Version 2.0

Garbage rules

Yeah, good stuff, but I wonder what this adds that the other garbage record didn't?

7/10. I think this was a bit worse than Garbage, but still definitely felt like listening to Garbage.

This band was a very meh affair in the 90s imo, and I haven't really changed my opinion there. There aren't any real big banger tunes going on. Everything is mildly catchy, but that's not enough on its own. At least half their appeal was "omg Butch Vig" and some weird idol worship of Shirley Manson. I didn't understand it then, still don't. Not a bad band, not complete garbage(!), but there would have been THAT MANY bands doing something very similar, probably better, that we just never heard of... 3/5.

Riding high on my post-Nirvana obsession, I ofcourse had to get Garbage's debut album. Anything somehow related to Nirvana was a must to dive into (even if it was only the producer of Nevermind, who apparently could play drums). The debut album was actually quite good! Then a few years later version 2.0 came along. Again, quite good, but not as fresh and new as the debut album. More of the same: catchy tunes, great vocals and all-in-all a 'decent' record. Then years went by and somehow I never revisited it after those initial few spins when it came out. It didn't 'stick'. Hearing it again now brings back fond memories, but this will most likely be the last time I will ever listen to this record in it's entirety.

This is lots of good fun, but I'm not sure it's better than the Garbage album that's on the real list already!

Had a couple of good songs and was generally listenable. That being said, I think this was a step back from their album that ended up on the list. 6/10

I thought the debut was better, less polished. But not too bad.

Back in the day they were considered a manufactured band of top producers trying to get some limelight and a pretty girl to provide the image for success. There is certainly some truth to this, but their longevity as a group, far greater than the vast majority of 90s bands, also speaks in their favor. This second album built on the success of the first thanks to its hits. But as with all of their discography, after two or three hits there was a lot of filler material

One Garbage album on the list is plenty.

Garbage will always have a special place in my heart.

Haven't listened to this in forever. Great 90s album. Thanks for suggesting.

I don't think it quite hit the amazing highs of their debut, but this was still a super catchy and fun 90's rock joint.

Gimmicky tottering toward the millennium this absolutely is. And I have a soft, soft spot for that. In not committing to the more industrial rock bits (Dare I say Manson? Dare I admit to early Skillet?) Garbage proves that those neo-instruments can be good, actually, without art-school pretension. A bit of sadomasochism, though, is apropos.

Didn't feel a connection with this album, but there are some good songs

Always good to go back to this one, some happy 90s memories

Garbage has mostly seemed like straight ahead rock and roll - good and I don't mind listening to it, but I'm not sure it was distinguished by much more than syle.

Ca s'écoute super bien. On parle de moins reconnu que le gargabe 1.0 Je suis pas certain, je me souviens pus d premier mais celui-ci est super donc même note. Je vais réécouter Garbage 1 et me refaire une tête . 3.5

Solid

Garbage definitely existed in that weird alt-rock meets the new technologies and styles of digital production and electronica. Always was just "ehh it's fine but not my thing" for me. I can tolerate it in small doses.

Manson has a cool voice but beyond that this album isn't very exciting.

Well that was...... Shit

I'm a little torn on this one, Garbage always felt a little over pushed, however I was 15 when this came out and the hot goth girls were all into it so will always have a special place in my heart plus some great singalongable singles.

I think Version 2.0 is much better than their first album, in my opinion both should have been included in the 1001 list. One of my favorite albums of all time.

We listened to Garbage’s debut album on the official 1001 list… and I was really happy to see it there… but this is my all-time favorite from Garbage. Perhaps it was because I discovered Garbage when this album came out and spent more than a year with it glued into my CD player… feeling like the baddest badass around… Yes, I love their debut album, but I love this one even more! Thanks for adding it!

My take on this album is very much the same as their debut album, which is that I love it. In fact, I shall repeat that review as it fits here too: "This is Garbage!" is what anyone would exclaim upon hearing the shortest snippet of this instantly recognizable band. I don't even know how to describe their music except to say that they sound like they'd make a great James Bond theme, which of course, they did. When this album came out, it sounded very edgy and very new, while still being something you could dance to. It still sounds great, and now I want to listen to more Garbage.

Great album. Really like the electronic alt pop/rock vibe and Shirley Manson's delivery. They do as well in the higher energy tracks (I'm Think I'm Paranoid, Push It), as well as the slower tempo ones, such as The Trick is to Keep Breathing. Enjoyed this from start to finish.

