompedor en su momento, alternativo y postgrunge, con una Manson vitamínica y potente. Nostalgia pura
Has not aged! Good hit singles, indie rock, super moody vocals and electronic programming too.
I like this album, the production sound is Nirvana-esque, obviously thanks to Butch Vig
Quintessential 90s alt-rock band uses quintessential 90s sounds: crunching loud-then-soft dynamics, beautiful melodies hidden in a hurricane of noise. Butch Vig knew all the sonic tricks and Shirley Manson was the perfect sexy-cool front woman. This album sounds even better now than I remembered from when it first came out.
I recognized a couple of songs off this that had radio play on a local alt station back in the 90's, name Only Happy When It Rains and Stupid Girl. Enjoyed listening to the whole album. Really did As Heaven as Wide which I hadn't heard before.
1 - Supervixen - Excellent - 👍 2 - Queer - Good - 👍 3 - Only Happy When It Rains - Good - 👍 4 - As Heaven Is Wide - Good - 👍 5 - Not My Idea - Ok - 👍 6 - A Stroke of Luck - Ok - 👍 7 - Vow - Ok - 👍 8 - Stupid Girl - Excellent - 👍 9 - Dog New Tricks - Ok - 👍 10 - My Lover's Box - Good - 👍 11 - Fix Me Now - Ok - 👍 12 - Milk - Excellent - 👍
I knew more of the songs than I thought I would! Great production but not a keeper for me.
Kind of grungy pop. First half of album much stronger than second. Really enjoyed it for something I'd never heard before
I liked “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” when it was on the radio, but it was a time when you had to buy the entire album for one song. I never got to know the rest of the album as a result, but I will probably enjoy it. To be honest, I don’t think I would have liked this back when it came out, but I definitely see it fitting into my music tastes at times now. It suits my mood today.
Not garbage. 🦧 A ferocious album that's both brutal and beautiful. If it was a footballer, it'd be Franck Ribery. SHACK has a cervix.
I’ve always enjoyed most of the singles I’ve heard from Garbage but this might be my first full album listen. It seems a lot less produced than their second album and DEFINITELY their third album which had some really candy pop singles. Definitely don’t have a problem with that. Fave tracks: “Queer” “Supervixen” “Stupid Girl”
This was a cool album with some really interesting guitar work and awesome vocals by Shirley Manson
This was certainly not garbage, in fact it was really good. I had never heard of Garbage before so i'm glad I got them today because I enjoyed this so much more than expected. It's hard for me to decide between a 3 or 4 star for this one. I'll go with a weak 4 star rating I think.
The name of the band and the music they put out are at odds with each other. This album is absolutely great. A bunch of really solid tracks combined with some monster hits. While not as solid as Version 2.0, I would be able to listen to this many more times over.
I didn't expect to like it, but it was a really enjoyable album minus one point for crappy band name.
A very good album. Pop...punk...indie...grunge...shoelace a little bit of everything I this one, including some excellent songs. Reminds me of The Darling Buds album; Erotica, which would be a 5 star album for me but does make this list. Anyway this one's a 4 🌟
FIVE HOURS?! I guess that's the delux edition with all the remixes. They will be interesting to hear
This is a 3.5 star album. I am going 4 because I was so pumped to see them last year with Liz Phair and Alanis. Stupid pandemic.
Hard to fault and even harder to find a reason not to give it five stars but couldn't quite get there. Heard a lot of Kirin J Callinan guitar licks throughout
4-; pretty good one, interesting melodies with really interesting solutions like in the opening track with those pauses, I like the vocals; album isn't samey, I enjoyed it
I vaguely knew Garbage from a few songs I heard in movie soundtracks. I didn't think I was going to like this album so much, but I did! Shirley Manson offers a beautiful vocal performance and the musical arrangements have something subtly unique. Very happy to have listened to this album.
Very nice album from my least favorite era. I definitely prefer their softest side, like shown on Milk.
