With regards to
Head Music, I remember really liking it at the time, I thought the lead-off single 'Electricity' was absolutely fantastic - new phase Suede! - although once again a lot of that was down to where I was and what was happening at the time.
Unlike the permanent wintry vibe of
Dog Man Star,
Head Music has a definitive summery anthemic quality (although again this could just be down to the time of its release) despite it's intended more electronic/cold feel.
However - I don't think it's maybe aged that well and parts of it just sounds tired and uninspired - although I'd agree with Paul in that around half of it's good.
Brett Anderson wanted it remixed by Prince at the time of its release! Would have been interesting although completely unlikely to be honest...
I doubt Brett was Prince's type!
radioshack wrote:I always thought Coming Up was the best thing they ever did. Pure, undiluted and brilliant pop songs with no pomposity or lack of focus throughout its 10 tracks. Dare I say it, the debut was overrated and the subsequent album a bit overblown and overwrought. And I always felt Bernard Butler was a total runner-up to the Greenwood/McCabe/Coxons of the same era. But I'd still take the first two albums miles ahead of the terrible Head Music (the sound of someone hopelessly lost to drugs and unable to write anything except very bad songs). That album left such a bad impression I never listened to the last album. But respect to them, for their stronger moments make them worthwhile in my book.
Really? I would consider Bernard Butler better than those three combined!
As a junior budding guitar player you could (almost?) play along to him, and he wasn't into obscure chords or virtuosity just for the sake of it... Greenwood!
You should revisit
Dog Man Star again sometime. It's obviously completely different from
Coming Up, but a different kind of trip I guess. I loved
Coming Up when it first came out - interested to see what the remaster can do for that album as it was pretty tinny sounding (deliberately so I think) - but in retrospect it would have been better to have had the brilliant 'Together' on there (debut Oakes recording!) instead of a few of the songs on the second side.
Lastly, some years ago from a library I borrowed the Suede biography named
Love & Poison, written by a band insider with their blessing which is really surprising as even I was pretty shocked at the tales of mad debauchery within.... Its surprising that
Head Music was ever finished due to the carnage going down, most of it crack related.
Sadly, this book only goes for silly money now but if you can find a copy at a decent price it's well recommended.