Suede
Coming Up

THE REVIEW

Never take anything for granted, in life as in the music field.

Take Suede: a self-titled debut with a bang, then a second album, "Dog Man Star," initially considered a total and unequivocal failure, only to be elevated to a masterpiece several years later. Then, the coup de grâce: the departure of the talented Bernard Butler, one of the most acclaimed British guitarists of his generation. It's 1994, it seems like the end of the dream for Anderson and his band. But no.

Two years pass, it's 1996. Meanwhile, a group of five slackers from Manchester, Oasis, gains worldwide fame with two explosive LPs and definitively ignites "cool-britannia." Everyone seems to have forgotten about that ambiguous and androgynous lad who churned out mega-hits with a biting edge like "Animal Nitrate" or "We Are The Pigs". Everyone smiles at the idea that a great talent on the path to a probable legendary status like Bernard Butler is replaced by a semi-unknown seventeen-year-old like Richard Oakes. Everyone smiles. A few weeks later, no one is smiling anymore.

The first warning signs come with "Trash", a lead single; the sound of Suede has radically changed, it has acquired freshness and unexpected catchiness, and the track takes off, landing on the third spot of the British Singles Chart. The album is released, and it is a triumph. Out of ten tracks, five will be released as singles and all hit the top ten. Besides the unequivocal commercial success, another aspect stands out: all the songs are of the highest quality.

The initial "triple play" leaves you breathless: "Trash", "Filmstar" (which, alternating an energetic verse with an airy and glam chorus, already showcases Oakes's skill in crafting six-string riffs) and "Lazy" (a melancholic piece entirely credited to Anderson) unleash sparkling guitars, enveloping melodies, and Brett in great vocal form. About halfway through the album comes a track destined to become an indispensable classic of mid-'90s British pop rock, "Beautiful Ones". Even in the less "prominent" episodes, the band is more inspired than ever, see "She" and "Starcrazy" (the latter, together with "The Chemistry Between Us", written by Anderson along with new keyboardist Neil Codling). It closes with a super melancholic "Saturday Night", another hit from the band. Musically, the orientation is to align with a more pop and accessible discourse while maintaining the typical glam sparks of previous albums. The lyrics talk about love (the same "Saturday Night") and criticize yuppie culture ("Beautiful Ones", "She"), abandoning the decadent visions of the first two studio works.

For many, "Coming Up" is Suede's best album; it is undoubtedly their masterpiece after Butler. The British monthly Q has nonetheless placed it at the ninety-sixth spot among the hundred most beautiful British albums of all time.

Key Tracks: "Trash", "She", "Beautiful Ones", "Picnic By The Motorway"