Pretty good, I liked a few songs, others were a bit forgettable but nothing inherently bad with it.
Brought back great memories of my childhood in the 90s. Some absolute bangers on this album!
Not sure if it's the nostalgia talking but I thought this was a really strong album. A couple of songs didn't do it for me but overall it's a hell yes.
This is just okay for me. I prefer the grungier side of the 90s over the industrial/alternative side of it. But there are a few quality tunes.
90s Grunge, not bad, has a time and place, but a lot sounded the same. Stupid Girl is a great song and the single off of the album and I like the overall theme, but not a musical grand masterpiece.
Pleasantly surprised by this, not skim instant classic but got really into a couple of the tracks.
Sometimes I felt like the lyrics were just like... too 90s for me. It was strange, some songs seemed really self-aware, and others seemed a little too edgy for me. I also noticed there were a few tracks where I really liked a particular section, and then it cut in with some guitar that spoiled it for me. Like "Fix Me Now". Overall, 3/5 for me! :)
Very 90s, but not bad. It makes me want to watch a movie about teen punks or something. Didn't listen to the whole thing though.. Needed a break after a while.
Panicking right now cos I listened to this maybe twice and I can't remember anything about it. Does that mean its garbage? It was very 90s. As someone else said it was like No Doubt (but not quite as good). Just not massively my thing I guess
It’s fine. Paved the way for some other female-fronted alternative/rock bands in a scene that was decidedly male-dominated. In terms of the actual music, I was never that big a fan.
3.8 - Right in my 90s music periphery growing up. I've always loved the radio hits, "Queer", "Only Happy...", "Stupid Girl." The album lies at the cross-section of many genres of that moment - electronic, grunge, breakbeat, trip hop. Shirley Manson cuts a convincing frontman both in terms of vocals and appearance. But really Butch Vig as producer/drummer is the MVP here, synthesizing a sound that's slick, durable and diverse enough to remain current 25 years later.
decent album but not really of any distinction from other rock bands of the same period. nice to listen to though
Brings back memories, but it’s not exactly my cup of tea. It’s bearable (and even enjoyable), but I don’t see myself searching for this on Spotify again.
3 stars. I do not feel like I need to listen to this album again. I think that the album touches several different styles with different songs. For example, comparing Milk and Only Happy When It Rains. To me this does a great job capturing the start of the female lead soft punk/pop bands that developed in the mid 90's. This band fills a similar niche to No Doubt (with Gwen Stefani), but doesn't do nearly as good a job.
Actually liked this WAY more than I thought I would. Has that specific style/feel, but it's not bad.
this is a very shiny pop album masquerading as something it never was - music for girls at the front of the city hall. Accessible but angsty enough - built for singles by butch vig - never hated this back in the day and still don’t ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this album -I'm a sucker for female pop/rock (it all started with P!nk). It was varied and felt like the sort of thing that would have made me feel powerful had I heard it earlier in life when I had more feelings. Particularly liked 'queer', wonder if this was at the start of the reclaiming of the word or if they were using it because it was controversial.
Pretty good alt/pop rock. Fav tracks were Queer, Only Happens When it Rains, and My Lover’s Box.
Pretty good overall, definitely 90’s. I probably won’t listen to it again, but I enjoyed it while I did.
Enjoyable but not brilliant! Really good music and Shirley Manson pipes are just incredible! Am I gonna buy it? No. Would I turn it off if it came on randomly? No. 3 stars.
Good old fashioned alt-rock of the kind I adore, with a few other influences like trip-hop, it’s like this album was tailored for me; the way every piece of the sound works together is great. Favourite track: “A Stroke of Luck”
I figured I'd like this album...and I do. Solid indie rock. Songs are all good if not that memorable. I will listen to it again. 3.5 🌟
Solid collection of songs for the most part, very much of that era. I'm surprised how many of these songs I know. Garbage were on the periphery of things I was listening to in the mid-90s, but it turns out it was quite a bit more than I remembered. Not anything I'm planning to revisit anytime soon. Fave songs: Vow, Queer, Milk
It starts off like it's mid-song, I kind of like that. I've never liked their biggest hits - the queerest of the queer and the rains song. Not my vibe but I'll keep going. A stroke of luck is nice. I always enjoyed Stupid Girl and I still like that one. My lover`s Box is great.
