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Absolute Garbage
by
Absolute Garbage Image
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 36 Ratings

  • Summary: A best-of collection from the band led by singer Shirley Manson.

Top Track

Stupid Girl
You pretend you're high Pretend you're bored Pretend you're anything Just to be adored And what you need Is what you get Don't believe in fear Don't... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. PopMatters
    90
    The sequencing is what makes this disc such a divine pleasure: we get to hear a band grow from grinning upstarts to tension-battered road warriors.
  2. musicOMH.com
    80
    It's a deserved retrospective, and serves a reminder of how, in the mid 1990s, the band had album buyers eating out of the palms of their hands.
  3. Slant Magazine
    80
    'Tell Me Where It Hurts' is an undeniable sign that, despite their extended hiatuses and internal turmoil, Garbage is very much alive with ideas and ambition.
  4. Urb
    70
    Far better than the Cranberries in retrospect. [Sep/Oct 2007, p.131]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Blender
    60
    The bonus disc of dance remixes merely piles another layer of fastidiousness atop the already epically fussed-over tracks. [2007 Aug, p.120]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Uncut
    60
    Remarkably extending to 18 tracks, Absolute… traces the discography from the wide-screen Mary Chain of 'Only Happy When It Rains' to the Bond theme 'The World Is Not Enough' and the Spectorish strings of this year’s comeback, 'Tell Me Where it Hurts'--though 2001’s cute 'Androgyny' is an odd omission.
  7. The Guardian
    40
    Imagine a grouchy, surly-lipped teenager who becomes someone devilishly, deliciously dramatic. Then age does wither them, and the years don't half bloody condemn them.

See all 12 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. Josh?
    Aug 13, 2007
    10
    This collection is Rock Star all the way. The new track only cements how great this band always was & hopefully always will be. I Love This Band!
  2. Alexis
    Jul 28, 2007
    10
    Absolutely essential & classic band. The critics don't know how to react to their legacy in 2007 because they themselves are worried & Absolutely essential & classic band. The critics don't know how to react to their legacy in 2007 because they themselves are worried & confused slaves to momentary trends. Don't worry about them. This music is every bit as good as it was in 1998. Excellence doesn't turn like the tides, only hipster demands do. Ignore them, please, and remember that this band was once praised as one of the best of the 90s by these very publications. In 2010, when the 90's revival returns, they will again be awed at & repositioned upon a pedestal. Just do yourself a favor, and be your own judge. Did you love their singles then? Then, there is no reason for you not to celebrate them now & perhaps even more so as few bands have done anything this edgy with pop music ever since. Trendiness be fucked.… Expand
  4. GeorgeM
    Aug 9, 2007
    10
    the first good band i ever loved, and i still love them, i do think version 2.0 was their strongest album, but i love nearly evrythin theyve the first good band i ever loved, and i still love them, i do think version 2.0 was their strongest album, but i love nearly evrythin theyve done, i think alexis has got it spot on.. well, anyway, the songs speak for themselves!! i do think there was a few other tracks that def shud have been on here, "sex is not the enemy" "androgyny" "silence is golden" and a few others!… Expand
  5. DrewF
    Aug 18, 2007
    9
    If you were ever a fan, this album is a must-have. Their unique sound defined my transition from teenager to adulthood. I'll never If you were ever a fan, this album is a must-have. Their unique sound defined my transition from teenager to adulthood. I'll never understand why their more recent work has been so frowned upon by the public at large. Still, along with Muse, the only band whose every release I anticipate. Hopefully this is not the end for Shirly, Butch and the gang!… Collapse
  6. marcmyworks
    Feb 9, 2014
    9
    A great compilation from a great band. Some of the remastering has taken the sparkle from the original tracks but overall this is truly aA great compilation from a great band. Some of the remastering has taken the sparkle from the original tracks but overall this is truly a wonderful album from one of the best bands ever.… Expand
  7. ScarTissue1990
    Mar 11, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved it, but it pissed me off that they didn't put "Breaking Up the Girl" on it.. But out of it all, It is an amazing compilation of their previous work!… Expand
  8. ToddW.
    Aug 1, 2007
    1
    An aptly named album for an aptly named band. I've never gotten this band, although I must admit their lead singer is at least got her An aptly named album for an aptly named band. I've never gotten this band, although I must admit their lead singer is at least got her name right. She sounds like Shirley Temple channeling Charles Manson.… Expand

See all 14 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Most Shared Album of 2007