Suede

2

Utterly pointless waste of time. Milquetoast britpop. Apparently, people compare Suede to early Bowie. Those comparisions are bold at best and insulting at worst. The only reason this doesn't get one star is because there's nothing TECHNICALLY wrong with it. The musicianship and production values are fine. It's just so damn bland. It's cream of wheat to Bowie's strawberry tart.

5

It's got 90s style, but reminiscent of Smiths, Cure, New Wave stuff, and some Bowie. So Young - good teen-emo jam. Animal Nitrate - Interesting title. This one reminds me of something. I can't place it. The riff is kind of like Oasis. She's Not Dead - slower ballad. Good song - apparently about joint suicide of his aunt? Moving - Reminds me of Empire Records. Rock song. Called moving and it moves. Pantomime horse - Weird title, like one of those costumes two people wear of a horse? The Drowners - This is another great song. Awesome guitar work. I'm told this one's about a man trying seduce another man. Could be. Hopefully not incest. That word Brother is dubious. Sleeping Pills - beautiful song, very sad sound. Breakdown - Another slow one with a good build. Instrumental solo is solid. Sounds like Bowie, and also about loss. Metal Mickey - Strip club? She sells heart, meat, money shaking in time. Animal Lover - Story is apparently about singer's girlfriend, returning with scratches from being with another dude from the band? Guitar at the end sounds like Matthew Sweet. The Next Life - Damn - what a downer of a sad song to end it on. Another Bowie sound.

5

every song in this album is iconic. the album cover : mwah. and it just all feels so GOOD. the guitar was fucking awesome too. loved it 😩

5

An arse-slapping, Smiths-succeeding, coke-huffing ball-tearer of a debut. Still stands up.

5

This was my favorite front to back listening experience of this whole club so far. This album explodes from its very track and pulls you in with earnest, impassioned vocals, glistening, piercing guitars, and driving grooves. The opening track alone had me hooked. Listening to this album felt like the first time I listened to This Is It by the Strokes-- I kept thinking "there's no way the next song will be as good as this one", and I kept getting proved wrong. This album has moments of solemn sadness and moments of anthemic triumph. It's remarkably sonically consistent without being samey. The lyrics are not the focus of the music, but are interesting and sometimes arresting. The guitar work is fantastic, up there with some of my favorite rock albums (examples such as This Is It, The Color and the Shape, Ten). My favorite tracks include "Animal Nitrate", "The Drowners", "The Next Life", and "Where the Pigs Don't Fly." I couldn't believe I had never heard of this album before today. I honestly loved it and I'll revisit it often. 9/10 listening experience for me

5

Wonderful album with great instrumentation. There an anthemic quality to this album that characterizes a lot of Britpop, but there’s a lot of art rock influence here also. I definitely hear the influences of Bowie and the Smiths.

5

Sexy, sleazy, gritty, glitz and glamour. All the good stuff. Like shagging behind the bins while clothed in your most extravagant finery and covered in glitter.

3

This album has a strong sense of melodrama. I'm not sure what Brett Anderson is so exercised about, but I get the impression he could benefit from taking a step back and gaining some perspective. I like it, although don't love it. A more reined in, less emotionally OTT album could be brilliant. 3/5.

No thanks.

5

I like this album. It sounds familiar and new at the same time.

5

Very surprised by this one. Every song maintained and interesting level the started high and ended high. Great album

5

No weak or filler songs here. Really well structured and produced. Incorporates elements of psychedelia, glam, and rock but is still fresh and timeless.

3

An album that had a nostalgic vibe despite me not knowing many of the songs.

2

I was super excited to listen to this album since I have heard so much about it and how important it was in Britpop formation. Overall was pretty disappointed...super generic and nothing all that special about it. 2.5/5

5

Probably 9/10 but rounding up for Animal Nitrate alone

3

Not really my cup of tea but not too bad

2

2/5. This falls under a category of music that’s almost worse that bad for me - music that is neither good nor bad, has the potential to be fantastic to me, but is just missing a few intangible things.

