A lot of people may not know it, but today is a very significant day in music history. Why? Because exactly 20 years ago today (September 2) the mighty Suede released their masterpiece 'Coming Up'. It was the first Suede album I ever bought, even though I had previously purchased a cassette copy of the 'We Are The Pigs' single. Suede were the band that kickstarted the whole Britpop phenomenon, and yet by 1996 they found themselves overshadowed by the massive commercial success of Blur and Oasis. On 'Coming Up', the band weren't afraid to bring out the big melodies and infectious pop choruses. Their previous album 'Dog Man Star' was a dark, cold record that was seen as a commercial failure at the time. At the time, frontman Brett Anderson said: "I think the next album will be quite simple, actually. I'd really like to write a straightforward pop album. Just ten hits." Despite being the first album since the departure of guitarist Bernard Butler, his replacement Richard Oakes immediately proved himself to be a great addition to the group, and 'Coming Up' was the album that introduced Suede to a worldwide audience, in places such as Europe, Canada and Asia. The album went to number 1 in the UK charts, sold over a milion copies, and spawned FIVE Top 10 hit singles, including the unforgettable, swaggering glam rock surge of 'Filmstar', which went to number 9. So happy birthday to one of the most solid, perfect records of the 90's. Of all-time in fact.
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