Garbage is the brainchild of producers Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steve Marker. Initially, Garbage was an informal jam session between the three producers held in Marker's basement. Soon they started searching for a lead singer; they eventually recruited the Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson, who had previously sang with Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie and Angelfish.
Steve Marker saw the music video of "Suffocate Me" by Angelfish on MTV, recorded it and showcased to his band mates. All of them agreed they found the perfect singer for the band. They invited Shirley to join the band and soon on 8 April 1994 they met her on London.
According to Vig, Garbage was named before Manson joined the band, after Pauli Ryan walked in while Vig was working on a remix for Nine Inch Nails and said it sounded like garbage.
Garbage recorded their debut album in late 1994 and early 1995. Their eponymous first album appeared in the fall of 1995 on Almo Sounds (US) and Mushroom Records (UK). Their debut single, "Vow," is often considered one of the best debut singles ever released and it was the first song completed by the band. After receiving support from radio and MTV, the album began to climb the charts toward the end of 1995, when the second single, "Queer," received heavy airplay.
By the summer of 1996, Garbage had gone gold in the United States, and shortly afterward it achieved platinum status, as "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl" became huge radio hits. "Milk" was the last single released from "Garbage" in three versions: one of them featured a collaboration with Tricky from Massive Attack.
The release of their self title album was followed by a sucessful world tour from November 1995 to December 1996.
After a short break, Garbage began work on their second album in the summer of 1997. The record, entitled "Version 2.0," was released in May 1998, preceded by the single "Push It." The top notch production of "Version 2.0" was the result of over one year spent in the studio. Six singles from "Version 2.0" were released: "Push It," "I Think I'm Paranoid," "Special," "When I Grow Up," "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" and "You Look So Fine."
The band toured worldwide from May 1998 to November 1999 to promote "Version 2.0."
In 1999 they performed the theme song to the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough and contributed "When I Grow Up" to the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy. Garbage also was nominated at Grammy Awards 1999.
Three years later, they issued a sophisticated third album, "beautifulgarbage," and the first single "Androgyny" became a moderate radio hit. "beautifulgarbage" recieved mixed reviews: some critcs and fans appreciated the new sound, others were dissapointed. However, from "beautifulgarbage" were released four singles: "Androgyny," "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)," "Breaking Up the Girl," "Shut Your Mouth."
The world tour from October 2001 to November 2002 was affected by Butch's health problems.
After "beautifulgarbage" era, Shirley Manson has been involved in tribute appearances to both Blondie and The Pretenders, and appeared in the promotional video for She Wants Revenge's single "These Things" and in Wendy Schneider's self-abuse documentary "CUT: Teens and Self Injury."
In 2005, Garbage signed to Warner Bros. Records outside North America, and to Geffen Records in North America. They returned back to roots in 2005 with a rockier and stripped down sound on "Bleed Like Me." Their return was well recieved by the fans and critics.
The hit single "Why Do You Love Me" helped rising the album at #4 in US charts. Another singles released: "Sex Is Not the Enemy," "Bleed Like Me," "Run Baby Run."
The "Bleed Like Me Tour" from March 2005 to October 2005 ended sooner because of the exaustment of the band. From late 2005 to early 2007, Garbage was in hiatus and denied the rumours of a breakup on their official site.
Garbage ended their eighteen-month hiatus on 31 January 2007, at a benefit show in Glendale, California, organised by Vig to help pay musician Wally Ingram's medical care following treatment for throat cancer.
Vig produced albums for Jimmy Eat World, Against Me! and The Subways, and scored music for two films including The Other Side. Erikson is working with the BBC an American folk music anthology, whilst Marker has been involved with a film score.
In 2007 Garbage released "Absolute Garbage," their first greatest hits: almost all their singles, a new song "Tell Me Where It Hurts" and an iTunes exclusive track, "All the Good on This Life." They also released a DVD with 15 music videos (but not a complete overview of their videography, missing some videos) as well as almost an hour of never-seen-before footage backstage and behind-the-scenes, live performances and interviews spanning the band's entire career.
In August 2008, the song "All The Good in This Life" appeared on the Songs for Tibet charity album. In October 2008 Garbage released a new song "Witness to Your Love" as part of the charity compilation "Give. Listen. Help. Volume 5"
Source: Wikipedia, AllMusic