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Suede (album)

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Suede is the debut album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in March 1993 on Nude Records. At the time the fastest-selling debut album in British history, Suede debuted at the top of the UK Album Chart, won the 1993 Mercury Music Prize, and is often credited with starting the Britpop movement. The sound of the album has been compared to The Smiths and the early David Bowie era.

Background and recording

Suede quickly attracted the attention of the British music press; in 1992 before they had even released their debut single, Melody Maker featured the band on its cover, dubbing them "The Best New Band In Britain."[1] The following year Q magazine hailed them "The band of 1993"[2] The year leading up to the release of Suede saw the group dominate the music press, receiving considerable critical praise.[3] According to a March 1993 article in The Independent, at the time Suede "had more hype than anybody since the Smiths, or possibly even the Sex Pistols."[3] Critics supported the band during their early stages despite the often eccentric behaviour of singer Brett Anderson.

Suede was recorded at Master Rock Studios in Kilburn, north west London and cost £105,000 to make.[4] In the studio, the producer Ed Buller's method of working was that he would form a close relationship with the band member whom he thought to be most important for the sound and creative input. In Suede's case it was guitarist Bernard Butler, which did not go down well with Anderson.[5] Buller would be the band's closest musical collaborator for the years ahead. Anderson liked Buller as a person and for his enthusiasm for Suede. He endorsed his production on the first single "The Drowners"; however, he had different views on "Metal Mickey", feeling that Buller took the "metal brutality" out of the song. Instead of the song ending abruptly after the chorus, which the band demonstrated when performing live, Buller suggested an extended fade-out, which incorporated a key change.[6] Butler would eventually clash with Buller for similar reasons during the recording of the next album, which was an event Anderson could perceive early on. "I think as Bernard got more technically aware, because he always had a fine ear, he very soon saw flaws in what Ed was doing.[6]

Music

Nick Wise views the whole album in terms of Butler and Anderson constantly trying to outperform each other, thereby producing "a pot-pourri of swirling guitars, falsetto wails and surging amplification that somehow succeeds in producing a giddy, weird, beautiful soundclash".[4] In Suede's early days when Justine Frischmann was still a member and was dating Blur's Damon Albarn, the lyrics of her ex-partner Anderson were conveying a more depressing meaning. He has noted that the songs "Pantomime Horse" and B-side "He's Dead" were the product of an unhappy mind and that he could not have written such songs if he had been happy.[7] Anderson states, "when it comes to writing, there's something to be said about being unhappy. I know I've been at my most creative when I've been sexually unsatisfied."[3]

"London was a touchstone for everyone in the band, so the album became about us being placed in this city of sex, drugs and poverty after living in these suburban satellite towns. London is full of a certain kind of arts professional—people in bands whose parents bought them guitars when they were 12 and went to state school. The sense in all of us was that we wanted to get revenge on all that as the underclass outsider punks. We wanted Suede to be a pop record in the way that The Pretenders’ "Stop Your Sobbing" is a pop record."

 — Mat Osman reflecting on Suede.[8]

Suede's breakthrough single was "Metal Mickey", which charted at no. 17 on the UK Singles Chart.[9] According to Anderson, the song was inspired by Daisy Chainsaw vocalist KatieJane Garside.[10] Butler has noted that its musical inspiration was "The Shoop Shoop Song", famously remade by Cher.[6] Anderson wrote "Sleeping Pills" whilst doing voluntary work at a local community centre in Highgate. It was inspired by the daily drama of the British housewives and their dependence on valium as a means of escapism.[11] At the time he felt that the song's lyrics were his favourite and were more sophisticated than "Animal Nitrate", which he thought was "a bit throw-away."[12] The band were determined to release "Sleeping Pills" as the third single, but were soon overruled by Nude Records's owner Saul Galpern, who suggested the former instead.[13]

"Animal Nitrate", a play on amyl nitrite, would be the album's most successful single, peaking at no. 7.[9] The song contained Anderson's most risqué lyrics to date: as their author concurred, "You know it's about violence and abuse and sex and drugs. It's actually quite a hardcore song."[13] Anderson has since said that the first album was about "sex and depression in equal measure".[14] All the latter-day lyrics for the first album were directly influenced by extremely personal and emotional experiences in Anderson's life. "So Young", featuring a piano bridge courtesy of Ed Buller, was about his girlfriend's overdose.[15] Anderson says: "it deals with the knife-edge of being young."[3] "The Next Life", which was Butler's first serious piano part, was a lament to his deceased mother, while "Breakdown" dealt with his schoolfriend's descent into extreme depression.[15] "She's Not Dead", was a true story written about the joint suicide of Anderson's aunt and her black clandestine lover. On the song, Anderson states: "the ankle chain and stuff like that, is the kind of detail that can only come from truth, that can't be conjured up."[15]

