263) Garbage

When I spoke to Shirley Manson in Cathouse after a Goodbye Mr MacKenzie concert well over thirty years ago, I am not sure either of us would believe she would become one of the biggest female singers fronting a band that have sold over seventeen million albums.

Now to be clear I wish the seventeen million had been sold along with Martin, Kelly, Fin, Rona, and John in the MacKenzie’s but I have spoken about the injustice of their lack of recognition and sales.

The MacKenzie’s had become Angelfish with Shirley on lead vocals, and she had been spotted by her future bandmates singing the Angelfish song Suffocate Me, a connection was made and Manson and was in.

Chart success was not something Manson was used to but Garbage were an instant hit and all these years later the record still holds up.

Supervixen is all swirling guitars that stop and start a kind of cleaned up grunge  which is no shock with Nirvana producer Butch Vig in the band. Queer was a huge hit all seductive, trippy, and laidback, a top song you know the moment it starts and as soon as Shirley starts her “du, du, du,” its instantly recognisable.

The album also contained other big singles Only Happy When It Rains, a harder sound, and Stupid Girl which has particularly haunting guitar lick and Shirley shows she has the voice and style to lead the band going from seductive and sexy to assertive, her apprenticeship in the MacKenzies and Angelfish readying her for this moment.

This is a record of big drums, striking chords and synths, the band are tight, and Shirley bounces off them.

A Stroke of Luck contains Shirley’s best vocal, and Vow has a nice buzz guitar riff that catches the ear.

It doesn’t all work, Not My Idea is no great shakes and As Heaven Is Wide doesn’t really catch my attention.

The album ends on a high with Fix Me Now as Shirley almost sounding like PJ Harvey at the start over a heavy riff before launching herself into the chorus. The low-key verses and rousing chorus are a good contrast, and the final track Milk is dreamy pop, all atmospheric, slow beats, no guitars, built on an organ as Shirley seduces us.

Considering the experience and talent involved its no real surprise how good this debut was but then Shirley had already been involved in two excellent debuts with Goodbye Mr MacKenzie’s Good Deeds and Dirty Rags and Angelfish.

7/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Queer