2

Crooning power ballad after ballad, wanna be smiths.

2

apparently it created britpop as a genre? well im not British

2

I think I've realized why I tend to dislike Britpop: so many of the bands seem to just want to suck The Smith's dicks. Well, jokes on them; Morrissey sucks his own dick harder than they ever could.

5

Un gran disco, sin skips. De su tracklist original me parece muy uniforme: tiene el suficiente nivel de rock que me gusta, junto con vocales muy exageradas a veces, pero agradables. La canción de salida, "The Next Life", cumple muy bien porque es justo como una despedida del álbum, mientras que la entrada irrumpe ya para poner el tono de lo que viene. Hay vibras bowiescas, yo digo y creo mi fav es "Pantomime Horse", y seguiditas quizá van "Animal Nitrate" y "Breakdown", pero, como mencioné, para mí no hay skips. 9.5/10

5

Muy padre e inesperado en el sentido de que no me esperaba que el britpop sonaba así de darketón pues mi única referencia que he escuchado mucho ha sido Blur y un poquito de Oasis. Canciones favoritas: He's dead, Animal Nitrate y Painted People porque tiene mucha energía caótica. Mood: You only like me when you think I'm looking sad.

5

It was beautiful.

5

Britpop personified. Love this… so evocative!

5

Frickin awesome

5

So beautiful

5

Gud så bra detta är!!!! det är till och med bättre än coming up som jag annars haft som favorit. konstigt att jag ej lyssnat på detta innan?

5

One of the best debut albums of the 90s.

5

The artifact of what could have been had Britpop not evolved (or degenerated) into Union Jack waving, lager swilling, anthemic anthems for the sake of anthemic anthems. Suede (or The London Suede 🤮) quite possibly made the thorniest, horninest, debauched, depraved album of 1993. Various songs on this album sounds as if it could have originated yesterday and the roughed up glam nature should still be seen as a blueprint for how to make a statement.

5

Pleasantly surprised yet again! I'm really digging this. I love The Smiths and I can hear that influence on Suede's (The London Suede’s?) sound. They're obviously way less maudlin and melodramatic than Morrissey could ever be, but they still give me that beautiful combination of melodic songs and achy alt rock lyricism. The yearning desperation of a 20-something misfit in the 90's is palpable. I like it, and will definitely listen again, and again! And thank you Suede for the boldly homoerotic album cover, nothing subversive about this. "Have you ever tried it that way?" No, but I'm going to now!

5

Ah, the dawning of the Britpop era, what a time to be alive. This is one of the best albums of the period. They were fucking awesome live as well.

5

The Rise of the flamboyant side of Britpop at it's best, this.

5

It’s the first ever album I bought, I love this thing! Some b sides are better than some of the album tracks but this is still amazing overall, Brett Anderson is one of the most underrated singers of the 90’s (kinda like a higher pitched Morrisey with more swagger) and Bernard butler is a brilliant guitarist too. Best tracks: animal nitrate, the drowners, breakdown and metal mickey Worst track: she’s not dead 5/5

4

I really liked this one! Didn't know this band existed. will revisit.

4

This album warmed up on me as it progressed. The Smiths really did a number on the UK, didn't they? I feel like every single band post-1983 tried so hard to emulate them, and Suede is no exception. But, hey, there are worse bands to ape. I really enjoyed the swirling guitars and the flighty vocals.

4

Excellent debut, great singles (Animal Nitrate, Metal Mickey etc…) and the 25th anniversary edition features b-sides that are some of Suede’s best work and somehow didn’t make the album. Definitely not Brit Pop, this is art rock of high quality. A great band.

