Dog Man Star

Product Information

What exactly are you supposed to do when following up on one of the seminal albums of British music in the 1990s? Such was the conundrum facing Suede in 1994 as the critical acclaim of their out-of-nowhere debut and the subsequent burden of expectations regarding the sophomore record was taking its toll on the group. Relations between the wispy, effeminate, and at the time, unbearably egotistic vocalist Brett Anderson and lead guitarist Bernard Butler had soured to the point where Butler eventually left the band before completing the record. The production of this album has gone down in music history as one of the toughest and most frought recordings ever. Anderson and Butler were pretty much at a knife edge with each other. Bulter wanted the album to sound one way and Anderson wanted the album to sound another. They clashed to the point when Butler was fired or quit, depends on what story you believe. Anderson and Bulter as much as they hated each other at that point, really needed each other. They both worked off each other brilliantly but each others egos would not take it. Anderson hated Butler's showing off with his guitar skills and Butler hated Anderson's lyrics. Both have different views on this album. Anderson thinks its brilliant while Butler thinks its very flawed and could of been better if he would of produced it his way. a b c Jenkins, Mark (18 January 1995). "Just a 'Second,' 6 Years Later". The Washington Post . Retrieved 18 October 2018. Musical differences arose over "The Asphalt World". The final version on the album has a duration of 9:25, edited from a much longer recording. According to bass player Mat Osman, Butler's initial creation was a 25-minute piece with an eight-minute guitar solo. [19] However, according to Anderson, the composition was 18 minutes long, and was a pre-production recording featuring only guitar and drums, that was intended to be edited down.

The Drowners” earned the band a great deal of attention from the music press as a potential foundation stone in the Britpop movement. This, their debut album, confirmed that they’d earned such attention, becoming one of the fastest-selling debut albums in British history. Suede’s greatest album – contains a High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-ray of album and B-sides; 2 CDs in a mini gatefold sleeve; a cassette of entire album, with original 1994 inlay; a DVD with interviews with the band appearances on Top Of The Pops and The O Zone in 1994, the ‘Dog Man Star’ tour films, and the ‘Stay Together’ promo video. a b Sharman, Martin (9 April 2013). "A Retrospective on Suede". There Goes the Fear . Retrieved 26 July 2013.Osman later expressed he felt Butler's compositions were too experimental: "Lots of the musical ideas were too much. They were being rude to the listener: it was expecting too much of people to listen to them." [19] The arguments over "The Asphalt World" spilled over on to the rest of the album, as Butler became progressively more dissatisfied with Ed Buller's production. In a 2005 interview, the guitarist maintained his position on the matter, stating that Buller "made a terrible shoddy job of it". [21] Butler wanted Buller dismissed, allowing him to produce the record by himself.

Shepherd, Fiona (21 October 1994). "Suede: Dog Man Star (Nude)". The List. No.239. p.36 . Retrieved 17 February 2017. Unlike the alternative sleeve version sold on suede webstore, this version does not include the bonus 12" vinyl of ‘Stay Together’ and the cover color is a replica of the 1994 edition. Reynolds, Simon (27 November 1994). "Pop Brief: The London Suede: 'Dog Man Star' Nude/Columbia". The New York Times . Retrieved 8 April 2013.

When the record was eventually released, it caused barely a ripple on the music scene; Blur and Oasis were already sharing the spotlight with Pulp. The only enthusiastic group seemed to be the critics, having found an excuse to write ‘sophomore slump’ on yet another review. a b c "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 100–1". NME. 25 October 2013 . Retrieved 15 December 2016. The scrutiny that followed took its toll on their relationship. Determined to write a dissolute conceptual masterpiece, Anderson exiled himself in a gothic pile in North London while Butler questioned the paraphernalia that came with pop stardom. The big question is how does the Pure Audio blu-ray sound? I compared Heroine with the original CD and to be frank the 1994 CD sounded muffled and horrible in comparison although there was a lot of ‘splashy’ cymbals on the blu-ray. The Wild Ones, surprisingly, didn’t sound that different, but the more pertinent comparison between the 2011 remaster and the blu-ray revealed little audible difference to these ears. Scratch that – they sounded identical. As a fan of hi-res audio this was a rather disappointing although perhaps not too surprising since they do share the same remastering.

A Hardcover book which includes notes by Brett Anderson, photos, handwritten lyrics, recording info, press cuttings

a b c d e Lindsay, Matthew (23 October 2014). "A World That's Gone: Suede's Dog Man Star 20 Years On". The Quietus . Retrieved 23 December 2016. Tous les "Chart Runs" des Albums classés depuis 1985" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original ("Suede" must be searched manually) on 20 August 2008 . Retrieved 6 October 2008. Cooper, Leonie (29 August 2014). "Suede to release 20th anniversary 'Dog Man Star' boxset". NME . Retrieved 9 December 2016.

Butler left the sessions on 8 July, leaving Dog Man Star some distance from completion. Anderson had recorded little more than a string of guide vocals; several songs did not have titles; much of the music was still to be completed with overdubs. [25] Butler had exited before recording his guitar part for "The Power"; a session guitarist was invited to record the part, replicating Butler's demo recording. [6] Anderson offered to play acoustic guitar. [15]

Bereavement and clashes over the album's producer heightened the tension and, with just one part to complete on the album, Butler walked out for good. Suddenly, having blazed the trail for Britpop, they returned with an album deemed out of step with its sunny positivism. a b c d Bernstein, Jonathan (December 1994). "The London Suede: Dog Man Star". Spin. Vol.10, no.9. p.103 . Retrieved 21 June 2013– via Google Books. Corio, Paul (29 December 1994 – 12 January 1995). "The London Suede: Dog Man Star / Blur: Parklife / Oasis: Definitely Maybe". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007 . Retrieved 21 June 2013.