Shirley Manson, Garbage’s enigmatic lead singer
Frontwoman Shirley Manson, producer Butch Vig and remixers Steve Marker and Duke Erikson together make up Garbage who in the late 1990’s became indie icons. Manson in particular, with her unconventional beauty, became an outspoken anti-mainstream model worshipped by scores of fans. Butch Vig had already seen both critical and commercial success, having produced Nirvana’s signature album Nevermind and working with U2 and the Smashing Pumpkins as well as with Marker and Erikson in bands Spooner and Firetown. The core trio were captivated by Manson, who was lead singer of outfit Angel Fish, in a video shown on MTV in the US. Agreeing to join the three Garbage was formed in 1994. Newly formed, the band gauged critical reaction with debut single Vow, not commercially released in the United Kingdom, which was met with enthusiastic reviews. This was followed by Subhuman, again met with a positive response from music critics, which only just scraped into the top fifty. But this was to only provide the basis for the enormity of their success.
[quote=left]Butch Vig: We want to use all these different elements like techno, punk and noise, ambient, jazz and rock, and mix them all up around a pop song.[/quote]The band’s first full studio album, Garbage (the working title, Sad Alcoholic Clowns unfortunately having been dropped), was released in 1997 to almost universal critical acclaim. Dark, haunting and moody could all be used to described the work, as much in Manson’s silken vocal delivery as the lyrics and production. With song titles such as Only Happy When It Rains and Stupid Girl, as well as lyrics including, “Pour your misery down on me”, the album was not for the average pop fan. Garbage spawned a large and loyal fanbase, which was solidified by the Mushroom label’s release of special edition singles geared towards the fan market. Unusual packaging on the vinyl releases of the singles have made them collectors’ items, the limited edition of Milk for instance was covered with a rippled cardboard sleeve and a 16-frame holgraphic image, the limited edition of Stupid Girl being released in cloth bags. For fans of the band, these special editions have become the most sought after pieces of Garbage memorobilia.
Garbage saw the band cement their achievement at both a commercial and critical level, with the most successful single to be lifted from the album, Stupid Girl, reaching number four on the British singles charts. The album proved particularly popular in markets throughout the world including the United States where the band performed a highly profitable sold-out tour, though Garbage did remain an essentially underground group. On the Billboard chart it reached the top 20, though significantly it stayed in the top 100 for an incredible 81 weeks, whereas in the United Kingdom the album reached number six and lasted 100 weeks, a huge achievement for an indie band. Australia also provided a hotbed of album sales, becoming a top 5 album there.
Garbage’s innovative video won an MTV award © www.subhuman.net
1998 saw the release of the band’s second album, Version 2.0. As darkly catchy as its predecessor, most songs being a combination of a bleak message with a wonderfully insane melody or spine-tingling ballads, the album proved a huge seller. Entering at number one in the British charts and going top 20 in the States it became their most profitable, and arguably critically celebrated, album to date. The first single, Push It was accompanied by a black and white video featuring faceless nuns and it was indeed due to the videos from Version 2.0 that made Manson something of an icon. I Think I’m Paranoid’s Matthew Rolston directed video was reminscent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with Manson pouting her perfectly coated lips as much as possible. The same can be said for the highly inventive video to Special, which won an MTV Award for special effects and a VH1 Fashion Award for “Visionary Video”, where director Dawn Shadforth orchestrated an elaborate spaceship battle. These videos earned Garbage a reputation for breaking ground and providing fans with a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. On the singles charts Push It, I Think I’m Paranoid and When I Grow Up proved the most popular all hitting number nine, the latter was included on the soundtrack to the comedy Big Daddy which ensured it large exposure in the United States.
