Dog Man Star

by Suede

Overview

Instead of following through on the Bowie-esque glam stomps of their debut, Suede concentrated on their darker, more melodramatic tendencies on their ambitious second album, Dog Man Star. By all accounts, the recording of Dog Man Star was plagued with difficulties -- Brett Anderson wrote the lyrics in a druggy haze while sequestered in a secluded Victorian mansion, while Bernard Butler left before the album was completed -- which makes its singular vision all the more remarkable. Lacking any rocker on the level of "The Drowners" or "Metal Mickey" -- only the crunching "This Hollywood Life" comes close -- Dog Man Star is a self-indulgent and pretentious album of dark, string-drenched epics. But Suede are one of the few bands who wear pretensions well, and after a few listens, the album becomes thoroughly compelling. Nearly every song on the record is hazy, feverish, and heartbroken, and even the rockers have an insular, paranoid tenor that heightens the album's melancholy. The whole record would have collapsed underneath its own intentions if Butler's compositional skills weren't so subtly nuanced and if Anderson's grandiose poetry wasn't so strangely affecting. As it stands, Dog Man Star is a strangely seductive record, filled with remarkable musical peaks, from the Bowie-esque stomp of "New Generation" to the stately ballads "The Wild Ones" and "Still Life," which are both reminiscent of Scott Walker. And while Suede may choose to wear their influences on their sleeve, they synthesize them in a totally original way, making Dog Man Star a singularly tragic and romantic album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/10/2021
Label:	Demon Records / Edsel
UPC:	5014797906044
Rank:	39413

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Suede   Primary Artist,Vocals
Tessa Niles   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Andrew Cronshaw   Ba Wu,Flute,Cimbalom
Bernard Butler   Guitar
Roddy Lorimer   Flute,Saxophone
Brian Gascoigne   Conductor
Brett Anderson   Vocals
Simon Clarke   Trumpet
Richard Edwards   Trombone
Sinfonia of London Orchestra   Orchestra
Phil Overhead   Percussion
Andy Crabb   Director
David Lewis   Director
Mat Osman   Bass,Bass (Electric)
Simon Gilbert   Drums
Jon Klein   Director

Technical Credits

Bernard Butler   Composer,Lyricist,Instrumentation
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Gary Stout   Engineer
Ed Buller   Engineer,Producer
Brian Gascoigne   Arranger
Brett Anderson   Concept,Composer,Lyricist,Art Direction
Ed Butler   Engineer,Producer
Brian Cannon   Design,Cover Design
Jodi Spence   Photography
Christian Vogt   Photography
Simon Gilbert   Filmmaker
Tracii Sherman   Assistant
Karen Davies   Sleeve Coordinator
Val Jennings   Interviewer
Johnny Ogle   Editing,Sound Operator,Camera Operator
Alan Fisher   Filmmaker