Garbage is the debut studio album by American rock band Garbage. It was released on August 15, 1995, by Almo Sounds. The album was met with critical acclaim upon its release, being viewed by some as an innovative recording for its time. It reached number 20 on the US Billboard 200 and number six on the UK Albums Chart, while charting inside the top 20 and receiving multi-platinum certifications in several territories. The album's success was helped by the band promoting it on a year-long tour, including playing on the European festival circuit and supporting the Smashing Pumpkins throughout 1996, as well as by a run of increasingly successful singles culminating with "Stupid Girl", which received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997. In October 2015, the album was reissued to mark its 20th anniversary, featuring remastered tracks from the original analog tapes, as well as remixes and previously unreleased alternate versions of songs from the album.
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 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.
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.
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.
i forgot how many bangers garbage have. very strong album that.
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.
Aunque afloje de repente.
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.
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.
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.
Quality album
Эстетика попадает в меня по полной. Very decent.
kinda diverse, kinda different i like it alot hard to describe what it is though
Good rock album!
This album took me back to my junior high days- LOVE.
Solid 90s
One of the key britpop albums - loooove it
Allein für „Milk“ wären schon fünf Sterne verdient.
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.
Awesome guitar. Fave track = Supervixen, the opener.
I fell in love to this album in highschool. Tiffany, the lead singer, and thinking for myself.
one of the best records in th world
I’m only happy when it rains
Rock gay, amei
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.
Fantastic 90s rock album
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.
A greatly innovative album, awesome tunes through out
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.
Great sound.
My 90s rock nostalgia bias strikes again! Come to think of it, I enjoyed it more now than I did back then.
Classic that instantly takes me back to being a student
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.
Exactly my style.
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.
Total surprise but loved this.
Since my teenage years, I've had a fascination with Shirley Manson, and Garbage by extension of that. Her look and her voice are dark, haunting, edgy, and captivating, and I'm just an absolute sucker for that, along with the expected 90s alt-rock sound. That said, I really only knew their hits going into this, so I was excited for the full listen opportunity here. I am always impressed when a debut album from a band can leave such a mark, and this self-titled debut does just that. Several 90s anthems come from this album, not the least of which is "Only Happy When It Rains", which has been featured, used, or alluded to in so many things where that signature 90s edge is required. There are aspects of industrial, dance, and trance mixed in on this album, which keep things fresh and interesting. It manages to do this while still staying true to its alternative, post-grungy core. This album is full of bangers and hits, and even the tracks that are less so drew me in and had me very interested and enjoying the experience. Either way, I didn't find a single filler track. When the album finished playing, I turned around and immediately listened to it a second time, and honestly, I can't wait to listen to it again.
A 90's classic. Solid throughout and still sounds great 30ish years later.
One of my favourite albums.
Every song on this album is good. Such an amazing debut. Everyone should have this in their collection.
Fuck yeah.
Wonderful album
One of my all-time favourites. Glad to listen to it again after a while
Bad ass!
Fajne
Love!
Supervixen, queer, only happy when it rains is one of the best three song opening rushes that I’ve herd in a while. The rest of the album is green though really unique sounding on an instrumental level ( singing is great too but the 90’s was like the decade of amazing singers so Manson fairs quite low in my personal ranking ). Other personal favourites include: as heaven is wide, not my idea, a stroke of luck, vow, stupid girl, dog new tricks,my lovers box,fix me now, milk. Oh that’s all of them well I guess it’s a 5 then!!!
Shoegaze and grunge guitar with trip hop beats leaning on the darker synth textures of 80s British alternative (Depeche Mode, new order) . A wonderful synthesis of the nineties. Totally holds up. It pulls on the attributes from contemporary and past music while clearly delineating a path to 2000s alternative, a really great album to hear.
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!
A classic album. 'Only Happy When it Rains' is what got me into Garbage and girl grunge in the first place, so of course this is going to be a five star listen. The best part is that it isn't just the only good song on the album. Start to finish, this album is full of bangers. 'Queer' is delightfully strange, 'Stupid Girl,' 'Vow,' and 'Not My Idea' rock, and everything else from beginning to end is just as engrossing and bewitching. I don't know what I expected the first time I picked up 'Garbage,' but it wasn't such a pure gem of an album.
soooooooo good
havent rated in an album in literal ages but just saw i got this one and had to rate it its like a 9.5 this album is incredible
Good. I would listen to this again
Fav songs: - Supervixen - Queer - Only Happy When It Rains - As Heaven Is Wide - A Stroke Of Luck - Stupid Girl - Milk
So much better than anything Courtney Love or Hole ever did. But the media didn't throw hosannas at Shirley Manson, and saved them all for Courtney for whatever reason. This album is begging to be rediscovered. Maybe the comparison to Love and Hole isn't appropriate. The more apt link is to Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders.
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.
LOVED THIS. Want I return to it and also check out their other stuff.
Rock met toch wat pop vermengd. Top frontvrouw en zalig album
This is an easy 5 stars for me. This album is great from start to finish.
I think this album was innovative in the sound and recording style, as it mixed a lot of styles together. Some really good rock songs on this album and I think this is an album that must be heard just for the sound and the fact there are some great songs. Garbage is an underrated band in how many hits they had and the techno-rock/pop sound.
stuuuuupid giiiiirrrrl
Classic 90s
Garbage
I liked this album. It has I'm only happy when it rains.
great sounding but not connecting to the lyrics. overall super well done though
This is a great album I love it.
Thumbs up
Absolutely loved the 90's grunge vibe. Felt a lot like Eve 6 with the hard cuts in the sound of the music.
Liked it more than I thought. Songs were fun but not overly simple
I'm assuming this is an iconic album for women's rights activists. I really enjoyed the stories that played along in the album.
Bängeri 90's rock, emt. Garage/alt/whatever
oh the 90's. this is from the golden era of MTV, this is a great album
I was only familiar with the radio tracks. This was pretty good. I like her vocals.
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
Nice
Bien. No sé pq no le doy un cinco.
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.
Still sounds fresh. And Shirley Manson used to give me the horn.
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.
Great album and a reminder that I need to see them live!
Nostalgia album for me so I rate pretty high.
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.
Top gems, brings me back to high school
Some weird songs. I especially liked Stupid Girl.
Grungey vibes, nice to listen to, a little aggressive but overall enjoyable
I like this album, the production sound is Nirvana-esque, obviously thanks to Butch Vig
Quality American Album! Definitely not Garbage this one *slaps thigh*