Suede - Dog Man Star (1994) (1 Viewer)

Title: Dog Man Star
Artist: Suede
Genre: Alternative Rock
Released: 1994

Tracks:
1 - Introducing the Band - 2:38
2 - We Are the Pigs - 4:19 -
3 - Heroine - 3:22
4 - The Wild Ones - 4:50 -
5 - Daddy's Speeding - 5:22
6 - The Power - 4:31
7 - New Generation - 4:37 -
8 - This Hollywood Life - 3:50
9 - The 2 of Us - 5:45
10 - Black or Blue - 3:48
11 - The Asphalt World - 9:25
12 - Still Life - 5:23
13 - Modern Boys - 4:49

Overview:
Dog Man Star is the second album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in October 1994 on Nude Records. It was the last Suede album to feature guitarist Bernard Butler, due to growing tensions between Butler and singer Brett Anderson ending with Butler leaving the band before the album was completed. Dog Man Star is more downbeat than their debut and chronicles Suede as they parted from the "Britpop pack".
Although it did not sell on the same scale as their chart-topping debut Suede (1993), Dog Man Star reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. Released to an enthusiastic critical reception, it is considered by many to be Suede's masterpiece.
In early 1994, when Suede were about to release the standalone single "Stay Together"-their highest charting single, which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart-the morale within the group was at an all time low. Butler's father had died just as the band were about to begin their second American tour. The first week of the tour was cancelled, and Suede flew back to London from New York. When the tour did resume, Butler distanced himself from the rest of the band far more than before. Recently bereaved and engaged, according to Butler, "they got really resentful of the fact that they were on tour with someone who didn't want to party". He even travelled separately, either alone, by taxi, or on the tour bus of support act The Cranberries. Then in Atlanta, Suede suffered the ignominy of having to open for The Cranberries, who'd been given a friendlier reception than the headliners and received the support from MTV as well. By New York they'd had enough and the last few dates were cancelled. According to drummer Simon Gilbert, Butler was becoming unworkable and intolerable, and the band could not function together any longer.
To record Suede's next album Anderson moved to Highgate, and began to write lyrics influenced by heavy drugs while living in a secluded Victorian mansion. "I deliberately isolated myself, that was the idea," Anderson later explained. The album was later described by one journalist as "the most pompous, overblown British rock record of the decade", which Anderson puts down to his use of psychedelic drugs. "I was doing an awful lot of acid at the time, and I think it was this that gave us the confidence to push boundaries." Anderson has said that he thrived on the surreal environment he lived in at the time; next door were a sect known as the Mennonites, who would often sing hymns during Anderson's drug binges.
OK. First listen. On speakers.I'm usually more Slade than Suede..but I'm here for this.
I think there’s a fair bang of that stomp running through this.

I’m quite surprised that so many people find “Introducing the Band” to be so weird or weak, I think it’s great - like a 70s glam band in slow motion and the lyrics are great: “I want the style of a woman/The kiss of a man”

Also is that a Throbbing Gristle reference when he sings about a “Fifty knuckle shuffle” elsewhere on it? I know Brett’s a Neubauten fan anyway.
 
The production on this album is tragic. It's the worst sounding great album I've ever heard. It's especially awful on cans. It sounds it's best on my little Google nest. So at least they succeeded in mono compatibility.its also muddy. As fuck.
It's partly the fault of the arrangements though, theres too much going on and they tried to make it all fit but it doesn't. At least it's not limited to death like Oasis.

Despite all that I love it and will be listening to it going forward...and will have more to say when I'm back at the computer.
 
Interesting, I like the production for the most part, it sounds dark, deep and rich to my ears although I agree it's a bit too busy at times, in terms of guitar overdubs, they don't all sit quite right. But it's a very minor complaint from me. I was listening to Coming Up yesterday and the production on that is definitely weird. It's full of snappy songs with big choruses and it sounds like... I don't know what, coked up brit-pop dancing maybe. They should have just recorded that whole album live.

Anyway, I agree with Prefuse on The Power being weak, but it's relative. The verses are still lovely and I like those kinda harmonies that Brett does on the second verse, it's very silky. It's just the "give me give me give me the power bit" that crashes to earth a bit. Still a decent tune. There's this synth or ebow or feedback or something that comes in as he starts singing la la la la, I like that bit. It just pushes things slightly over the edge. I really like Still Life though. I think I read that they had trouble deciding whether or not they should include the orchestra or not and later regretted including it. It's a bit much.
 
Out of interest, what’s bad about the recording/production? It sounds great to my ears.
The drums are buried ..sometimes . Theres far too much reverb on everything its just turned the whole thing to mush.Yet theres a strange hollowness in the centre. It kinda sounds like the way big outdoor concerts sound from the next field over. Thats not something I would particularly enjoy.
Obviously its a stylistic choice they made but Its not to my taste.. or maybe I'm just not quite sophisticated enough to appreciate it.. I find it a struggle to follow the tunes sometimes cos its so unfocussed. My brain doesn't know whats going on.

I still like it though.
 
Great album with unsatisfactory production. I give it 4/5.

I can hear all the influences....if not all of the lyrics... clear Scott Walker and Bowie vibes but still an original record.

Super record though. Glad to have begun assimilating it
 
I still haven’t listened to it this time round. So the last time I heard it was on cassette a long time ago. I remember it sounding pretty muddy but I put that down to it being on cassette.
 
I've been reading up on this album and my take on the production is nothing new. And theres other things I noticed that I failed to mention because I didnt want to be too nit picky. But theres audible distortion on some of the vocals as well. Its a ramshackle mix at best.

Bernard Butler should remix it
 
I've been reading up on this album and my take on the production is nothing new. And theres other things I noticed that I failed to mention because I didnt want to be too nit picky. But theres audible distortion on some of the vocals as well. Its a ramshackle mix at best.

Bernard Butler should remix it

I'm surprised that hasn't happened already.
Dogmanstar remixed by Bernie & Bert.
 
This is Bret's, if he could do it all over again, alternate dogmanstar tracklist

Introducing The Band
We Are The Pigs
Heroine
The Wild Ones
Daddy's Speeding
My Dark Star
Killing Of A Flashboy
This Hollywood Life
New Generation
The Living Dead
The 2 Of Us
The Asphalt World
Still Life
 
I would have included whipsnade. It was a b side of we are the pigs.

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I was listening to Sci-Fi Lullabies the other day and thought they had made all the right choices in terms of what went on b-sides vs the albums. All those songs are great but maybe don't fit the flow of the albums. But I don't know any more. I'm going to give Bret's alternative version a go some day.
 
I'm ten minutes in here, and I can hear what @GO means about the production... maybe Anderson/Butler are going for some shoegaze cred. I don't know. I'll return again.

I've been getting into Suede lately. The Drowners is surely one of the most sublime indie tracks... ever. Yet I never heard it on an indie dancefloor in my life.

I bought that Sci-Fi Lullabies for about 25p in a charity shop a while back. It's got some of those sublime "knees gets weak" moments that The Drowners offers.

I also bought Coming Up in a charity shop in Terenure for a euro the other day... was blasting it all day. It's deadly. [Suede would have meant nothing to me in my secondary days when Soundgarden et all ruled the teenage roost].

I think the problem with the production on this album is they're trying to make it a bit full-on with the guitars - also a little 60s-ish with the reverb - to appeal to the shoegaze lot. They seem to be playing against their songwriting strengths, and trying to represent themselves as something they can't pull off or don't fully buy into. Maybe I'm wrong.
 

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