Garbage Release Live Acoustic Performance of “I’m Only Happy When It Rains”

Marq Evans made a documentary, The Glamour & The Squalor, about Seattle DJ Marco Collins. Collins was instrumental in bringing some of the greatest acts in the alternative era together in the 1990s. His work brought these artists into the mainstream during a time before the internet could make or break an artist in five minutes. Collins, unlike the current hive-mind of the internet, was a singular tastemaker.

The soundtrack to a movie about a famous DJ who had great taste in music should live up to its pretense. Ready for online release on November third and as a CD on December first via Lakeshore Records, The Glamour & The Squalor Original Soundtrack will feature various radio shows performed by Collins. Among other artists, Sebadoh, Death Cab for Cutie, Mudhoney, and Garbage, have features with previously unreleased material.

For example, as a little teaser Lakeshore released an acoustic recording of Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains,” from a 1996 show on 107.1 with Collins. The acoustic version has the same upbeat way of telling a story about enjoying the typically unenjoyable, but of course is more barebones than the studio release.

Garbage formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1993. Consisting of Shirley Manson (vocals, guitar) and American musicians Duke Erikson (guitar, keyboards), Steve Marker (guitar), and Butch Vig (percussion), the band has sold over seventeen million albums over the course of its tenure. Their debut self-titled album, critically acclaimed, sold four million copies and gained the accolade of double platinum. Their second album, Version 2.0, met similar acclaim. However, their third, Beautiful Garbage, became something of an aptronym. The group disbanded during sessions for their fourth album, Bleed Like Me. They regroups in 2011 to record two more albums. They have a pop sound that has a flavoring of grunge. It’s like a non-pop musician’s take on pop music—trying to create a certain type of sound without falling victim to its formulas. The new release can be heard below.

Photography Credit: Sharon Alagna