Better than expected. Very mature songwriting for a first album. They try a little bit of everything, but there is no common theme running through the album. I prefer albums that are more than just a collection of songs.
Never liked their song on RockBand which was my introduction so happy to say this was a solid album
Liked more than some of the punk I’ve heard, some cool and interesting sounds on the record but not too memorable tbh
Rock band Garbage's debut album from 1995 sounded more like alternative rock, and was released to critical acclaim. The band experimented with many different genre's sounds and it's even said that most tracks were completely reshaped during recording, with many samples and loops being added. The lead singer Shirley Manson provided the iconic pop/rock female voice to harmoniously blend with the various songs' structures. I, as well as the 4 million people that purchased the album since release, enjoyed listening to this album and am happy I found it here!
Pretty good. Definitely not garbage. A good mix of different styles to make some great rock listens.
I spent the first 3 hours of today pissing a skid mark off the toilet bowl and listening to this on loop. It was one of the best mornings I've ever had in my miserable life. For once the everyday ennui was penetrated, just like your mum was on her 13th Birthday. Now I will suck on the bones of a duck carcass that I have been saving for such a gleeful moment. Forgive me father!
Shirley Manson had been performing with the Edinburgh-based rock band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie since 1984. In 1993, several of the members, including Manson, formed the side project Angelfish. Their only studio album, the self-titled Angelfish, was as commercially unsuccessful as preceding albums by Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, selling only 10,000 copies. Initial sessions with Vig on vocals and the members' past work with all-male groups led to the band's desire for a woman on lead. Marker was watching 120 Minutes when he saw the one-time airing of the music video for Angelfish's "Suffocate Me". He showed the video to Erikson and Vig while their manager, Shannon O'Shea, tracked Manson down. When Manson was contacted, she didn't know who Vig was and was urged to check the credits on Nirvana's album Nevermind, which Vig had produced. On April 8, 1994, Manson met Erikson, Marker and Vig for the first time in London. Later that evening Vig was informed of Kurt Cobain's suicide Garbage continued to work on the album throughout the start of 1995, delayed by Vig's work producing Soul Asylum's Let Your Dim Light Shine album and the songs being "piecemealed together in the studio". Vig described the composing process as a "dysfunctional democracy" where someone would bring a loop or a sample, which was followed by jam sessions in which the band members would "find one bar that's kind of cool, load that into our samplers, jam on top of that, [and] Shirley will ad-lib", with the process continuing until the song was finished, often with "all of the original ideas gone, and the song had somehow mutated into something completely different." Among the songs that were completely reworked, "As Heaven Is Wide" went from "a big rock track" to a techno-style song with Tom Jones-inspired beats, only keeping Erikson's fuzz bass and Manson's vocals from the original recording
Mmm, Shirley Manson. Hotness notwithstanding, this has a nice grungy feel to it that isn't obnoxious or forced.
Superxiven and Not my Idea are actually great songs the rest was quiet average for my music taste
Butch Vig and Shirley Manson are legends. I've heard this album a hundred times and always enjoy it
A grunge and alt-rock pairing that engenders subtle dark qualities and evokes mystery. While modest in its production as a rock album, the harmony of composition still achieves the intended direction - mildly loose rhythms and liberal use of distortion and crunch. On the whole, 'Garbage' (album) boasts organized arrangements that were influential in the 90's, rendering certain tracks CHBs and the entire album an effortless listen.
