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Garbage >>

Cool, calculating, and Euro-trashy in the grand tradition of Roxy Music and the Eurythmics. --Jeff Bateman

Taking inspiration from little known British band Curve, the formula behind Garbage was simple enough: Industrial strength beats, grungy guitars and ice queen vocals. But in Scottish fireball Shirley Manson the three middle-aged studio whizzes from Wisconsin not only found a muse but a front woman whose infinite charisma and wicked sense of humor--as evidenced by the title of this greatest hits set--gave even No Doubt a solid run in the hits race. For a few years, the group ruled the charts with shiny metallic pop gems like "Queer," "Stupid Girl," and "Only Happy When It Rains," hampered only by some remedial lyrics and a penchant for cribbing other bands' melodies (see: The Pretenders aping "Special"). There's a discernible dip in quality midway through this collection, when at the turn of the millennium Garbage seemingly lost its fire, but at least the group's token James Bond theme, "The World Is Not Enough," is more Shirley Bassey than Sheena Easton. Fans who are already up do date with the originals will want to pick up this special edition set that features a bonus disc of remixes by some of the biggest players on the '90s electronic music scene, including Massive Attack, The Crystal Method, and Unkle. --Aidin Vaziri

Version 2.0 >>

It's not that Garbage is doing anything particularly new. At times, singer Shirley Manson borrows Chrissie Hynde's phrasing, Patti Smith's rock beat poetry, and Brian Wilson's chorus from "Don't Worry Baby." But producer Butch Vig provides a modern sheen to Version 2.0 that makes it sound fresh and distinctly modern. Purists may blanch--the album is a hybrid of rock guitars, dance rhythms, and pop choruses--but songs such as "I Think I'm Paranoid" (a rip of Elastica) and "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" (Depeche Mode, without the chill) sound great no matter what they're called. --Keith Moerer

Absolute Garbage >>

Taking inspiration from little known British band Curve, the formula behind Garbage was simple enough: Industrial strength beats, grungy guitars and ice queen vocals. But in Scottish fireball Shirley Manson the three middle-aged studio whizzes from Wisconsin not only found a muse but a front woman whose infinite charisma and wicked sense of humor--as evidenced by the title of this greatest hits set--gave even No Doubt a solid run in the hits race. For a few years, the group ruled the charts with shiny metallic pop gems like "Queer," "Stupid Girl," and "Only Happy When It Rains," hampered only by some remedial lyrics and a penchant for cribbing other bands' melodies (see: The Pretenders aping "Special"). There's a discernible dip in quality midway through this collection, when at the turn of the millennium Garbage seemingly lost its fire, but at least the group's token James Bond theme, "The World Is Not Enough," is more Shirley Bassey than Sheena Easton. Fans who are already up do date with the originals will want to pick up the special edition set that features a bonus disc of remixes by some of the biggest players on the '90s electronic music scene, including Massive Attack, The Crystal Method, and Unkle. --Aidin Vaziri

Beautiful Garbage >>

Garbage's third album is an almost total departure for modern rock's renowned poster children. Shirley Manson, Butch Vig, Duke Erickson, and Steve Marker robustly straddled the line between alternative rock and techno in their two efforts, whipping up two finely crafted CDs that captured the cultural mood of the late '90s. After six years in the saddle, they've shaken off the charge that they're a producer's creation and have emerged as a full-blown band. The band has also given up all pretext at being au courant and topical, instead combining '80s kitsch with '70s pop, with a stop along the way to worship at the altars of Phil Spector and Chrissie Hynde and even at times arriving at their own version of nu soul. "Shut Your Mouth" is raw and menacing and does as much for female empowerment as a Missy Elliott hit. "Can't Cry These Tears Anymore" is a modern take on Leslie Gore's "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To), but with all the strangeness of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. If there is a single theme to Beautiful Garbage (named after a line in a Courtney Love song), it's that smart girls don't put all their faith in love. The heroine in most of these 13 songs would rather kick a faithless lover in the, er, shins with her stilettos than pine by the phone. The "Stupid Girl" of the band's debut is now just a stupid memory. --Jaan Uhelszki

Bleed Like Me >>

Despite making it through a difficult four-year stretch in which the band temporarily broke up, singer Shirley Manson left her husband, and new technologies made the sleek electro-rock sound of its first three albums feel passé, Garbage resurfaces in rude health on Bleed Like Me. Manson is still kickboxing the air and stomping the glitter under her heels, as she channels Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde on edgy glam-rock anthems like "Run Baby Run" and "Metal Heart." All the while three bookish producers in the background--including Butch Vig, who famously helmed Nirvana's Nevermind--turn up the sleazy machine-like rhythms. Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl sits in on the drums for the menacing "Bad Boyfriend," but it's the confessional title track Bleed Like Me"--part "Walk on the Wild Side," part therapy session for former cutter Manson--that shatters Garbage's image as the ultimate non-stick studio band. "You should see my scars," goes the chorus. And, for once, Manson is actually willing to reveal them. -- Aidin Vaziri

Trick Is To Keep Breathing >>

Four Track Cd5 Includes Exclusive Tracks 'tornado', 'special Rickidy Raw Mix'& 'can't Seem to Make You Mine'.

Breaking Up the Girl 3 >>

3rd part to the UK edition includes all non-LP tracks, 'Breaking Up The Girl (Acoustic Version)', 'Confidence (non-LP)' & 'Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) (DJEJ's Go-Go Jam).