Listened to this all the way through the very first time. There's a certain excitement to opening a CD, and this cover was especially interesting because it was textured and tactile. Crazy, I know.

It's tempting to say that this record is only 5 or 10 years old - but no, it's coming up to thirty years since this hit the shops, and I remember it well. Well. I remember Shirley Manson. "Garbage" (by Garbage) is an album that I listened to a fair bit back in the 90s, and, it turns out, I listened to Version 2.0 a lot more, because putting this on for the first time in years was like slipping into a warm friend. The first track is nothing special. Manson's voice sounds almost like it's coming from underwater, with pretty heavy vocoder effects. Things get much better, though. The vocals definitely become cleaner and clearer, and that's brilliant.. Because when they do, especially during "Hammering in my head", those vocals are dirty, urgent and delicious. The second half of the album is as tellingly placed in the late 90s as any music could be. I grew up with it, and going back to it is great. This is actually a much better album than Garbage, so I'm happy with it being suggested.

I loved their debut. This one's still grungy, but leans a lot more industrial on the B-side & has a kind of euro dance/pop stink on the A-side. Both directions are very Produced, and it's worse than what the first album was doing. Still liked it a lot!

This should have been in the main list along with their debut self titled album. I remember buying this on its release after loving their first album. "I Think I'm Paranoid", "When I Grow Up", "Special" and "Push It" are superb tracks, the rest follow the magnificent musicality and vocal genius.

The album is perfect

So many amazing and iconic songs on this album like "Push It," "Special," and "You Look So Fine." Shirley pours all her emotion into this album for you. And she's not messing around. It’s the real deal, so just listen up.

Forgot how good this album is. Many hit songs and a great time in music with bands like Garbage.

finally, some “Garbage” I actually like! sorry but all the heavy metal user album just really aren’t my thing, this band is amazing tho!

Fuck and yes! It's like my dad always said. You can't please anyone so you've got to please yourself. He might have been talking about orgasms now that I think about it.

This album was fine, but I didn’t think it added anything that the Garbage album on this list didn’t already cover. Having said that, this scope of this album is huge and the fact that it works as well as it does is a great achievement.

Their 1st excellent album is on the main list (I scored it 4 and felt it hadn’t dated, contrary to some other reviewers). This is still very pop with synths and chiming guitars that are not too heavy, but have an industrial edge. Surprising number of radio hits.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: I think I’m paranoid, Special, You look so fine

Not garbage.

I like the debut album better. Nice thing about this one is you feel there is some more coherence between the music, lyrics and vocal melodies as Shirley Manson was involved from the beginning.

I gave the Garbage debut a 5 on my list, and I think I prefer that one to this one. A few songs just don't stick right with me ("When I Grow Up" is a little too bubblegum for my taste), and I'm not crazy about the songs that interpolate classics (i.e. "Push It" with The Beach Boys, "Sleep Together" with Romeo Void), but the other songs continue the gritty, self-confident pop-industrial sound that I liked so much on the debut. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Medication", "Dumb"

Geggjað dæmi!

A great re-listen

Not garbage!

Not sure why I ignored this album. It’s quite good

Never gave Garbage a chance. Should have. This is pretty solid.

I don’t have anything clever to say (or a joke to make about their name, which is not clever), I just like this music

Another really fun Garbage album filled with hooks and a great combination of rock and electronic production

An excellent pick for this list!

"Not garbage" - as you are contractually obliged to say under every positive review of this band. Not as good as their debut, but man, what a comfort band.

I played the debut a lot back in the day, it was gritty and uptempo with some excellent lyrics. Version 2.0 never hooked me in the same way. Listening now, I get why: the production is slicker, the edges smoothed out, and some moments (like the “daddy-daddy-daddy” chorus on You Look So Fine) make my toes curl a bit. That said, this is still perfectly listenable, and in places really strong. The increased electronic touches don’t bother me at all, in fact, they fit. Special is a classic, and The Trick Is to Keep Breathing stands as one of their best songs. A solid record, but for me, it doesn’t capture the raw spark of their debut.

¡Bravo! Aunque un poco largo.

