Moopy ARTIST OF THE WEEK - GARBAGE (26.03.12)

[funky]

Yes we're BACK

in light of a new album and tings, we're revisiting Garbage this week. ERE AVE A LOOK:



which album/single did it for you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_(band)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_(band)_discography
http://www.youtube.com/user/ABSOLUTgarbage

[straightorbroken]

They used to pack such a PUNCH. Their first two albums are near perfect, Shirley sneering down her pierced nose whilst sharing the same stylist as All Saints for a brief time (When I Grow Up promo), and then that 3rd album fucked everything up. They made some of the best music videos of their time.

Vow is just glorious, it was in my summer holiday cassette I took with me to Majorca back in 1998, alongside Paranoid, other 'alternative' acts I was into back then and Steps' Love's Got A Hold On My Heart.

01. I Think I'm Paranoid
02. Only Happy When It Rains
03. Vow
04. Milk
05. Push It
06. Fix Me Now
07. You Look So Fine
08. Stupid Girl
09. Temptation Waits
10. Medication

[funky]

I'm honestly not familiar with anything from the second album onwards, but the first album is magnificent, and it's not even close to my territory in terms of genres/sounds I like

Every single is amazing, but I'd rank them:

1. Queer
2. Milk
3. Only Happy When It Rains
4. Stupid Girl

Queer is just one of those special songs that gets under my skin. It's so fucking twisted.

I don't remember the album tracks, as I'm not sure what happened to the CD. I see "Vow" was actually their first ever single, I should check that out.

[VoR]

Nobody did, or does, BRUISED ANGER quite like Shirley Manson.

I think the third album has some great stuff, but Androgyny was a terrible choice of lead single.

Top ten:

1. Soldier Through This
2. Special
3. #1 Crush
4. Cup of Coffee
5. It's All Over But The Crying
6. Stupid Girl
7. Milk
8. The World Is Not Enough
9. You Look So Fine
10. Push It

My #1 was utterly WASTED as a B-side, it's magnificently dark.

[Agnetha]

Probably at the time my favourite band on the planet. That was until the third album of course. Even the last two albums weren't the epic disasters that some bands plummet to.

One of the few bands I ever genuinely obsessed over. I saw them live on several occasions, and of course my opinion would be that they were nothing short of amazing. A whole wall of my bedroom was a Shirley Manson shrine for at least a couple of years.

I would love this comeback to provoke a proper reassessment of their old material. It won't, but I have rare Garbage releases gathering dust at home.

[funky]

I did not know that about you AG

[VoR]

I have to say, I find it QUITE SUSPECT that all the female-fronted rock banks of the 90s (Hole, Garbage, Elastica, Sleeper etc) have been relegated to embarassingly naff reject bin by the same critics who still spunk their collective loads over Nirvana, Suede, Blur, Oasis etc.

Garbage deserve to be FAR better regarded than they are these days.

[dmlaw]

Even the third album was damn good in places. It suffered from not being as dark as the first two but it still had some great songs.

[funky]

I have to say, I find it QUITE SUSPECT that all the female-fronted rock banks of the 90s (Hole, Garbage, Elastica, Sleeper etc) have been relegated to embarassingly naff reject bin by the same critics who still spunk their collective loads over Nirvana, Suede, Blur, Oasis etc.

Garbage deserve to be FAR better regarded than they are these days.

to be fair, you're a bit Apples and Oranges there. There are many big male-fronted bands from the 90s who are either ignored or mocked these days (Bush anyone?) much like Elastica etc. Oasis and Blur continued to have major crossover and success well past the 90s. I don't think anyone is spunking over Suede. And Nirvana were a one-off, a phenomenon, an unexplainable moment in music history. Not to say I agree, but they just ARE, for whatever reason.

I think of the bands you mention, Garbage are still held in high regard. They may not feature on all time lists by Rolling Stone or Q, in the way Blondie or The Pretenders or The Eurythmics do, but they're still pretty big. Whether they are relevant in 2012 remains to be seen though, probably.

[Agnetha]

I have to say, I find it QUITE SUSPECT that all the female-fronted rock banks of the 90s (Hole, Garbage, Elastica, Sleeper etc) have been relegated to embarassingly naff reject bin by the same critics who still spunk their collective loads over Nirvana, Suede, Blur, Oasis etc.

Garbage deserve to be FAR better regarded than they are these days.

To be honest of that list, only Garbage had any longevity. Besides Garbage aside again, they're leagues apart. Hole was literally Nirvana's wife and Sleeper and Elastica were Menswear and Stiltskin.

[straightorbroken]

Yes, I've noticed Q Magazine seem to loathe them (not that I read that lads magazine). Courtney is something else - she's portrayed as the Geri of rock music, which totally boils my blood as I think ALL her albums are magnificent (for a variety of reasons of course). Courtney is always very complementary of Shirley, isn't she? I always wondered if Beautiful Garbage was a nod to Hole. Even if she only ever managed to breathe on a few tunes, it's actually D'arcy from the Pumpkins whose my favourite female rock star.

I'm really not familiar with Garbage's b-sides. I'll have to have a word with my Garbage loon chum.

[Agnetha]

I did not know that about you AG

I SELF HARMED!

[VoR]

I was pushing it with Sleeper and Elastica but Hole were absolutely brilliant.

