Version 2.0 | ||||
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Studio album by Garbage | ||||
Released | May 4, 1998 | |||
Recorded | March 1997 – February 1998 | |||
Studio |
Smart Studios (Madison, Wisconsin) |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 49:34 | |||
Label | Mushroom | |||
Producer | Garbage | |||
Garbage chronology | ||||
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Singles from Version 2.0 | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
The Age | |
AllMusic | |
The Baltimore Sun | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
NME | 6/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Spin | 8/10 |
The Times | 6/10 |
The Village Voice | A− |
Version 2.0 is the second studio album by American-Scottish alternative rock band Garbage. It was released on May 4, 1998 by Mushroom Records. The album was recorded primarily at Smart Studios from March 1997 to February 1998. Despite a slow start, Version 2.0 went on to equal its predecessor, becoming platinum-certified in many territories. By 2008, it had sold 1.7 million copies in the United States. Garbage embarked on an 18-month-long world tour, and released a string of hit singles backed with innovative music videos.
With the album, Garbage aimed to improve and expand on the style of their 1995 self-titled debut rather than reinvent their sound. Lead singer Shirley Manson wrote dark, introspective lyrics, which she felt complemented the songs' melodies. Version 2.0 received generally positive reviews from music critics, and was included by several publications in their year-end lists of 1998's best albums. In 1999, Version 2.0 was nominated for Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. The album's third single "Special" was further nominated the following year for Best Rock Song and for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
Building on framework sound and style Garbage established on their debut set, Version 2.0 featured musical references to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, songs featuring live strings, over 100 recorded tracks and an interpolation of the Beach Boys and The Pretenders. The band said that the goal of Version 2.0 was to create a "rapprochement between the high-tech and low-down, the now sound and of golden memories."Butch Vig stated that the band did not want to reinvent their sound, as they "felt that we had carved our own turf on the first record and we wanted to take everything we did and make it better". This meant to "have the guitars noisier and write poppier melodies", showing how the band had grown together: "With Garbage, we were struggling to find an identity and to get comfortable with Shirley - and vice versa. After touring so much, there's a better camaraderie and sense of communication."