Jos koko levyn taso vastaisi I’m only happy when it rainsia, niin olis ehdoton femma. Valitettavasti loput aika kaukana siitä, joten helppo antaa 3
Vähän vaikea levy kun välillä tempaa mukaan ja jalka tamppaa ja sitten taas tippuu täysin raidalta. Ei missään nimessä paskaa ja varmaan jos pari kertaa pyörittäis läpi niin pisteetkin saattaisi nousta. Kallistun kolmoseen.
Only Happy When It Rains - Like this song, nothing special though. As Heaven Is Wide - This is cool, it sounds quite mysterious in the intro and has good guitar. Not My Idea - I like this one too, got a fun chorus and when some quite nice vocals at times. Vow - This is my favourite track so far, very fun and a bit less moody than the others (not lyrically though) Stupid Girl - Everyone knows this one. Good ol' 90s rock that's fun to sing too. Milk - I like this, sadder than the tracks before it and I think it works well. Overall I think this is a solid album, though I think it's very 90s in style and maybe a bit too 90s for me. The lyrics tend to all be very aggressive and 'kick-ass' which I got tired of fairly early on but musically the songs are solid.
Probably 3.5 stars. There is something quintessentially 90’s about Garbage and that’s not a bad thing. With Butch Vig both in the band and behind the boards they couldn’t really wrong but there is a dark sultry-ness to these songs that make them stand out from the crowd.
2.8 - Garbage never really stuck out to me when they were contemporary and they’re even less notable to me now. Maybe it’s the years that have gone by, but their sound doesn’t seem particularly innovative and the angsty vibes miss their note.
It was pretty good. I got a little bored by the end. It comes out swinging with the hits and then gets a little meandering
This is a decent album! Garbage live made me appreciate this more but not like a super fave
Listened to 1/27/21 2.5/5 Favorite song: Kick My Ass BIG head thrashing in your parent’s garage energy - also A Stroke of Luck would make a great murder matter video
Full of 90s attitude and style. Really like all the shifting grooves and noisey center to this album, but it remains catchy. The guitar tone is very indicitive of mainstream 90s rock but it sits well with the other instrumentation and vocals throughout. A tad too long however.
I wanted to like this more, the first track was really good, but it went downhill into whinyness
This was ok, The Singles are decent but nothing here really gets me excited. Shirley Manson uses a distinct snarl in her singing that sounds very mid-90’s and dated today
I didn’t know the band well but when I saw the name I didn’t think I liked them. Perhaps it was their later music that I didn’t like or it might also be that the name of the band doesn’t help with first impressions. They're leading with their chin in that regard. Anyway this was a decent listen. Sent from my iPhone
Generic 90s alternative. To quote John Prine, "Pretty good, not bad, I can't complain. But actually, everything is just about the same." 3 stars.
Interesting album, some fun songs on there but overall nothing that caught my attention. Might have to revisit
Sounds like a studio project, though some of the tunes are catchy. Very digital distortion sheen over things.
Q. Why do streaming services only have the extended/remastered versions and not the shorter originals? I think they released 'Vow' as the first single and it's still sounds amazing. 'Supervixen' too. 'Vow' is one of those songs that pops into my head every now and then and I have to go and listen to it straight away. But they were never as good as Curve! Curve should have been massive. As a palate cleanser, I'm gonna go listen to 'Doppelganger' now I think.
This is, and I don't mean this in any pejorative sense, the most 1990s album I've encountered thus far on this app. Still, I really enjoy the slinky vocals, and for the most part the songs hang together nicely without really popping. You don't tend to hear guitar or hi-hat tones like that in modern productions any more, do you? Highlight is the enigmatic 'Queer', though most of this is very listenable.
As mid-90s alt-rock goes, this holds up surprisingly well. I haven't listened to this in a good while. Am I crazy? Even when it's dripping with that sort of 90s faux-angst, the tunes hold up. I feel like I should want to roll my eyes at 'Only Happy When It Rains', but it works for me. Maybe I just believe it more when Shirley Manson says it. Regardless - a happy surprise. I might put this one on more often.