4

I have loved this record since I girl I had an instacrush on in college mentioned that I should listen to it. The record wears its influences on its sleeve - Bowie, The Cure, Joy Division are all in here. I'm glad this was on the list, as I hadn't revisited it in quite some time. 4*

4

I had an extended Suede streaming session earlier in the year. As with many bands of that era, I'd lost touch with them but discovered their last album, 'The Blue Hour', which is excellent (and highly recommended if you haven't heard it.) I had all the initial EPs that came out before the album so at the time it felt like I'd already heard a large chunk of the album. I think I like this album even more than I did back when it first came out. The album of theirs I listen to most often is Sci-Fi Lullabies, which has always shown they left many of their best songs off this album. Seen the band a bunch of times over the years, including their first tour (still have The Drowners t shirt, it's not as white as it used to be) and a fan club show at the Electric Ballroom, that I can't remember how we got into. They played all of the just released/about to be released 'A New Morning' and then did a random greatest hits set where they got people out from the audience to spin a big wheel with the song names on it. Great show, good times. Can't believe this is going to be 30 years old next year. Was Bernard Butler the last British guitar hero?

4

Suede is one of the leading Britpop bands that sprinkled alt-rock twists while drawing inspirations from the likes of David Bowie in their self-titled album. This is apparent in its airy Bowie-style vocals, with ballad-like acoustic guitars and simple reverb-heavy drum arrangements to boot. With that, 'Suede' is still quite influential, controlled, and musically understands the intended direction.

4

The album created a spasmodic expectation, is a learned encyclopedia of melodramatic tricks, often touching progressive rock arrangements, with a lot of Genesis and Moody Blues between the lines. Moreover, the songs boast lyrics saturated with references to the singer's bisexuality, heroin, sodomy, suicide, according to a plot that sets the music in a bestial world that contrasts (or complements wonderfully) the graceful and innocent face of the singer. (7/10) FT: So Young, Animal Nitrate

4

Big, anthemic, aims for the cheap seats and successfully nails them. I've never been a big "britpop" guy but Suede is convincing me otherwise (between this and the other album I've gotten from them on here, "Dog Man Star"). The Bowie inspiration is obvious, and I can definitely see The Smiths in this as well. Don't think the production is that great. Favorite tracks: "The Next Life", "So Young", "The Drowners"

4

My pointless Suede fact is the bassist’s younger brother is Richard Osman from the U.K. game show Pointless…. Suede is one of the Brit Pop bands Iv only ever heard of a couple of songs from. Really enjoyed this album can see the Smiths influence on them, Animal Nitrate is the stand out song. A great debut and makes me want to check out their other albums.

4

Quite a debut. It just about still stacks up with all the hype it received at the time. Suede aren't shy about where they lifted their ideas from. At least they have a decent taste in music with Bowie and a brief stomp through the glam back catalogue. It's a shame what followed with the Britpop bollocks. Suede never fitted into this scene. They were far too clever, far too questioning of everything. This led to their sound being drowned out when arguably they had reached their peak. This debut was a hard act to follow. Very strong. I've had my moments in the past listening to Animal Nitrate...

4

"Suede" is the debut album by English alternative band Suede. The album is considered one of the first Britpop records and also glam rock with influences of David Bowie and The Smiths. Guitarist Bernard Butler composed the majority of the melodies and music and singer Brett Anderson wrote the lyrics which he said was mostly about sex and depression. Interestingly, the two did each part separately. The album was the fastest selling debut album in Britain in a decade (since Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I'm not sure if they made the challenge) and won the 1993 Mercury Prize (Best Album in UK). "So Young" opens the album and we get the strengths of Suede: Butler's guitar is alternative sounding, melodic and hard. Anderson's vocals have a higher tone and at times he goes falsetto. It's about his girlfriend's overdose and the knife-edge of being young. Suede flexes their glam-rock muscles in "Animal Nitrate." Very Bowie-esque. Melodic. The vocal chorus. A wah-wah guitar solo. Violence, abuse, sex and drugs. A groovy guitar riffs opens their first single "The Drowners." The guitar goes melodic and stays hard. Eerie lyrics as he's kissing in his brother's bedroom. Is he kissing his brother? A girl? A boy? "Metal Mickey" was inspired by Daisy Chainsaw vocalist KatieJane Garside. A chunky swirling hard rock guitar. Catchy vocal chorus. "She sells heart." The album ends with "The Next Life," a piano-based ballad. Emotional vocals as Anderson laments his deceased Mother. This is an excellent album. For what's called Britpop, the guitar is edgy and hard. Anderson's vocals are mostly emotional and very glam. Risqué lyrics with implied incest, drugs and sex. Risqué album cover too. Adding all this up makes this definitely worth a listen.