On the other hand, Anderson has elsewhere stressed that the songs are not autobiographical, but "often imaginary situations based on real sentiments, or real situations taken to their logical extreme". When asked about the pervasive use of the word "he" in his songs, Anderson stated that "too much music is about a very straightforward sense of sexuality ... Twisted sexuality is the only kind that interests me. The people that matter in music ... don't declare their sexuality. Morrissey never has and he's all the more interesting for that".[16] Anderson had an issue with the song "Moving", saying "It never sounds as good on that album as it did live. There's hardly anything of the energy, it's over-produced, it's all a bit FX, it's a bit grim."[17]

Title and artwork

Before the album was released, the band half seriously considered titles of Half Dog, Animal Lover and I Think You Stink, all were rejected in favour of Suede.[17] The gender-ambiguous cover art provoked some controversy in the press,[18] prompting Anderson to comment, "I chose it because of the ambiguity of it, but mostly because of the beauty of it."[3] The cover image of the androgynous kissing couple was taken from the 1991 book Stolen Glances: Lesbians Take Photographs edited by Tessa Boffin and Jean Fraser. The photograph was taken by Tee Corinne and in its entirety shows a woman kissing an acquaintance in a wheelchair.[17] The same artwork was used on Suede's video release Love and Poison.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[19]
BBC(favourable)[20]
Robert Christgau(A-)[21]
Drowned In Sound(10/10)[22]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[23]
The Independent(favourable)[24]
NME(7/10)[25]
Pitchfork Media(8.4/10)[26]
Q[27]
Rolling Stone[28]

Suede opened at the top of the UK Album Chart and was the fastest-selling debut album since Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Welcome To The Pleasuredome almost ten years earlier.[14] The album's singles were well received. Select magazine declared "Animal Nitrate" as single of the year.[29] Debut single "The Drowners" garnered much acclaim from NME and Melody Maker, who both voted the song 'single of the year'.[30] Fourth single "So Young", charted at number 22.[9]

Keith Cameron of the NME gave the record seven out of ten in his review. Cameron compared Suede to The Smiths; he wrote, "'Suede' faces the same problems [as The Smiths did] and similarly fails to deliver on a few, admittedly trifling, levels". However, he concluded, "This is the solid, quality, ring-of-confidence debut [Nude Records] dreamed the band would produce".[25] Stuart Maconie of Q gave the album 4 out of 5 stars. In his review he drew comparisons to Bowie, Morrissey and Marr. In conclusion he said "...Bowie and the Smiths are obvious points of reference. From each, Suede have taken an alien sexual charisma, a peculiarly claustrophobic Englishness and brazenly good tunes. Moreover, rarely has a record from the indie sector come with such a burning sense of its own significance."[27]

The album was warmly received by American critics. Robert Christgau called it a "surprisingly well-crafted coming out. More popwise and also more literary than the Smiths at a comparable stage, Suede's collective genderfuck projects a joyful defiance so rock and roll it obliterates all niggles about literal truth."[21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic, who awarded the album a full five stars, noted the contribution of the songwriting partnership, "Guitarist Bernard Butler has a talent for crafting effortlessly catchy, crunching glam hooks like the controlled rush of 'Metal Mickey' and the slow, sexy grind of 'The Drowners'." He then went on to say "Anderson's voice is calculatedly affected and theatrical, but it fits the grand emotion of his self-consciously poetic lyrics."[19] Other stateside praise came from Rolling Stone who gave the album four stars, with reviewer David Fricke writing, "Suede is everything that great British pop stars used to be--compelling, confounding, infuriating."[31]

Chart performance and sales

The album charted at no. 1 in the UK Albums Chart spending 22 weeks in the top 40.[9] The album shifted 100,000 copies in its first week,[32] and has sold 340,000 copies as of September 2011.[33] Suede is the group's best-selling album in the United States, having sold about 105,000 copies as of 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[34]

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die UK 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[35] 2005 *
Alternative Press US Top 99 Of '85 to '95[36] 1995 94
Kitsap Sun US Top 200 albums of the last 40 years[37] 2005 176
No Ripcord UK Top 100 Debut Albums[38] 2011 49
NME UK The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever[39] 2006 30
Q UK Readers' All Time Top 100 Albums[40] 1998 60
Select UK The 100 Best Albums of the 90's[41] 1996 89
Spin US Record Guide: Essential Britpop[42] 2003 *
Uncut UK The 100 Greatest Debut Albums[43] 2006 99
Virgin UK Poll: Top 1000 albums[44] 1998 96

(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing

All songs written by Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler.

