I'm only happy when it rains I feel good when things are going wrong I only listen to the sad, sad songs I'm only happy when it rains
I only smile in the dark My only comfort is the night gone black I didn't accidentally tell you that I'm only happy when it rains
If you've been reading DailyBOOM for any real length of time, then you already know that I absolutely love Garbage. I'll worship at the feet of Shirley Manson and praise the talent of the rest of the band each and every chance that I get. Finally getting to see them was absolutely everything that I had hoped for and more. It's always risky when you wait years to see a band that you love for the first time. Especially more than 20 years. You run the risk of voices fading, vocal range diminishing, and fingers just not playing the way that they once did.
Not the case with Garbage. I can't imagine them ever sounding better than they currently do. And Shirley has certainly gotten better with some good years under her belt. The performance anxiety she once had has been traded in for a sense of authority and control as she stalks the stage. There have been so many great tracks over the years, but since it is currently pouring, I'm going to make a fairly obvious choice.
Is "Only Happy When It Rains" their best song? Maybe. Is it their best song played live? Definitely maybe. It has always created or (embraced an already existing) mood. It described the 90's angst perfectly, which is, I'm sure, why it became such a huge breakout (and breakthrough) hit for Garbage. I also think it has one of the best videos of the entire decade to accompany it. Check it out below! Fabulous still, isn't it?
It's Throwback Thursday so here's an oldie but goodie.
A certain kind of magic is almost inevitable when you take two
legendary bands, each fronted by iconic female rockers and you have
them hit the road together for a 27- city North American tour. The
Rage and Rapture Tour, co-headlined by Garbage and
Blondie seems to have only picked up momentum as it rolled into a
series of East coast dates. The Aug. 2nd tour stop in
Philadelphia at The Mann Center, a beautiful outdoor venue
nestled in Fairmount Park, was absolutely everything that I had hoped
it would be. You know how sometimes you see a show that's so
fantastic that when you wake the next day you're still carrying it
with you? This was one of those for me. I left the venue a little bit
changed. I'm not exactly sure how or why, but I do know that it's a
good thing.
I've
always been entranced by Shirley Manson, from the very first
moment that MTV introduced her and the rest of Garbage to me. My
college-girl self thought that she was the epitome of cool, drop-dead
stunning and most importantly, she was smart. As Manson took the
stage, 25 years after my first impression of her was made, she was
still all of those things and more. Fire from the top of her hair to
the tips of her combat boots, owning every inch of the stage.
“Here
we are in the city of brotherly love. This is the city I fell in love
with when I grew up on the tiny little island of Scotland.” proclaimed Manson after the band’s first few songs. Clad in star
stockings, a shimmering silver dress and of course, a head full of
flame-colored hair Manson owned every bit of the stage as she lost
herself in the music. At times she seemed to be stalking the cords
and then in other moments, she was vulnerable to the point of
fragility before bouncing back with authority.
Manson has a way of
making you feel the anguish of her songs while turning them into a
bit of performance art. She appears almost catatonic for part of “#1
Crush” and then twirls with abandon through “Stupid Girl”.
Manson
introduced several songs by weaving in bits of her own personal
history as well stories of strong women rockers that affected her
and drove her to get to America, somehow. She was intensely connected
to the band and the audience simultaneously and somehow managed to
absolutely break my heart along with hers during a very still
rendition of “Cup Of Coffee”.
Their
set continued gaining momentum for well over an hour so that by the
time Garbage cranked out one of their anthems, “Only Happy When
It Rains”, it truly gave the audience the eventual outburst
that it needed. Manson started the song sitting on the stage and as
she slithered through the opening lyrics The Mann was fixated. By the
time the music crashed in, she was lying face down, soaking up the
cheers as the band enjoyed an energetic and deserved moment in the
spotlight.
As
The Rage and Rapture Tourcontinues
it's North American run I'm going to bet that it'll only get better
with each show. Garbage can't help but leave absolutely everything on
the stage.
"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 believe in faith Don't believe in anything That you can't break
stupid girl stupid girl All you had you wasted."
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. Here's one of my favorites below!
I'm only happy when it rains I feel good when things are going wrong I only listen to the sad, sad songs I'm only happy when it rains
I only smile in the dark My only comfort is the night gone black I didn't accidentally tell you that I'm only happy when it rains
If you've been reading DailyBOOM for any real length of time then you already know that I absolutely love Garbage. I'll worship at the feet of Shirley Manson and praise the talent of the rest of the band each and every chance that I get. Finally getting to see them perform live last summer was absolutely everything that I had hoped for and more. It's always risky when you wait years to see a band that you love for the first time. Especially more than 20 years. You run the risk of voices fading, vocal range diminishing and fingers just not playing the way that they once did.
