Only happy when it rains - Garbage

'Only happy when it rains' was written, recorded and produced by Garbage at their own recording studio in Madison, Wisconsin. The song was released as the third single from the band's debut album 'Garbage'. Shirley Manson explained that the song was 'a dig at ourselves because we like records that don't make us feel very happy, and at this so-called 'alternative' scene of 'we're so weird and more wonderful than everybody else'.'

Continuing their theme of collectible 7" vinyl releases, which had seen 'Vow' packaged in an aluminium sleeve and 'Subhuman' in black rubber, Mushroom packaged the 7" format for "Only Happy When It Rains" in a "Prismaboard" (rain-effect) die-cut card sleeve, with a hologram logo sticker on the inner jacket. The B-side was pressed with a double groove, so that either 'Girl don't come' or 'Sleep' played, depending on where the stylus landed; the songs were shorter on the vinyl than they were on the CD or cassette formats to accommodate both on one side of the disc. This pressing was limited to 5,000 copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 5268
Found: Discogs.com, received December 6, 2011
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Only happy when it rains' / 'Girl don't come', 'Sleep'

Tell me where it hurts - Garbage

I don't have a lot of Garbage singles, and that's partly because most of their singles were not released on 7" vinyl. And when they were, they are often exceedingly expensive. But I got lucky: I found this 2007 single at a bargain price.

'Tell me where it hurts' was released on white vinyl in 2007. It was a new track on the compilation album 'Absolute Garbage', released while the band were on hiatus. This song was recorded after the band hadn't worked together for eighteen months. It was written around a string arrangement by the band coupled with newly written lyrics and a title that vocalist Manson had come up with a few years prior. Released as a single, it reached number 50 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4820
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Tell me where it hurts' / 'Bad boyfriend (Sting like a bee remix)'

Queer - Garbage

So this is an impressive packaging: the vinyl 7" of Garbage's fourth single 'Queer' came in a sleeve, with an extra card inside to show the credits of the two tracks, and a perspex casing with the 'G' from the band's logo branded on it, and a sticker on the casing to show that this single was called 'Queer' by the band Garbage. The whole thing originally came in a bubblewrap bag, but I have to confess I threw that away, because it took up too much space.

Butch Vig from the band said about the song: 'I was reading this novel about this woman who was hired to go and make this guy's son 'a man'. The kid is missing a few marbles. But then he realises that the woman who came to his room is also fucking his father.'

My collection: 7" single no. 2863

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, September 20, 1997

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Queer' / 'Queer (dub-bin mix)

Download: here

Milk - Garbage

The band Garbage is specialized in rock tracks with a twist. Their Bond anthem 'The World is not enough' is one example of their greatness, and this track, 'Milk', is another. Aside from their music, Garbage have also been known for their great attraction to unlikely formats. They released 3" cd singles in blister packs long after the 3" format had been abandoned by record companies, and they released 7" singles in thick, attractive sleeves to make their records attractive for collectors.

The 7" single for Milk included a large foldout poster with no image on it, just a red square, and a cardboard outer sleeve with a 3d reflecting image. A beautiful item for those who appreciate special editions...

My collection: 7" single no. 2800

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 14, 1996

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Milk (Wicked mix)' / 'Milk (Tricky remix)'

Download: 'Milk (Remixes)', including both tracks