4

first listen pretty good britpop record

4

An introduction to much more to follow from them. Listening back a bit disappointing weird enough, Coming Up maybe more commercial, but for me their best, as are some of those that followed. So just 4 stars for this one.

4

Hadn't listened to this in years, but I definitely still really like it. It's a bit mood dependent, but it's got a unique feel (although many would rightly say that this is what set off the Britpop explosion, it definitely doesn't sound anything like Blur or Oasis). I should try to revisit this (and the rest of their albums) soon. Solid 4.

4

Revisit

3

I quite liked his voice, and seem to be in a majority. Like a lot of 90s britpop/rock, I found it ok, though I judge it on whether I find it decent now.

3

Another "great riffs, shame about the singer" album/band

3

Solid Brit pop album, with a Smiths-y sound, overall a pleasant listen. Brett Anderson’s idiosyncratic vocals are a bit of an acquired taste, but I enjoyed them. He has a really varied range that can be quite elegant but also glammy and playful. I can see the comparisons some want to make to Bowie, but I’m getting more of a Russell Mael meets Pete Shelley vibe. I love how he hits the high range, but it’s also a lot, like eating a box of truffles in one sitting. Some may not want to sit through 45 minutes of it. Fave Songs: The Drowners, So Young, Sleeping Pills, Animal Nitrate, Metal Mickey

3

Not sure...At least I finished listening.

3

Didn’t mind listening, but didn’t save any either.

3

Can't really write a decent review about this one. During the early nineties, I was into American indie/grunge acts, but I was also interested in former eras, such as the punk movement and sixties pop. And I could also enjoy some britpop acts. But not *this one*. The first time I listened to Suede, I found their mannerisms pompous, and I did so not only for *Dog Man Star*, but starting from this band's debut album, actually (when the second one was panned, it was as if everyone was stating what was obvious to me from the get-go). Of course, at the time, I didn't know a lot about Bowie and The Smiths, who were *huge* influences on Suede. Since those days, I have learnt to appreciate those very influences (especially Bowie). But the irony is that, because of what I know now, it's *all the more difficult for me* to enjoy Suede these days. When I listen to them *now*, I just can't help thinking they're still a somewhat bland variation of earlier, far more impressive acts. With very awkward and dated production values, to boot (some of the effects on the vocals and guitars are just plain horrible). And I'm *still* a little annoyed by the overall mannerisms, mostly because I find a lot of them stale, shallow and irritating (Anderson's overkill *outré* voice is grating to the extreme sometimes, even on one of the few decently written songs from the album, such as Animal Nitrate for instance). Suede are just not as fresh and exciting as the models they are desperately imitating. And because of all this, I can't manage to find any *substance* in the songs of this record, as hard as I've tried. Oh, I know that Bowie himself once praised them. But it won't even make me change my mind. When Bowie praised Suede, he wasn't exactly in the best creative spot of his career anyway. Maybe it was just a way for him to send all those winks Suede had made to him back to them. At the time I didn't care. Now, I do, somehow. But even Bowie could make blunders (he actually made a lot of them in the later parts of his career). And this brings me back to the original influences informing this album. Sorry, but I'm always gonna prefer the originals... How ironic. It seems that Suede were never there in the right time for me. I know they've been critically reevaluated, and they probably at least deserve some of the *current* praise for going against the grain during their heyday. But it's still impossible for me to genuinely appreciate their music. Sometimes, it's as simple as that. [Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 985 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 5 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 6 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 4 Albums on which I feel my judgment is muddled by my past forays into specific genres instead of others: 1 (including this one) Technically, I shouldn't even be grading those records. But *some* might end up on my final list for their somewhat *objective* cultural importance, who knows?]

