The opening track of the début album, and literally within 5 seconds it presents a hook so strong, I’m smitten for life with this song.
The “hook” is just a gap. Yet, to me, this is simply the greatest intro of all.
The drum sound hits hard, then the guitars/bass come in with the main riff, and then there’s that gap. THAT GAP. I can’t think of another case where the opening five seconds of the opening track of a band’s début album hits this hard.
The production, the lyrics, the riffs, all add up to a very fine total piece. But the first five seconds might never be beaten.
Garbage was formed by Butch Vig, producer of Nirvana’s massively successful Nevermind, and along with other US musicians they approached Scot singer Shirley Manson, who I had seen playing in Goodbye Mr McKenzie where she took keyboard and backing vocal duties. Vig and Co reportedly approached her after seeing her lead an Angelfish side-project.
I’ve only seen Garbage live a few times, and sadly I’ve not yet seen them nail this live. That doesn’t diminish the value of the records though.
The one decent live version I found on YouTube has now been blocked by the record company, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
