This Madison, Wisconsin, USA group, founded in 1994, was immediately heralded in the press as a producers' supergroup. In addition to several other notable groups (Smashing Pumpkins, U2), Butch Vig had previously produced Nirvana's influential Nevermind. He formed Garbage with the help of his long-standing remixing partners Steve Marker and Duke Erikson, with whom he had been involved in the bands Spooner and Firetown. To this core trio was added singer Shirley Manson (b. Edinburgh, Scotland), recruited after the members saw her fronting her former band, Angel Fish, on a video shown on MTV.
Garbage's self-titled debut LP was released towards the end of 1995 and after a slow start has gone on to sell over 3 million copies world-wide. This level of success came as a complete surprise to the band members who, with the exception of Vig, had found little fame in spite of many years as musicians. 
A string of singles (in the UK) were released, reaching progressively higher chart positions. The fourth and most popular, "Stupid Girl", went top 5 and was accompanied by the entry of "Garbage" into the top ten of the album chart. For it's follow up Garbage collaborated with British trip-hop artist Tricky on a remix of their album track "Milk", on which he shared lead vocals with Shirley. It was released on November 11th 1996 and charted at number 10. Limited editions of Milk have since been released, featuring numerous remixes by Massive Attack, Rabbit in the Moon and Goldie. This was the last output from the band before sessions started for a second LP.
The band's unexpected global success (especially in America) delayed the recording of their follow-up as they committed themselves to a relentless touring schedule. When Version 2.0 finally appeared the band gained further praise for their compelling blend of slick electronic pop with Manson's increasingly emotive vocals.