Not the case with Garbage. I can't imagine them ever sounding better than they currently do. And Shirley has certainly gotten better with some good years under her belt. The performance anxiety she once had has been traded in for a sense of authority and control as she stalks the stage. There have been so many great tracks over the years but since it is currently pouring I'm going to make a fairly obvious choice.
Is "Only Happy When It Rains" their best song? Maybe. Is it their best song played live? Definitely maybe. It has always created or (embraced an already existing) mood. It described the 90's angst perfectly which is, I'm sure, why it became such a huge breakout (and breakthrough) hit for Garbage. I also think it has one of the best videos of the entire decade to accompany it. Check it out below! Fabulous stiil, isn't it?
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me a while but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
(Photo: Twitter)
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. The only thing missing is actually one of my very favorites- "Cup of Coffee". I'm actually not sure why that didn't make the cut so rather than being predictable and going with one of Garbage's critically acclaimed videos, here's "Cup of Coffee" instead.
"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 believe in faith Don't believe in anything That you can't break
stupid girl stupid girl All you had you wasted."
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. Here's one of my favorites below!
I'm only happy when it rains I feel good when things are going wrong I only listen to the sad, sad songs I'm only happy when it rains
I only smile in the dark My only comfort is the night gone black I didn't accidentally tell you that I'm only happy when it rains
If you've been reading DailyBOOM for any real length of time then you already know that I absolutely love Garbage. I'll worship at the feet of Shirley Manson and praise the talent of the rest of the band each and every chance that I get. Finally getting to see them perform live last summer was absolutely everything that I had hoped for and more. It's always risky when you wait years to see a band that you love for the first time. Especially more than 20 years. You run the risk of voices fading, vocal range diminishing and fingers just not playing the way that they once did.
Not the case with Garbage. I can't imagine them ever sounding better than they currently do. And Shirley has certainly gotten better with some good years under her belt. The performance anxiety she once had has been traded in for a sense of authority and control as she stalks the stage. There have been so many great tracks over the years but since it is currently pouring I'm going to make a fairly obvious choice.
Is "Only Happy When It Rains" their best song? Maybe. Is it their best song played live? Definitely maybe. It has always created or (embraced an already existing) mood. It described the 90's angst perfectly which is, I'm sure, why it became such a huge breakout (and breakthrough) hit for Garbage. I also think it has one of the best videos of the entire decade to accompany it. Check it out below! Fabulous stiil, isn't it?
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
(Photo: Twitter)
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. The only thing missing is actually one of my very favorites- "Cup of Coffee". I'm actually not sure why that didn't make the cut so rather than being predictable and going with one of Garbage's critically acclaimed videos, here's "Cup of Coffee" instead.
"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 believe in faith Don't believe in anything That you can't break
stupid girl stupid girl All you had you wasted."
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. Here's one of my favorites below!
I'm only happy when it rains I feel good when things are going wrong I only listen to the sad, sad songs I'm only happy when it rains
I only smile in the dark My only comfort is the night gone black I didn't accidentally tell you that I'm only happy when it rains
If you've been reading DailyBOOM for any real length of time then you already know that I absolutely love Garbage. I'll worship at the feet of Shirley Manson and praise the talent of the rest of the band each and every chance that I get. Finally getting to see them perform live last summer was absolutely everything that I had hoped for and more. It's always risky when you wait years to see a band that you love for the first time. Especially more than 20 years. You run the risk of voices fading, vocal range diminishing and fingers just not playing the way that they once did.
Not the case with Garbage. I can't imagine them ever sounding better than they currently do. And Shirley has certainly gotten better with some good years under her belt. The performance anxiety she once had has been traded in for a sense of authority and control as she stalks the stage. There have been so many great tracks over the years but since it is currently pouring I'm going to make a fairly obvious choice.
Is "Only Happy When It Rains" their best song? Maybe. Is it their best song played live? Definitely maybe. It has always created or (embraced an already existing) mood. It described the 90's angst perfectly which is, I'm sure, why it became such a huge breakout (and breakthrough) hit for Garbage. I also think it has one of the best videos of the entire decade to accompany it. Check it out below! Fabulous stiil, isn't it?
This montage is great. I had the privilege of attending one of the shows that this video was filmed at. You can check out my Garbage and Blondie tour review here.here.
