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Rating: The trajectory of Suede was symptomatic of the fleeting splendors and the transience of much English pop, a liturgy that seems to persist to this day.
They became brilliant stars at the time of their early singles and the natural consecration of their debut album, and then drowned after the release of their introspective masterpiece dated 1994, that "Dog Man Star" which still seems to us among the best things published in England in the past decade. The departure of the group's Johnny Marr - the great guitarist Bernard Butler - just before that album came out, and the declining acclaim following the new wave of Brit-pop led by Blur and Oasis made it so that back then, no one would have bet a pound on the continuation of Bret Anderson's group's career.
However, the release of "Coming Up" in 1996 surprised many, because although it did not match the achievements of previous works, this work confirmed that the name Suede was able to carve out a niche even amid the rising tide of Brit Pop. A phenomenon of which Suede were certainly forerunners, since it was their guitar riffs and the 3-minute pop dimension of the early singles that revived a certain type of sound, while in the early '90s grunge and the remnants of Madchester and shoegaze were running rampant: the single "Beautiful Ones" was an excellent attempt to combine a certain rock conciseness with the classic glam allure of the London group, to remind us that the way for the various Gallaghers was paved precisely by the Anderson-Butler duo. This new pop direction of the group was made necessary by the loss of Butler's creative drive: "She", "Film Star", "She is star crazy" and "Trash" skillfully combine greater sunniness and the usual ironic and brilliant imagery.
The Suede that won our hearts the most, those dreamy, romantic ones like Brett's voice, which could be linked to the Smiths for that desperate way of representing the impossibility of being normal, are present in moving tracks such as "By the sea", "Picnic by the motorway" and especially "Lovely day", the ideal continuation of "The wild ones". A bet won by Anderson, then: the group would continue with decent inspiration until 2002, until reuniting with the beloved-hated Butler in the remarkable project The Tears. Old age reconciles minds, it's known, but it was a pleasant happy ending for those who feel a pinch of nostalgia for that period of English music.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 By the Sea (04:41)
She can walk out anytime, anytime she wants to walk out, that's fine
She can walk out anytime, anytime she feels that life has passed her by
And when I start my new life I won't touch the ground
I'm gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground
He can walk out anytime, anytime he wants to walk out, that's fine
He can walk out anytime, across the sand, into the sea, into the brine
And when I start my new life I won't touch the ground
I'm gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground
So we sold the car and quit the job
and shook some hands and wiped the make-up right off
And we said our good-byes to the bank
left Seven Sisters for a room in a seaside shack
And when I start my new life I won't touch the ground
I'm gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground...
...it's by the sea we'll breed....
...into the sea we'll bleed...
03 Europe Is Our Playground (05:08)
Run with me baby, let your hair down
Through every station, through every town
Run with me baby, let's take a chance
From Heathrow to Houndslow, from the Eastern block to France
Europe is our playground, London is our town
So run with me baby now
Run with me baby, let your hair down
Through every station, through every town
Run with me baby, let's make a stand
From peepshow to disco, from Spain to Camber Sands
Europe is our playground, London is our town
So run with me baby now
04 Saturday Night (05:02)
Today she's been working, she's been talking,
she's been smoking, its gonna be alright
Cos tonight we'll go dancing, we'll go laughing, we'll get car sick
and it'll be okay like everyone says, it'll be alright and ever so nice
We're going out tonight, out and about tonight
Oh whatever makes her happy on a Saturday night
Oh whatever makes her happy, whatever makes it alright
Today she's been sat there, sat there in a black chair,
office furniture, but it'll be alright
Cos tonight we'll go drinking, we'll do silly things
and never let the winter in
And it'll be okay like everyone says, it'll be alright and ever so nice
We're going out tonight, out and about tonight.
Oh whatever makes her happy on a Saturday night
Oh whatever makes her happy, whatever makes it alright
...we'll go peepshows and freak shows,
We'll go to discos, casinos,
We'll go where people go and let go...
...oh whatever makes her happy...
06 Lazy (06:06)
Here they com with their make-up on
as lovely as the clouds, come and see them,
Boys and girls and their mums and their words
and their romances and jobs and their sons,
Barking mad kids, lonely dads
who drug it up to give it some meaning,
From the raves to the council estates
they're reminding us there's things to be done.
But you and me, all we want to be is lazy,
you and me, so lazy...
Here they come gone 7am
getting satellite and Sky getting cable,
Bills and Bens and their mums and their friends,
who just really really want to be loved
Uncle Teds and their legendary vests,
helping out around the disabled
From the flats and the maisonettes
they're reminding us there's things to be done
But you and me, all we want to be is lazy,
you and me, so lazy...
Its you and me, its you and me, you and me...
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Other reviews
By GrantNicholas
A few weeks later, no one is smiling anymore.
For many, "Coming Up" is Suede’s best album; it is undoubtedly their masterpiece after Butler.
By david81
"The masterpiece track of the album, however, is 'Beautiful Ones,' making it one of the best tracks by Suede and the entire Britpop genre."
"Beautiful, glam, dreamy, nocturnal, to be listened to in a car along the desolate roads of bygone adolescent loves."