3

I detect hints of Glam-rock with Brit-pop top notes. It has a nice shoegaze finish but unfortunately the lead vocalist’s singing style leaves a bitter aftertaste. This hasn’t aged very well and should be returned to the cellar.

3

I reviewed my notes from the last album of theirs. I mentioned a Bowie influence, which I hear less of now, but I'm getting more Morrisey. This LP doesn't seem to have a standout track like 'We are the Pigs", but there are a number of rockers throughout. Again, there are too many ballads, schmaltzy ballads. 5/10 for me.

3

Decent Didn't get all the way through.

3

I thought this was alright, some songs were quite catchy - others a bit more irritating. I didn't know about Suede, but Luke informs me they were a headline Britpop bad alongside Blur and Oasis. He does not approve of Suede and told me I should give it 1 or 2 starts for the whiney voice and boring songs. I dunno, I didn't hate it that much and I shalln't be swayed

3

"So Young", "The Drowners", and "Metal Mickey" I like very much. The rest of the album is good, but doesn't live up to the hype that the British music press heaped on the album.

3

Första två låtarna är ju jäkligt bra. Resterande låtar är sen inte särskilt spännande.

2

interesting cover art lol. initial reaction: okay, sounds good. enter his voice: ?? okay, could work still. doesnt seem very 90s to me though. 'she's not dead' is not available on spotify. not awful, even liked some parts, but ultimately not my thing. lyrics were bland at times but at times i was like ??? is he singing from a female perspective or. idk. i did save 'moving'.

2

I’m not a big fan of the lead singers voice. I get annoyed every time he says “ohh-vah” on The Drowners. His voice is not Axl Rose level offensive, but it’s noticeable enough to cost Suede a star. The potential of the songs is consistently let down by his voice. Some of the musical parts are quite enjoyable. I like the piano part on The Next Life. The guitar part on Metal Mickey is top notch. The drum and guitar parts for Moving are great…and then he starts singing, ughh. Sleeping Pills and Breakdown really bog the album down. I thought Just A Day (Early Demo) was by far the best song on the album and it’s a throw away bonus track. What a shame.

2

Ears hurt and Hershey squirts. Britpop ruined my Saturday. I'm going to throw this back in a closet and hope it doesn't come out again. I know there's more Britpop-y bands on this list and eventually, I'll lose. Some day, I'll have to unpack all the reasons why bands like Travis, Verve, Lush and yes- even The Smiths, Morrissey and The Clash make me unwell. It's going to be messy and today isn't the day.

2

Okay, but nothing I'd come back to.

2

Had not heard of the band or heard any of their music before this. Not an album I think I'll come back to but there are some interesting tracks, and reminds me of some of music I liked in college.

2

This is a pretty solid Example of Britpop that I don't super care for. I sounds old, but it was made in the 90's so I don't super get it. Plus, To keep it honest I found the lead singers vocals pretty grating. Glad it's over lol. It wasn't horrible, and I imagine a lot of people like it. Not for me.

2

Not my cup of tea

2

My least favorite of the BritPop 90s, I had never listened to this whole album, and gave it a chance. 30 years later, I still prefer Blur, Supergrass, and Pulp in this era/genre of music. Suede is fine, but just never really grabbed my attention. I still find Anderson’s delivery to be vaguely annoying, while the music never delivered much excitement or engagement for me.

2

Lots of sort of swirling layered guitars. It sounds kind of lush and not necessarily noisy. Some heavy usage of flanger some other modulation effects like this. Kind of interesting playing but I tend to prefer things with a more driving beat. The guitars tend to sort of fade into the soundscape and instead of being out front. The real dealbreaker for me was the singer. To my ear, his voice is thin, nasal and whiny. There is a lot of falsetto but I think his main voice is just too thin. Not for me at all - basically the opposite of what I gravitate to. Overall, not terrible but just not for me.

