London Suede - Dog Man Star

A year and one album after being heralded as England's "next big thing," The London Suede is hurting. Forced by a lawsuit to change its name in the U.S. and suffering from the mid-recording defection of wall-of-sound guitarist Bernard Butler, the band's second album makes you wonder what the fuss was about. dog man star is flaccid, melodramatic glam-rock that cribs even more heavily than the group's debut from vintage David Bowie. Brett Anderson's posing and emoting simply isn't enough to carry a tune, and none of the 13 songs here approach the fiery drive of the debut album's "Metal Mickey" or "Animal Nitrate." --Jim DeRogatis Amazon.com

They were on top of the world...

A dark and beautiful album, it's funny to remember back that despite of all the media hype and glam around the boys, most of their music (the best part of it maybe) was somber and gloomy, a regular theme on this record was claustrophobic angst and drug filled paranoia; probably people that only got Suede's singles have been never involved in the ethos that this band represented. Do yourself a compliment and get this landmark: PERIOD. March 26, 2008

There's a song playing on my radio

Suede's (I'm sticking the name they have in the rest of the world) debut album was a great collection of songs, but their second CD "Dog Man Star" is their best CD.
More detail to songwriting, sounds and better lyrics make this album a classic. December 24, 2006

Don't understand the negative reviews

Great 90s alternative-rock from the UK. Scorching guitar and soaring vocls. I used to play this CD when I was an employee at Tower Records in the 90s. 2 years ago, I found a used copy and finally purchaed it. It gets better with age. A shame that they never hit it big in the states. Check out Sci-Fi Lullabies for more vintage Suede. October 5, 2006

sainthood achieved

To dub this album anything less than brilliant is to fall, bone-breakingly, on the rocks of philistine thinking. "Dog Man Star" contains Suede's best work, and it raised the stakes of modern rock. Anderson's voice is an unidentified flying Regency contralto...NO OTHER British vocalist comes close to his power here.

Buy this CD. Love it. Become it. February 3, 2006

Major Disappointment

I loved Suede's debut album, it's a true classic. I even bought their b-sides compilation "Sci-Fi Lullabies" and loved a lot of that as well ("My Insatiable One" might be their best song). But let's be honest, this album is pretty awful. There are maybe 4 or 5 solid tracks on here but even they don't touch the weakest tracks on the debut.

The theatricality has been amped up tenfold (if that's even possible) but the songwriting has taken a huge dip. If you want memorable hooks and melodies, look elsewhere. If you want slow, pseudo-romantic dirges that go absolutely nowhere, then this is the album for you.

Sure, maybe I just don't "get it" but I don't see how anyone could say with a straight face that this is a masterpiece, let alone Suede's best album. This album is just boring. I wanted to like it but in the end it's just not worth your time. Avoid unless you are a completist. January 10, 2006

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