There is some strong nostalgia here, and a few mostly deserved 90s hits. But there are also some pretty cringey lyrics, and some forgettable songs in between the hits. While Shirley Manson was probably what got Garbage the attention, Butch Vig is probably the most interesting in terms of the evolution of rock and grunge in the 90s. His role as a producer for Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins leads me to view Garbage in a slightly different light. However, in the end the works he produced for other bands rise above the efforts here.
I was familiar with the group before I listened to this album, but I had never listened to a full album of theirs. The album was alright. "I'm Only Happy When It Rains" is the best song. I don't think I would listen to this whole album again.
Way better than expected. Shirley Manson has a lot of charisma and Butch Vig does a great production with this more electronic approach. I think it's the kind of album that I would have on rotation if I had known it at the right time, but it's still cool to discover it now.
Yep. Sounds of 90s radio stations. That's about all I can say. They're decent sometimes. Post-grunge sound is overdone during those years and these were the leaders. It's well written and recorded and that helps. Added to Library? N Songs added to Playlist - Stupid Girl
Better than I expected/remembered, but it's kind of two songs and a lot of filler. Best track: Stupid Girl
You’d be wise to give singer Shirley Manson (I’d be willing to bet this is a stage name, particularly the ‘Manson’ choice) a wide berth. There are no less than two references to the burning down of houses, along with the accompanying burning of Manson’s own hands, and then a full out ‘You burned me but I’m back at your door like Joan of Arc coming back for more.’ In fact, Manson begins that song, ‘Vow,’ by cautioning ‘I can’t use what I can’t abuse, and I can’t stop when it comes to you.’ That one’ll put the fear of Goddess in ya. She continues, ‘Ah, you burn (there’s another fiery instance) and turn to get under my skin. You’ve gone too far now I won’t give in. You crucified me but I’m back in your bed like Jesus Christ coming back from the dead.’ That’s a perfect example of the misuse of the crucifixion image in contemporary music. The utter folly of comparing God’s revelation in the crucified Christ to Manson crawling back into bed with whoever did her a dirty should be obvious. Unless its far worse than that. Indeed, on the opening song, ‘Supervixen,’ she commands her disciple to ‘Make a whole new religion (of me)… and I’ll feed your obsessions. There is nothing (no thing) but this thing, that I’ll never doubt.’ She then concludes with a repeated refrain of ‘Bow down to me.’ Interestingly, this is a lyrical technique she employs on near half the songs on Garbage, revealing a not so well hidden insight into the inner workings of Manson’s troubled mind: ‘Bow down to me… (it’s best to repeat these lyrics several times for the effect)’- ‘Supervixen.’ ‘Pour your misery down on me…’- ‘Only Happy When It Rains,’ a self-explanatory title. ‘Falling…’- ‘A Stroke of Luck,’ all bad. ‘Stupid Girl, I can’t believe you fake it…’- ‘Stupid Girl.’ ‘(Piece by piece) Send me an angel…’- ‘My Lover’s Box.’ ‘I’m waiting (& aching) for you…’- ‘Milk,’ which as an image for loneliness and longing was lost on me. Musically, average. Garbage is a good band, but chooses that increasingly popular, contemporary option of substituting the overall band sound- the power chords of effected guitars and keyboards- for an instrumental solo. I think some good old guitar soloing would significantly improve Garbage, from an ok band to a rather good one. I don’t know if there is much hope, however, for any improvement on Manson’s atrocious self-esteem. And if her loathing were to be only self-inflicted that would, of course, be unfortunate. But she’s genuinely ‘Only Happy When It Rains,’ including the drenching of us all. You know the expression: misery loves company. And hey, if you are, miserable, then you’ll find this LP crowded like a large Irish Catholic wake in a small house in Boston. My suggestion- have a couple of beers, extend your condolences, and move on before Shirley gets there. ‘Cause when she does, (again, from ‘Vow’) ‘I came to cut you up, I came to know you down. I came around to tear your little world apart. I came to shut you up, I came to suck you down. I came around to tear your little world apart… and break your soul apart. I can’t stop when it comes to you.’ Family of the bereaved, caring friends and honored guests, please do not offer her a whiskey. I’d keep the casseroles and desserts out of her reach as well, along with the sharp silverware. And do I need to remind you about securing the matches? Otherwise, things are gonna burn.
