Absolute Garbage : about
Released next Monday, Absolute Garbage is the band’s first best of compilation. Though it misses some less sucessful or accepted singles as “The Trick Is To Keep Breathing”, “Androgyny”, “Breaking Up The Girl”, “Sex Is Not The Enemy” or “Run Baby Run”, it shows up the variety that Garbage has proffered over the years, contrasting with the one dimensional tag that has oft been slapped on their backs.
Hearing its tracklist from start to end, on a factory pressed CD, is a true emotional trip for any Garbage fan. From “Vow” to a new mix for “It’s All Over But The Crying”, it leaves us wondering where Garbage are. The 24 pages booklet on black Matte paper has a biography, complete lyrics, photographies and many thank you notes.
CD1: Vow / Queer / Only Happy When It Rains / Stupid Girl / Milk / #1 Crush [Nellee Hooper Mix] / Push It / I Think I’m Paranoid / Special / When I Grow Up / You Look So Fine / The World Is Not Enough / Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) / Shut Your Mouth / Why Do You Love Me / Bleed Like Me / Tell Me Where It Hurts / It’s All Over But The Crying [New Mix]
CD2 [a remixes CD, available only on a limited edition] has some of the best remixes made:
The World Is Not Enough [UNKLE] / When I Grow Up [Jagz Kooner] / Special [Brothers in Rhythm] / Breaking Up The Girl [Timo Maas] / Milk [Massive Attack] / Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) [Roger Sanchez] / Androgyny [Felix Da Housecat] / Queer [Rabbit in the Moon] / I Think I’m Paranoid [Crystal Method] / Stupid Girl [Todd Terry] / You Look So Fine [Fun Lovin’ Criminals] / Push It [Boom Boom Satellited] / Bad Boyfriend [Garbage Remix]
European Limited Edition, 2 CD, 5144 22489 2 [A&E Records / Warner]
Finally, the DVD also spans the band’s entire career, on promo videos. Again, misses some content that I personally was expecting, such as “Sleep” (video only available on the Garbage video VHS), both “When I Grow Up” versions, “The Trick Is To Keep Breathing”, “Androgyny”, “Breaking Up The Girl”, both “Shut Your Mouth” versions, “Sex Is Not The Enemy” and “Run Baby Run”, that would all fit perfectly on the DVD.
DVD: Vow / Queer / Only Happy When it Rains / Stupid Girl / Milk / Push It / I Think I’m Paranoid / Special / When I Grow Up / You Look So Fine / The World is Not Enough / Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) / Shut Your Mouth / Why Do You Love Me / Bleed Like Me / Tell Me Where It Hurts (ex North America ONLY) / Thanks for your UUuuhhhh Support
“Thanks for your UUuuhhhh Support” is a exclusive 60 minute documentary featuring previously unseen material and backstage footage. You can see the preview here:
What I think is the most positive on this retrospective is the care that was put on it. As always, Garbage don’t want the fans to feel ripped of. The booklet is in a really nice paper, with 24 pages, complete lyrics, pictures, biography, many thank notes to the fans on it, a new song, new mixes on a couple of songs, two non album tracks (#1 Crush and TWINE) great remixes on the limited edition (including a new WIGU remix), a one hour documentary on the DVD, etc.
Shirley says “A big hand of love to everyone who has ever gone crazy for one of our tracks, laughed and screamed and cried at one of our shows, stuck us on a home made compilation, written us a letter, called themselves a Garbage fan, or even acted like one.”
Thank you Garbage!