Subhuman

She can't stop. She's burnt out. She's at the door like Joan of Arc, back for more. So begins the career of Garbage, the deliciously calculated alternative phenomenon created by studio brainiacs who wanted to rock out. When they spotted Shirley Manson in a video and put her in front, the cherry was placed on a potent Molotov sundae (Kim Gordon, Lesley Rankine, and Brijitte West were rumored to also be contenders for the gig). Based on the real-life retribution of an abused wife, lead single Vow -- the first 1,000 of which were released in a metal case -- set Garbage on fire. Arguably the finest track off arguably the finest debut of the '90s, "Vow," like the best of the rest of this Garbage, is nothing more than an excellent pop song dressed up as a subversive miracle. Later pressings also included "Vow (Torn Apart)." The original "Vow" then appeared again on the Subhuman single along with "#1 Crush."