I found this album to be a pleasant surprise. I liked Garbage okay when I was younger, but I wasn't terribly impressed with the other Garbage album that I got on this list. This one, however, felt really fresh and interesting with all the techno elements mixed in. 4/5 Really fun listen

September 10, 2025 HL: "I Think I'm Paranoid", "When I Grow Up", "Push It", “Special”, “You Look So Fine” They’ve done it again

The Butch Vig production is always so clean... solid album!

I like Garbage overall. The songs are good and I like her voice, but I'm not the biggest fan of the way its mixed. I don't really have the words to describe what I mean, but the instruments all sound sort of mushed together. 3 stars.

It was an alright album. I would visit it again although no one song stood out in particular

I always found echo Elly to be a more interesting version of garbage

Energetic, catchy and mildly trippy. Enjoyed this quite a bit. Fave Songs: Special, You Look So Fine, I Think I'm Paranoid, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing, Sleep Together, Temptation Waits

A decent album by the hilariously named Garbage. I’ve heard of a few of these songs before mainly in movies but this whole album was not that bad. Pretty shocked it was nominated for album of the year so not sure if it was a down year or the Grammys used to have taste outside of the top 40s. To me there’s better 90s alternative out there. This was a bit too upbeat yet trying to be edgy for me. I’d rather have more hardcore instrumentals with these lyrics. 5.9/10

I vaguely remember the garbage album on the list so I’m pretty sure it’s pop punk dance type stuff and this felt more electronica and techno but still similar to the first album. Nothing stood out too much to me but I’ve been very outspoken on my enjoyment of this type of female rock. The thirteen cover would make a cool duet with the original tho.

Not so garbage

Alternative rock, synth-rock. Ni fu ni fa.

I bought this album when I was a teenager but didn't give it enough of a chance. It was more lo-fi than the I was used to and my brother teased me for listening to it. God knows why. It was certainly a bit rich coming from someone that used to play The Thong Song on repeat. Packed full of catchy electro pop rock songs, this is pretty good. I prefer it to their eponymous debut. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: When I Grow Up Date listened: 18/11/24

A nice bit of nostalgia.

Was never a huge Grabage fan but it does remind me of my best friend who was a fan, so that’s nice.

Did we get any garbage on the main list? I mean beyond the live albums and other stinkers? That’s a little list humor. This had that late 90’s charm that reminded me of the background music in certain TV shows. Hard to explain but it was a vibe.

I had not listened to this record in a really time before it came up here. I enjoyed it, but I felt like it was pretty one note throughout. So it got a little tiring for me.

Yeah, like the internet, version 1.0 was more enjoyable! Poppier, while keeping an edge, it lacks the kick and queasiness that made me love the first album. Not bad, but not perfect.

Garbage were such a weird little band. Here in the UK they were lumped in with grrl-power Britpop bands like Elastica and Lush, but in the US they were part of the post-grunge rock scene. Version 2.0 suffers from this weird lack of identity, and it feels constrained and more on the pop side of pop-rock. But "Push It" is fucking amazing.

Soild 90s alt rock,

Alternative rock, synth-rock. Ni fu ni fa.

I like Garbage and I like this album but I just don't think it's anywhere near as good as their self-titled one. There's a few duff tracks on it.

Not my bag tbh but I imagine it is good fun pop

This was, okay? It's not as good as the original, but it also isn't that different? It's a re-tread more than anything, making that 2.0 feel more like a stability update more than anything, and if there's one thing I think Garbage needs, it's variety, not stability. Still, Garbage is decent, and so is this album.

The version 2.0 is an upgrade from pure rock to something more electronic-influenced. Yes, there are electric guitars with rock riffs, but the beats are noticeably more dancey with pop hooks to boot. While not great, I found it to be a lot more refreshing compared to their debut album which sounded a lot staler. By the late '90s, bands needed something more to differentiate themselves from the pack. I think Garbage took a pretty good route here. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Despite their popularity and legacy, I don't think I'd have Garbage on the list at all. Doesn't quite stand out enough in the wave of '90s alt rock.

While there are some fun early-00’s bops on here, none of them rise above what I would’ve expected for the era. A good time but not wholly memorable all in all.

Again this is nothing special. Interesting 90s quirky rock/pop. They have one album already in the 1001 but do we need two? I think not.

