Description
Garbage – Beautiful Garbage – Double 180 Gram Vinyl Records
Released on October 1, 2001, Beautiful Garbage (styled as beautifulgarbage) is Garbage’s third studio album, following the commercial and critical success of their first two records, Garbage (1995) and Version 2.0 (1998). With Beautiful Garbage, the band took bold creative risks, expanding their sound in unexpected directions, incorporating pop, hip-hop, shoegaze, electronica, and even elements of Motown into their signature alternative rock and industrial-pop fusion.
The album’s release coincided with a challenging cultural moment—just weeks after the September 11th attacks, which dampened the promotional cycle, especially in the U.S. Despite this, Beautiful Garbage received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its experimentation and Shirley Manson’s fearless lyricism, even if some fans were caught off guard by the shift toward melody and polished pop textures.
Stylistically, Beautiful Garbage was a deliberate left turn, moving away from the darker, more electronic-leaning industrial alt-rock of Version 2.0 and embracing glam rock flair, torch-song vulnerability, and even bubblegum pop sensibilities. It’s sonically diverse, ranging from punky snarls to lush ballads, reflecting the band’s desire to break out of the box they’d been placed in after the success of their first two albums.
The album is unapologetically emotional and confrontational, tackling themes of love, betrayal, identity, empowerment, and vulnerability. Manson’s writing is sharp, self-aware, and intimate, making this one of Garbage’s most personal records.
Notable Tracks & Highlights
“Androgyny” – The lead single, and a clear signal that this was a different Garbage. Mixing sexy R&B grooves with rock grit, it’s a celebration of gender fluidity and defiance of labels, a bold statement in 2001.
“Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)” – A glitter-drenched glam-pop anthem, inspired by the life of JT LeRoy (a controversial literary figure who was thought to be a genderqueer teenager at the time). Its bright, sugary hooks are undercut by Manson’s dark sense of humor.
“Breaking Up the Girl” – A shimmering, radio-ready pop-rock tune with biting lyrics about the pressures placed on women in the music industry and society at large.
“Cup of Coffee” – One of the album’s most emotionally raw moments, this melancholy ballad dissects the pain of unrequited love and heartbreak. It’s devastating in its simplicity and honesty.
“Silence Is Golden” – A fuzzy, aggressive track that harkens back to the band’s grittier origins. It balances sweet melodies with seething frustration.
“Parade” – A dreamy, cinematic song that feels like shoegaze meets pop. It’s atmospheric and reflective, showcasing the band’s sonic range.
“Shut Your Mouth” – The opening track, and one of the album’s harder-edged moments, filled with sarcastic venom and crunchy guitars, giving fans a dose of the band’s more traditional bite.
“So Like a Rose” – The ethereal closer, which unfolds slowly and builds into a lush, heartbreaking climax. It’s a reminder that behind all the experimentation and gloss, Garbage never lost their emotional core.
Though Beautiful Garbage debuted strongly worldwide (reaching No. 6 in the UK and performing well in Europe and Australia), it didn’t match the blockbuster success of its predecessors in the U.S. Part of this was due to the post-9/11 climate, which saw music industry focus shift sharply toward more serious or comforting fare. Additionally, the album’s stylistic curveball confused some fans and radio programmers, who weren’t sure if Garbage was still a grunge-tinged alt-rock band or something else entirely.
That said, Beautiful Garbage has undergone a significant critical reappraisal in recent years. Many now view it as a bold, ahead-of-its-time record, celebrating its willingness to blur genres, embrace pop, and break rules long before that became the norm for alt-rock bands in the 2000s.
Beautiful Garbage was misunderstood in its moment, but it stands today as a testament to Garbage’s refusal to play it safe. It’s a messy, brilliant, audacious record—one that feels both like a product of its time and weirdly prophetic, foreshadowing the genre-hopping approach that defines modern pop and alt-rock alike.
20th anniversary edition in gatefold sleeve, remastered by Billy Bush and Butch Vig.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Shut Your Mouth
Androgyny
Can’t Cry These Tears
Til The Day I Die
Cup Of Coffee
Silence Is Golden
Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
Breaking Up The Girl
Drive You Home
Parade
Nobody Loves You
Untouchable
So Like A Rose