Monday morning. It's like a curse if
you work as an entertainment reporter. Deadlines never feel more
pressing and the close of another weekend inevitably opens up to a
day full of catching up on who is fighting, dating, divorcing and
dropping new music while trying to curtail a potential scandal. From
my perspective, life for celebs would be a whole lot easier if they
took a page from the life playbook of an average Joe and kept their
clothes on, paid their bills and remembered that the Cloud makes
everything accessible. Monday morning and here I sit buried beneath
work and unsure of where to start. While I figure it out I decide to
go back in time and listen to a few old tracks that will prepare me
for a show that I'll be reviewing tomorrow night. The Rage and
Rapture Tour which is co-headlined by Garbage and Blondie.
A few lines in and I'm standing in my
parents very first apartment where my love of music all began. It's
a few days before Halloween and my parents were throwing a party for
all of their friends. The night before was my kiddie party in our
basement. I wore a Wonder Woman costume that was so NOT a Wonder
Woman costume because it had a skirt and no lasso. I remember a punch
bowl and bobbing for apples and little else. But my parents party,
well that was the real deal. There was neat lighting, a table full of
sweets that I was never allowed to have and all of our doorways had
beads hanging from them that you were supposed to walk through.
I was 7 years old and beginning to
develop my own taste and thanks to my dad's music obsession disco was a big part of it. When I was about
five dad started to train as a DJ at a local radio station and his
little record collection on a tiny cart with wheels suddenly took
over a whole wall of our living room. Even in that small apartment
dads stereo was front and center. His love of music turned into an
educated love of stereo equipment. He spent two hours without fail
every night cranking out tunes, everything from Pink Floyd to Blue
Oyster Cult to ABBA and all the while he was fiddling with levers on
all sorts of boxes that were supposed to somehow enhance the sound. I
didn't know if the “woofers and tweeters” did any good but the
day that he played Chic's “Le Freak” my life immediately changed.
The last song of every evening was
picked out by me and by the time 1978 rolled around I was choosing
things like “Ring My Bell”, “The Hustle” and “Disco
Inferno”. I also waited anxiously for Saturday afternoons to roll
around because, thanks to cable television and WPIX in NYC I had
discovered The Soap Factory, a weekly dance show. A few weeks before
my parents party we were all watching as Blondie performed a song
called “Heart of Glass”. I was mesmerized by her blonde
hair, bright lip stick and her turquoise pants suit. My dad always
watched The Soap Factory with me but this time even my mom stopped to
check out Debbie Harry. I mean, how could you not?
My mom spent the next week or so in
party planning mode. She would fill the bathroom sink with water and
bubbles and I'd spend an hour in there playing with all of my Fisher
Price Little People. I loved having them swim and ride in their boats
every night after dinner and I can remember my mom on the phone in
the next room on the phone night-after-night making plans for this
bash. My dad was always the laid back one and seemed to have little
involvement. She hung sparklie decorations, made food and spiked the
punch all while dad was engrossed in his albums. Neither of us
realized what he
was actually up to and as it turned
out, dads involvement was actually monumental because he was
preparing to put all of those newfound DJ skills to good use.
My mom had a surprise or two up her
sleeve as well. The creativity was always flowing in that little
apartment and so for the week leading up to the party when dad and
his music was taking over the living room, mom was in her studio. It
was a small room with her easel and mountain of art supplies on one side and her Singer sewing machine
on the other. Beneath a window was a big cushion with built in
pillows to nap on. That was my spot to read or draw when mom was busy
drawing advertisements for our local newspaper. Dad had thought that
mom was working on extra assignments for art school when in fact she
had been busy at her sewing machine making a turquoise satin pants
suit just like Debbie Harry's. She had decided to put her blonde wavy
hair and 100 pound frame to good use and transform into his new
favorite singer, gold cuff bracelet and all, for their Halloween
party. An hour or so into the party dad pulled
out a surprise record that he was really excited about. It was Blondie's “Heart of Glass”, an
extended dance mix that wasn't available in the states yet. When he
ordered music for the station he would also add a few import records
from the UK for his own collection and Blondie had just become
available. It was a song that no one else knew until he played it
that night but everyone loved it. Everyone was dancing, even the guys
that had been downing their Michelob beer on the floor in front of
the stereo all night. One spin of that record led to about 20 more
before the night was over.