Feel like we may have had an album from this group before, right? Not sure. It's decent though, a couple tracks I liked but struggled to hear anything special or "hear before you die" worthy. 2.5/5

Repeating a once-smashing, groundbreaking formula (here summed up as big-beat electronica + grunge guitars + pop melodies + teenage angst) is not always conducive to full artistic success the second time around. As far as this listener is concerned, most of the music in the second Garbage album lacks the tension or infectious intents that made the legendary bangers found in their debut so memorable for me. I may have an interest for the styles explored by the nineties British-American act in *Version 2.0*, but I honestly consider that the latter pales in comparison to *Garbage*, plain and simple. This underwhelming nature is all the more frustrating given the fact that Shirley Manson, Butch Vig and their colleagues try so hard to dig the exact same vein that made them sound like a fully-formed act from the get-go. Unfortunately, the results on this second LP often fail to come off as elegant or convincing enough in the long run. Style over substance is the sin I see here. Case in point: the opener "Temptation Waits", where the guitar tones sound incredibly weak compared to its obvious (extraordinary) model "Vow" on the first album. This is not a passing flaw within the album by the way. Most of the songs on the first side of the record indeed appear as vaguely defined derivations from tracks on the previous LP. "I Think I'm Paranoid" is a three-legged clone of "Only Happy When It Rains" for instance, up to its vocal lines and the contents of its lyrics. Cloning technology was the talk of the day during the nineties, was it not? Yet such tech was far from being perfected back then... Too many times, *Version 2.0* therefore sounds like a lab reenactment that turned sour -- enough to make an illusion on the charts when the thing was released, but not enough to make it stand the test of time. Subjective opinion, of course, but negative reviews must always take a chance and pretend to objectivity to get their point across. Hope I'm not ruffling too many feathers here, to take an image that's fitting to Garbage's artistry (see the first album's cover). Worse, some of the vocal hooks and choruses on the album's first half (specifically on "When I Grow Up" and "Special") are so cloying, they actually sound like fodder for annoying ad jingles, instead of material that could be used for truly likable songs. And I dare anyone here to praise or defend the processed jungle clichés of "Hammering In My Head", a cut which aged like milk, period. Embarrassing to close the first side of your LP with such a dud. Interestingly, the second side fares far better than the first, thanks to a string of four cuts that finally sees the four accomplished musicians in the band flex their songwriting muscles at last. "Push It" finally equals the hits of the debut. "The Trick Is To Keep Breathing" is a sensitive ballad akin to "A Stroke Of Luck". "Dumb" and "Sleep Together" explore minor chords-driven industrial-pop turf tense enough to justify a visit. But then Garbage inexplicably ruins that good run with a very awkward cut ("Wicked Ways", yet another dud). And to close the proceedings, you have "You Look So Fine", quite a nice ballad as well... but basically "Milk 2.0", up to its synth line! And by that late stage, such a formulaic intent to create a connective tissue with the first LP feels almost infuriating, like an avowal of creative defeat... For me, the second best album in Garbage's discography will always be *Strange Little Birds*, which was released in the quite late year of 2016. "Night Drive Loneliness", "Even Though Our Love Is Doomed" and "Magnetized" is an extraordinary run of back-to-back songs in it, for example. The first is a hypnotic, film noir-inspired gem, the second is simply put the *best ballad the band has ever written*, incredibly potent and cinematic, and the third is as powerful, dark and propulsive as anything Manson and co. have ever released when they originally broke out. Of course, *Strange Little Birds* was mostly ignored or misunderstood by "professional critics" when it came out. The hype was long gone by then, you see... Here's me hoping for a reevaluation of that one, though (is the user suggesting *Version 2.0* for this generator familiar with that other record, by the way?). I can't help adding that subsequent LPs released by the band since 2016 have been slightly more favored by said critics compared to *Strange Little Birds*, but that I don't care for them at all, oddly enough. So, all things considered, it looks like the one and only album Garbage's target audience and I can agree on is the debut. But hey, one is better than nothing, right? After all, "2.0 versions" of softwares are rarely remembered in the same endearing way as the original versions are. Their supposed "novelty" quickly wears thin in public consciousness, and they ironically appear as more quaint than the original version years or decades after the fact. It's all summed-up in the double-meaning of the word "novelty", is it not? 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 43 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 53 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 102 (including this one) --- Émile: voir ma toute dernière réponse sous le disque *Triage* au-dessus.

Bleh. I hate Garbage. And they already have their supposedly "best" or at least most commercially successful album on the O.G. list. This is a wasted pick. Garbage is still garbage to me.

I liked their first more, but not much more.