Q and NME types ABSOLUTELY still spunk over Suede and all that lot.

[dmlaw]

The Dog Man Star and Suede albums are still pretty well regarded critically.

I would agree that it's not really a fair comparison because the likes of Elastica or Garbage never really reached the levels of critical or commercial success that the biggest all male bands had.

[Agnetha]

The reality is Hole had two standout songs. Maybe a couple more. Garbage had two albums worth.

[straightorbroken]

The reality is Hole had two standout songs. Maybe a couple more. Garbage had two albums worth.

I'm guessing Celebrity Skin is one of them, what's the other one?

[Agnetha]

I'm guessing Celebrity Skin is one of them, what's the other one?

Doll Parts would be the other one that springs to mind for me.

[dmlaw]

Hole were never really about the music anyway and after that bitch MURDERED Kurt and made it look like a suicide they were over with most critics.

[Tetris-Rock]

I have to say, I find it QUITE SUSPECT that all the female-fronted rock banks of the 90s (Hole, Garbage, Elastica, Sleeper etc) have been relegated to embarassingly naff reject bin by the same critics who still spunk their collective loads over Nirvana, Suede, Blur, Oasis etc.

Garbage deserve to be FAR better regarded than they are these days.

I enjoy songs by every single artist mentioned in this post! Elastica and Sleeper weren't supposed to be taken seriously but they certainly had some good tunes that people overlook now. What you say is very true though... many friends of mine have material by Nirvana/Suede/Blur/Oasis but I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't heard of Elastica/Sleeper.

Doll Parts would be the other one that springs to mind for me.

I like "Malibu" as well. I looked it up after VoR mentioned it on here.

[Whatevar]

UNDERRATED




Shirley brings the LIVE VOX

[Rhythmbandit]

beautifulgarbage and Bleed Like Me were vastly underrated. The latters title track was stunning. Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) was a great pop record too.

Top 10.

1. I Think I'm Paranoid
2. Push It
3. Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
4. Queer
5. Bleed Like Me
6. When I Grow Up
7. Sex Is Not the Enemy
8. Stupid Girl
9. You Look So Fine
10. Breaking Up the Girl

[Krust]

Love love love the first two albums and some choice tracks from the later records. They had some great b-sides, though the essential ones all ocurred from 95-98. Thing is I feel they are still very much of a certain time and a special mindset. Teenage angst is what they do best, yet it feels not as authentic and fresh the older Shirley gets.

Here is another great b-side:



Top 20 tracks
01 you look so fine
02 vow
03 the trick is to keep breathing
04 #1 crush (original EP version)
05 only happy when it rains
06 special
07 medication
08 stupid girl
09 push it
10 cup of coffee
11 queer
12 milk (siren mix, without Tricky)
13 deadwood
14 it's all over but the crying
15 supervixen
16 all the good in this life
17 soldier through this
18 sleep together
19 temptation waits
20 trip my wire

[straightorbroken]

The main fault of albums 3 and 4 is that they are not as good as the stone cold classics that came before them. I thought Bleed Like Me was quite good though: Why Do You Love Me, Run Baby Rub, Right Between The Eyes and Boys Wanna Fight are all brilliant and full of speed (if a little similar); Bleed Like Me was almost too stark to bear ("you should see my scars" sounds so sad and pathetic); but the rest were just average in comparison to them at their very best. I never bothered with Beautifulgarbage beyond a few listens, but the middle-8 to Androgyny is stunning, and Parade is a genuine favourite of mine.

I think they should co-headline with No Doubt as they could do with the press.

[northernlad]

"You Look So Fine" will probably always be my favourite of theirs. Version 2.0 was one of the first albums I was massively taken with but I somehow never got on board enough to investigate the bulk of their non-album tracks. I'm fairly certain this is the first time I'm hearing that song VoR posted, and it really is lovely. I'd love to see them on tour this year, but without enduring Gwen Stefani as SoB suggests.

[straightorbroken]

I don't think Garbage and No Doubt are compatible, but I think in terms of their profile they could really use it. They're a headline act so it would compromise their set, but maybe a high profile one-off thing just so Shirley and Gwen can get papped together.

[RaspberrySwirl]

They did have some really nice b-sides; Soldier Through This, Sex Never Goes Out of Fashion and #1 Crush are all in my top 10 Garbage songs. Cup of Coffee however remains my favourite and it's one of my most listened to tracks in general.

[VoR]

Do you mean Cup Of Coffee?

[ameraal]

i lost interest with the third album but i still love shirley and will probably always be rooting for them

01 queer
02 you look so fine
03 push it
04 milk
05 special
06 only happy when it rains
07 #1 crush
08 sleep together
09 why don't you love me
10 girl don't come

[RaspberrySwirl]

Do you mean Cup Of Coffee?

Oh God yes!

[VoR]

Awww

[octophone]

What do you call a dog with three dicks?

[Agnetha]

Your mum and the three men who might be your dad.

[octophone]

The three guys are certainly old enough...

Apart from "Vow" and maybe, on a good day, "Milk", I always hated Garbage. I remember Shirley Manson having a particularly uppity whinge about manufactured music re: Spice Girls, conveniently forgetting that she'd been chosen from a videotape by three producers to front their new "project". They even pulled the stunt of issuing "Vow" on a small label whilst already being signed to a big one for some added indie cred. Tish and fipsy.