Suede were formed in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, bassist Mat Osman and guitarist Justine Frischmann. Bernard Butler later joined after the group responded to an ad in the Melody Maker. released their debut single: “The Drowners” on May 1992.peaked at only number 49 on the UK singles chart.
Once the band had signed with Nude/Sony in November 1992, they began official recording of the album. at Master Rock Studios in Kilburn, north west London with Ed Buller as producer-.
"Animal lover", original album title, should have been the Suede debut album in 1993, but this one was modified as the recording sessions evolved.
When they first entered the recording studio, the band had an album already in mind, a result of the two years they had already played it live with this line-up:
Side A: (23:43)
1.Animal Lover. (4:17)
2.Moving. (2:50)
3.My Insatiable One. (2:59)
4.Metal Mickey. (Unreleased 1st version). (2:31)
5.Pantomime Horse. (5:50)
6.He´s Dead. (5:13)
Side B: (24:46)
1.The Drowners. (4:10)
2.Painted People. (2:50)
3.So Young. (3:38)
4.Brass in Pocket. (3:41)
5.Sleeping Pills (Unreleased 1st version).(4:59)
6.To The Birds. (5:25)
As the recording sessions evolved, The album was restructured. Suede added more new songs; remixed others as: "Metal Mickey". This version is the orginal when the song ending abruptly after the chorus, before that Buller suggested an extended fade-out. “Sleeping Pills” was reduced by taking away his pretty introduction. And removed: “Animal Lover”, bit.ly/2ZpP6 “Moving” and "Brass in pocket". The new version, now called “Half Dog” soon after “I think you Stink”, it had this other alternate line-up:
Side A: 1.So Young. 2.Animal Nitrate. 3.She´s Not Dead. 4.My Insatiable One. 5.Pantomime Horse.
Side B: 1.The Drowners. 2.Metal Mickey. 3.Sleeping Pills (2nd version). 4.Breakdown. 5.To The Birds. 6.The Next Life.
But during the album mixes the group made a decision similar to what happened in the sixties, the songs that appeared in singles later would not be included in the albums, but in this case they left it alone on the B-sides. From The first single, they removed ”To the birds” “and “My Insatiable One”.From the 2nd: “He´s dead”.Something that Brett Anderson always regretted. But they recovered other discarded ones from the original version.
The album´s photos were choosen by Bret Anderson from the 1991 book Stolen Glances: Lesbians Take Photographs. Photos. by :Tee A. Corinne. From all that Anderson chooseed, She only authorized one photo for the cover, a woman kissing to other in a wheelchair. and insisted they, it could only be shown: the heads and shoulders close-up of the women to protect their identity
.Suede was released first in the UK 29 March 1993,vinyl, MC and CD and worldwide 6 April. In the UK becoming the fastest-selling debut album since Frankie Goes to Hollywood's “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” almost ten years earlier.
Their third single, "Animal Nitrate",went to number seven following their performance of it at the 1993 BRIT Awards. Ten weeks after its release the album had reported sales of over 160,000 only in the UK. But Suede's commercial success in the United States was limited, and due to a lawsuit with an American singer with the same name, the group had to change its name for the American market to The London Suede.
To me the original album “Animal Lover” was much better and no wonder that Brett Anderson regretted it Finally two bonus tracks: "Animal Nittrate" - (live at Brit Awards 93) and "He´s Dead" - (live at Glastonbury´93)
Ok.., here's the reconstruction of that lost great album. Enjoy it.