Three stars ? Three stars and a half maybe ? As someone wrote elsewhere in this group, the whole project seems *a little* too calculated by sound masterminds trying to profit from the nineties' indie explosion to be considered as a *spontaneously* relevant masterpiece. Producer and band member Butch Vig, of *Nevermind* fame, certainly knew the state of the music business at that particular moment of history. Listening to the album, you can even hear the grind of the charts and graphs in his mind as he and his colleagues try to please very different sections of the audience all at the same time (from trip hop enthusiasts to "alt-rock" explorers, from (n)eurodance and/or UK clubs night owls to dad-rock interlopers--and so on, just take your pick...). Truth be told, if a "corporate grunge" band ever existed, Garbage is probably the one. Too bad their "something for everyone" selling points did not always exactly reach their intended goals, some of them even landing quite flat on the ear today (see "As Heaven Is Wide" or "Not My Idea"). That being said, *other* parts of this first album are still holding out quite well 25+ years later, as dated as the production shenanigans are on the more minor cuts. Yes, sure, even back then you could sense that not everything in this catalogue of angst-ridden-yet-glossy rockers would age gracefully, but in spite of those shortcomings, the songwriting behind a lot of those tracks still redeems a large chunk of the record's flaws when it comes to its sound and overall direction. Many melodies are catchy, evocative and/or instantly memorable, often in a good way. Take "Vow" 's layers of guitar riffs, for example (some of them seemingly recorded backwards): not only are they terrifically efficient earworms, both intense and expansive, but they also prove that Garbage's studio wizardry could lead to truly compelling moments when channelled properly. Likewise, it's not difficult to gather why dancefloor-friendly tracks such as "Queer", "Only Happy When It Rains" or "Stupid Girl" had become such huge hits in the months that followed the release of this record. As calculated as those moves are, there's still an urgency in those songs that make them a worthwhile listen. And it's not as if this record didn't have its lot of darker or less obvious corners to explore, though. Trip hop arrangements, for instance, are conveying a welcome dark atmosphere to the proceedings from time to time ("A Stroke Of Luck", "Milk" ), one that's still working in 2022. As for Shirley Manson, she often has a commanding presence, from "Supervixen"'s stop-and-go dynamics to a "Fix Me Now" that's aiming for the skies and beyond, at least vocally speaking. In the forefront of those Alternative / Industrial Pop landscapes, she brings a goth-yet-melodic spark that fuels the necessary fire to make the whole thing satisfying, at least on an emotional level. Think Siouxsie with a lower voice and a knack for seductive or dangerously sensual choruses. I guess "alternative rock" fans can still thank Vig and his weathered American pals for putting their younger Scottish protégée into the spotlight here. Without this album (and band), chances are that Manson would never have reached this type of instant fame--and frankly, it would have been a shame *not* to get acquainted with her talent as a singer... On a sidenote: check out the bonus tracks recorded during that early stage of the band's career. Some of them are even better than certain songs on the album--replace the three or four clunkers from the original record with cuts like "Subhuman", "Sleep" and "#1 Crush" and maybe you would have had a 4 or 4.5-star album instead. Never got why those great tracks had been discarded in favor of less compelling ones. But maybe this poor choice has something to do with all those charts and graphs in Butch Vig's mind. Whenever you're in doubt about who's reponsible for partially bad results, always blame the board first. Number of records left to review or just listen to: 918 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 42 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 22 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important to me): 19
In the Netherlands they had some 7 small hits. A nice album but I don't think I will give it a relisten.