2

I tried. I wanted to like this. I read the lyrics and the Wikipedia back story. But I didn’t hear this at the time and now I feel it is too late. Perhaps I am missing something, but I don’t really feel that I missed out. And am not a fan of the voice. I can see what they are trying to do (I think) but it doesn’t really speak to me and I don’t find the music particularly original or moving. So Young is an okay start (maybe partly because I recognised it from the radio) but for me it chugs along with variations of the same theme for the rest of the album, with diminishing returns.

2

Tired, overstayed its welcome, and everything being done has been done better before.

1

Oof. Hard for me to get beyond his voice. That nasally screech, which is too common in British punk-pop, brings all of the music around it down for me. Some of the music is strong and the overall concept of the albums is interesting, but...that voice...

1

On first listen this is a slab of ponderous guitar Brit-pop. Not grunge, not Oasis, just slow and dull.

1

I had never of this band and this record made zero impression on me. I never really paid any mind to the Britpop movement at all. Nothing bad about it, just kind of meh, and I had a hard time contextualizing it at all.

5

She's not dead...yet. I like Suede. That's as in depth as you're getting from me today.

5

Really fucking good

5

Me surpreendi totalmente. Fui com preconceito (achando que fosse meio boring tipo os mais famosos do britpop, Blur e Oasis) e achei muito foda. Primeira nota 5 que dou de um álbum que nunca escutei da lista.

5

I've Finished The Second Quarter M 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. No Productive Day. But Opportunity Is Knocking.

5

Excellent album. Suede is ahead of it’s time, it still sounds modern. I really liked Animal Nitrate c and The Drowners. Will definitely be returning to this band.

5

This was so good! Shocked I haven't heard of it before. Totally reminded me of The Cure and The Smiths. Wow. Definitely want to listen to this one again.

5

Não conhecia nada e amei! Já quero ouvir mais! Melhores músicas: The Drowners, So Young, Sleeping Pills O álbum é todo bom!

5

Love it. It's got a post-punk vibe. Catchy, edgy, fast paced and not so cookie cutter, which is great!

5

Oh to be young, free and careless again, and to fully embrace the anxiety and confusion that comes with it. No album somes that time up better for than Suede.

5

Delicious

5

This is how you do Britpop.

5

A brilliant album

5

The follow-up, Dog Man Star, is several stars better but this album is great too of course. Coming Up ishpikd be on the list too. Suede is a really good example how good a band can be in their prime: the b-sides during Suede-DogManStar-Coming Up are of similar quality as the tracks on these three albums.

5

This album is great in the music, even if a some of them sounds like the same, each one has something special, also the voice and the lyrics give the album that touch that no other can offer, this starts from the cover which could cause controversy, however as you listen the album, the purpose change is more clear, make you think about life as we live.

5

Fully signed up member of the Suede Nation here. The original and still one I listen to regularly. I glorious grimy shot of street passion, the power of doomed love and glamour... Above all else glamour.

5

Love this

5

loved this album

5

A classic

5

I was a teenager when Suede released this record, but I was in my late 20’s before I really got into them. Dunno what that says about me or about the band or about the 90’s. All I know is that they’re one of my favourite bands and this record is and All Timer™️.

5

En mä osaa tätä sen kummemmin perustella, on yksi elämäni levyistä. Brett on ihana. Ihana.

5

Impressive. Great debut album that makes me interested in their other stuff.

5

love it

5

Loved it! One of the best albums I’ve listened to.

5

yess yes uhmhm about time i love suede i love suede really like this album although i prefere some of their other stuff

5

Listened a week after seeing them live, and 30 years after its release. So colour me biased but yeah - 5 stars. Probably 4.5 as they've done better but still what a debut.

5

Brilliant debut record