This made Garbage an apparently unconventional choice to sing the title theme tune to the 19th Bond picture The World Is Not Enough. That said it was with vigour that the band accepted the invitation with Manson declaring she was a life-long Bond fan and sympathiser of Moneypenny’s (lack of) romantic fortunes. The track itself is clearly inspired by the older Bond themes in terms of structure and production, evident particularly in the extravagant chorus. However, the theme was largely unplayed on radio stations and made little impact on the British singles charts, failing to reach the top ten. The theme also has the tendency to divide Bond fans, some arguing that it is a dull, lifeless and anti-climatic song that drifts into obscurity with others suggesting it was a rich, epic and classily produced ballad that oozes style. In this sense the song is similar to The World Is Not Enough itself, was it too smart (Sophie Marceau) or was it too stupid (Denise Richards)? Certainly controversial, the film satisfies some with plenty of character development and an array of intricate plot twists, but alienates others with an over-abundance of action and a thread-bare plot thrown in to link up those action sequences. This is a debate that will no doubt continue, but one which will never be resolved.[quote=left]Shirley Manson: When MAC approached me about participating in the VIVA GLAM campaign, I jumped at the chance. Not only because I admire MAC and the efforts they have made around the world to support men, women and children who are affected by HIV/AIDS, but also because I see it as a perfect opportunity to put my own public profile to good use for a cause I feel strongly about.[/quote]
2001 witnessed the band’s fortunes take a turn for the worse with the release of their third album, beautifulgarbage. Released in a week packed with competition in the United Kingdom, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham all released albums in the same week, the album limped into number six, and fell out of the album charts after only one month (though it did sell more than Mrs Beckham’s self-titled effort). Compared to the heights achieved by their previous albums, beautifulgarbage was generally viewed as a disappointment in the music industry, a view similarly reflected on the other side of the pond (in Australia however the album was a number one). Critics reacted indifferently, some fans hostily, at the change in Garbage’s sound. Little depression could be heard in the lyrics, the songs were generally more upbeat and the rawness of Garbage and, to an extent, Version 2.0 was not evident. The style varied considerably and the album did prove something of a bold departure from their previous work, with clear influences ranging from R’n'B to contemporary pop. The singles released did not sell well, only one scraped into the top twenty, though the band did continue the precedent set for Version 2.0 in releasing different and highly original videos to accompany the singles. All those involved however seem to be of the view that beautifulgarbage was not the success they would have hoped it to be.
On another altogether more positive note, Shirley Manson in 2001 became a spokesperson for Viva Glam lipsticks, which funds the Mac AIDS program, collectively with Elton John and Mary J. Blige. Manson’s love of lip gloss is well-documented, but she chose to put this and her fame to good use by raising funds for charity. As well as appearing in plenty of photo-shoots with her fellow celebrities she has also worked tirelessly to raise public awareness of this campaign.
[quote]Butch Vig: It’s a lot more raw. There’s been more live playing and a lot more ad-libbing going on. Instead of really crafting songs, we’re leaving them a lot looser. We did a little bit of it on beautifulgarbage, but that album was very eclectic. We’re hoping that this is going to have a more coherent vibe.[/quote]The as yet untitled fourth studio album is currently being finished off, and is expected in October despite an original release date of September 2003. Most who were somewhat alienated by the band’s third effort have been pleased by the word on the album, which will apparently return to the sound, style and feel of the band’s debut album Garbage. On the other hand, times have changed, the music industry certainly has in particular, therefore how successful a simple return to a previous sound, despite undoubtedly exciting the Garbage’s hardcore base, remains to be seen.
But as far as James Bond is concerned, were Garbage enough? Well the answer very much depends on who one is talking to, the opinion of the author is that Garbage were indeed and more, an unusual choice perhaps, but an inspired one. Manson’s vocals are in fine form that slowly purr over the instrumentals, soaring into a crescendo for the grand, and ‘Bondian’, chorus. Dripping in elegance in the production, David Arnold and the band have managed to pay homage to Bond themes of the past and produced a modern, evocative and stirring ballad, entirely suiting the feel of what is arguably Arnold’s most effective score.