  1. "So Young" – 3:38
  2. "Animal Nitrate" – 3:27
  3. "She's Not Dead" – 4:33
  4. "Moving" – 2:50
  5. "Pantomime Horse" – 5:49
  6. "The Drowners" – 4:10
  7. "Sleeping Pills" – 3:51
  8. "Breakdown" – 6:02
  9. "Metal Mickey" – 3:27
  10. "Animal Lover" – 4:17
  11. "The Next Life" – 3:32

Personnel

References

  • Barnett, David. Love and Poison. Carlton Publishing Group, 2003. ISBN 0-233-00094-1
  • Smith, Richard. Seduced and Abandoned: Essays on Gay Men and Popular Music. Cassell, 1995. ISBN 0-304-33343-3
  • Wise, Nick. Suede: The Illustrated Biography. Omnibus Press, 1998. ISBN 0-7119-6573-0

Notes

  1. ^ Fernand, Simon. "Suede Singles Review". BBC Music. 20 November 2002. Retrieved on 3 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Q Covers Archive". Q. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Leith, William. "Now you see them". The Independent. 21 March 1993. Retrieved on 3 September 2009.
  4. ^ a b Wise, ch. 5
  5. ^ Wise, ch. 3
  6. ^ a b c Barnett, p. 95
  7. ^ Barnett, p. 55
  8. ^ Martell, Nevin (13 April 2011). "Brett Anderson and Mat Osman on Suede's Discography". Filter. Retrieved 26 July 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d "Artist Chart History - Suede". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  10. ^ Barnett, p. 96
  11. ^ Barnett, p. 68
  12. ^ Barnett, p. 94-95
  13. ^ a b Barnett, p. 109
  14. ^ a b Bella, Todd. "Interview with Brett Anderson". The Argus. 28 Mar 2007
  15. ^ a b c Barnett, p. 102
  16. ^ Smith, p.136
  17. ^ a b c Barnett, p. 114
  18. ^ "Past Mercury Music Prize winners". Metro. Retrieved on 3 September 2009.
  19. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Suede review". Allmusic. Retrieved on 3 September 2009.
  20. ^ Jones, Chris (19 April 2007). "Suede: Suede Review". BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  21. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: Consumer Guide: London Suede". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved on 3 September 2009.
  22. ^ Edwards, David (26 May 2011). "Suede: Suede (reissue)". Drowned In Sound. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  23. ^ Aaron, Charles (30 April 1993). "Music Review: Suede (1993)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 June 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ Thompson, Ben (28 March 1993). "ROCK / Still in the vanguard: Suede". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ a b Cameron, Keith. "A Very Brettish Coup" [Suede review]. NME. 27 March 1993.
  26. ^ Tangari, Joe (7 June 2011). "Suede: Suede [Deluxe Edition]". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  27. ^ a b Maconie, Stuart. "Lascivious". Q. May 1993.
  28. ^ Fricke, David. Rolling Stone p. 68. 10 June 1993
  29. ^ Barnett, p. 106
  30. ^ Davidson, Neil. "Suede: The next big thing?". Canoe.ca 21 Apr 1993
  31. ^ Ali, Lorraine (18 July 1993). "POP MUSIC : Seduced by Suede". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 June 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Bray, Elisa (4 August 2012). "Will the real Sugababes please stand up?". The Independent. Retrieved 22 July 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ "Mercury Prize Winners - The Guardian Google spreadsheet". Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  34. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard: Blue Suede Shoes". Billboard.com. 26 September 2008.
  35. ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die"
  36. ^ Alternative Press: "Top 99 Of '85 to '95"
  37. ^ "Top 200 albums of the last 40 years". Archived at Acclaimedmusic.
  38. ^ "TOP 100 DEBUT ALBUMS (PART THREE: 60 TO 41)". No Ripcord. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  39. ^ NME: 100 Greatest British Albums Ever
  40. ^ "All Time Top 100 Albums". Q. February 1998. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk.
  41. ^ Select: The 100 Best Albums of the 90's
  42. ^ Pappademas, Alex. "The SPIN Record Guide: Essential Britpop". Spin. 23 Jun 2003
  43. ^ Uncut: The 100 Greatest Debut Albums. Archived at Acclaimedmusic.
  44. ^ Maung, Carole Aye. "Beatles albums are top 3 of all time". Daily Mirror. 7 September, 1998. Retrieved 23 August, 2010. Archived at TheFreeLibrary.com.
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