If I came of age in the mid-90's, I definitely woulda been the type of guy who was asked "hey you listen to this new killer track by the wallflowers?" and I would have responded "ugh that shits garbage. And not the good kind of garbage like the debut album by the band of the same name". But I didn't come of age in the 90's and this album really doesn't do it for me.
I liked this album but is too "simple". I know that maybe it was revolutionary for 1995, but nowadays it's just another indie rock band without anything great for me. Sure, I'm biased by the fact that I didn't know anything about Garbage, so I don't have any affective memory with it, but it's an album that I probably will forget tomorrow.
Kind of ok, but a bit samey and not much that is memorable. Style over songwriting substance? Stupid Girl is a banger though.
Not amazing but I don’t hate it. I am trying not to make the obvious joke about “garbage by name garbage by nature” I actually thought it was okay but not my usual sauce.
For an alt rock record, there are some interesting sounds being explored here. There's some NIN influence I think, given the timeframe and the drum loops mixed with darker guitar tones. Not explicitly industrial but you can hear some semblance of the genre. I don't think Shirley Manson's vocals aren't quite for me, but I can appreciate the songwriting. A very 90's record.
Quintessentially 90's sound, Stupid Girl by far the best song. The rest I could take or leave.
A pretty polished pop album with a couple of decent songs on there. However on the whole I found myself very bored while listening
Tuneless mock-rock that shamelessly cashes in on the sound of that era, but with total bollocks songwriting chops and soulless singing. I can't believe this stuff got airplay. Aptly named band. I'll not be listening to this band ever again.
The opening song, Supervixen, is a good one to start the album off. The problem is that every other song sounds just like the first one. Too formulaic for my tastes. Too bad because the talent is there.
Not a fan of the genre, but giving it two stars because i can see why someone would like it
Not bad, but not attention-grabbing either. Some interesting lyrics. Feels very '90s (for better or worse).
Extremely bland. This album was so middle of the road in terms of sound and lyricism that I'm going to cut my review short in before I bore myself more by remembering details about garbage.
Sounds very dated in a bad way. This is the archetype of an aesthetic which became ubiquitous and that I find tacky. In time this sound will probably come to be perceived as merely quaint and passe but at the present it comes across as awkward and embarrassing. I was a teenager during the time period in which this came out. It didn't appeal to me then and I have no nostalgia for it now. Garbage indeed.
Normally i love female lead rock, but the was of they time where everything seems a bit muted sonically, like they accidently turned something off in the studio. Also, a lot of it is a bit miserable.
Mid-nineties uber producers form their own band and stick a singer on. You just know all the music videos had scratches all across them and cigarette burns. Gnarly. Best Tracks: I'm Only Happy When It Rains; Vow; Stupid Girl
Garbage are a band that I've never found pleasant on the ear. Just can't warm to them. 2.5
For a band with such a cool front woman and a direct connection to THE landmark album of the 90s... I've always wondered how it is that Garbage's music sounds so dang tame. If there was an undercurrent of punk/garage it could've improved the entire endeavor, imo.
Pretty typical 90’s alternative - beyond the hits that got a lot of radio play it’s a pretty shallow offering.
Catching up. Only gave it a couple tracks to catch me. Didn’t work. Won’t bother making the joke.
I couldn't get through it. The album was garbage! Lol. 90s thrash just isn't my thing.
Yep. Mostly garbage. I don't need this kind of misery whilst locked down during a pandemic. I found one track I was able to listen to until he end. We must be due something good tomorrow?
Not the best, idk why she decided to autotune her voice because i could barely hear it
Tried. Couldn't get into it. Recognized the singles from movies and random pop culture references. Not for me. 1/5
Vow and As Heaven is Wide are my favorite tracks. This is the darkest of all the Garbage albums.