On this day in history (March 29, 1993). Suede released their self-titled debut album featuring the singles The Drowners, Metal Mickey, Animal Nitrate and So Young. At the time this album was released, it was the fastest selling debut album in British history in over a decade. This album is often considered to be one of the first Britpop records. The gender-ambiguous album cover was intentional. Brett Anderson commented that he chose it because of the ambiguity and beauty of it.
This album has become very popular in the LGBT communities. The album cover contributes to that, which is a photo taken from the book “Stolen Glances: Lesbians Take Photographs”. Anderson uses the word “He” often in the song and when asked about it, he said:
Too much music is about a very straightforward sense of sexuality … Twisted sexuality is the only kind that interests me. The people that matter in music … don’t declare their sexuality. Morrissey never has and he’s all the more interesting for that
Videos
The Drowners
So Young
Animal Nitrate
Charts and Accolades
- Peaked at #1 in the UK Albums chart
- Ranked #94 in Alternative Press’s Top 99 of 85-95
- Ranked #47 in Melody Maker’s All Time Top 100 albums
- Ranked #13 in Pitchfork’s Top 50 Best Britpop albums
Bowie and the Smiths are obvious points of reference. From each, Suede have taken an alien sexual charisma, a peculiarly claustrophobic Englishness and brazenly good tunes. Moreover, rarely has a record from the indie sector come with such a burning sense of its own significance
– Q Magazine
Suede the band and Suede the record are more than the sum of their brilliantly packaged designer hauteur. There is an undercurrent of doomsday urgency in Anderson’s feigned languor, tartly echoed in Bernard Butler’s corrosive guitar work
– Rolling Stone
Track Listing
- So Young
- Animal Nitrate
- She’s Not Dead
- Moving
- Pantomime Horse
- The Drowners
- Sleeping Pills
- Breakdown
- Metal Mickey
- Animal Lover
- The Next Life
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