I might have been the only one not in
costume and that was because there was no way that I was going to put
that fake Wonder Woman thing on again. My aunt (moms younger sister)
decided in the middle of what looked like a Soul Train line dance
that I needed some makeup at least. She grabbed me and her purse and
hauled us both into the bathroom. There aunt Elaine pulled out her
black eyeliner and within a few minutes had transformed me into
“Cleopatra”. I wasn't sure exactly who that was but my eyes
looked like I belonged on The Soap Factory so that kinda sorta made
me Debbie Harry for the night too, right?
Everyone left after midnight. I
remember my dad explaining the concept of time to me and how the
digital clock turning to !2:01 am meant that it was Sunday morning
even though it still felt like Saturday night. Truth be told it was
far later than that and somehow I was still awake. My mom tried to
make me go to bed but when I begged for one more spin of “Heart of
Glass” my dad put the record on before she could even bother to
protest. My room needed to be cleaned up anyway because my bed was
where everyone left their belongings upon arrival. They and their
coats might have been gone but my toys were all over the place and my
precious Little People were scattered all over the room.
I swore that I would help clean up if
they let me stay up but instead I climbed into the green recliner
that had been temporarily moved into my room during the party. The
French doors to my room were open and I curled up there, watching as
my parents dragged garbage bags around to help clean up the wreckage.
My mom told me that I had 5 minutes until she was putting me to bed
and so I closed my eyes as Debbie Harry sang.
My love affair with Blondie and their
music has spanned nearly four decades and yet I've never had a chance
to see them live, until now. Debbie Harry is still completely in a
league of her own. While she many not have been slithering across the
stage on her back like Shirley Manson of Garbage did in the set
before, she still had her own unique vibe going on. Harry first took
the stage at The Mann Center in good old Philadelphia on Aug. 2nd
looking fairly inconspicuous in khaki's and a white button down
shirt. But once the lights hit her you saw the bee glasses and a
black cape with the words, “Stop Fucking The Planet” scrawled
across the back of it. Perhaps the best part is how normal she made
it all look.
Part of the reason that I've hesitated
in seeing Blondie up until now was the fear that they wouldn't live
up to the memories that I have of their earliest hits. Their opening
to “One Way Or Another” quickly put those fears of mine at
ease. They cruised through classics like “Atomic” totally
on point, with the captive crowd singing along. It's pretty hard for
me to believe that Harry is 72 because she can still rock out with
the best of them. Oh and her voice? Well, that's just fine too.
Blondie swept through several songs off of their new Pollinator
album and it was cool to hear the audience singing along with
songs like, “Long Time” because it proved that they were
still into whatever new stuff the band dreams up.
For me, the highlight came in the form
of “Rapture”. The crowd was singing along and dancing to
the little ditty about eating cars and bars. This song is legendary
because it features the very first rap verse to make it to the top of
Billboard's Hot 100 and Harry nailed that verse as the audience
cheered her on.
“Call Me”, “The Tide Is High”
and of course, “Heart Of Glass” were all served up
with flair before Blondie closed out a fantastic set with “Dreaming”.
Leave it to the iconic Harry to send us on our way with the reminder
that “dreaming is free”. I could attest to that on the spot
because this band on this particular night lived up to forty years
worth of hope and expectation.
Garbage and Blondie's "Rage & Rapture" tour stopped at The Mann Center in Philadelphia last night. Full show review coming but here are a few fantastical highlights. Enjoy!
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
(Photo: Twitter)
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. The only thing missing is actually one of my very favorites- "Cup of Coffee". I'm actually not sure why that didn't make the cut so rather than being predictable and going with one of Garbage's critically acclaimed videos, here's "Cup of Coffee" instead.
"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 believe in faith Don't believe in anything That you can't break
stupid girl stupid girl All you had you wasted."
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. Here's one of my favorites below!
Being an unapologetic vinyl junkie I was eventually going to get my hands on Garbage's 20th Anniversary remastered double album set. It took me awhile but my copy finally arrived this weekend and I have to say, it's most definitely worth every penny. The album art, lyrics sheets and detailing alone really does up the quality and really, who doesn't love colored vinyl?
(Photo: Twitter)
I'll admit, it has been a minute since I've listened to Shirley Manson and the guys and I really don't know why. Their tracks really do stand the test of time and are pretty ageless. I love music that you can't easily put a date on and that is Garbage to a tee. It might be a new song (new music, please???!!) or it could be a decade or two old, it's hard to tell.
This collection offers up all of Garbage's top songs like "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer" and more. The only thing missing is actually one of my very favorites- "Cup of Coffee". I'm actually not sure why that didn't make the cut so rather than being predictable and going with one of Garbage's critically acclaimed videos, here's "Cup of Coffee" instead.
