Release and Reception
Coming Up was a commercial success, removing many fans' doubts about Suede's new line-up. It spawned five top 10 singles, sold 1.5 million copies, charting at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Trash" was their joint top charting single along with "Stay Together", reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart, however it outsold the latter making it their biggest selling single ever.
Reviews were generally positive and seemed to respect Suede's new pop sound. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic rated Coming Up 4 out of 5, he welcomed the album's simplicity, however felt that very little progress had been made: "As a statement of purpose, Coming Up is unimpeachable. Though it doesn't break any new ground for the band — unless you count the newfound sense of optimism — it's a remarkable consolidation and crystallization of Suede's talents." James Delingpole of the Daily Telegraph wrote that ..."Coming Up is their defiant reminder of what made Suede so special." He added, ..."If Dog Man Star was Diamond Dogs, then this is Suede's Ziggy Stardust - extravagant, steeped in glam and unashamedly poppy. Andy Gill of The Independent, however was a harsh critic of the album. In contrast to their first album, he wrote, "...two albums and one guitarist later, they sound utterly mined out," he added "...in many ways, it's a step back from Dogmanstar - and their manner grows increasingly obnoxious.
Despite its success in the U.K. and Europe, Coming Up did not win an audience in America, partially because of its later release in April 1997 and partially because Suede only supported it with a three-city tour. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Coming Up has sold about 40,000 copies in the U.S. as of 2008. Critical reception, however was very positive stateside. Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle wrote that "...Oakes more than fills the boots of his predecessor, and the new CD is a pure pop pleasure, thick and sinewy and terribly, cooly British." Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club had similar views, saying that "...The London Suede should, by all laws of musical logic, have disappeared by now. However, after surviving a name change, the replacement of co-songwriter/guitarist Bernard Butler with an obscure 17-year old, and more than a few changes in musical fashion, the band has returned with a third album that's more consistent and accessible than anything it's produced before." James Hunter of Spin gave the album 8 out of 10. He said that "...the band pushes its case by ascending to heights of absolutely lucid songcraft that, in this often fuzzy era, feels exhilarating."
Suede embarked on a short tour of the U.S. and Canada in May 1997 to support the album, but fell upon bad fortune when their equipment got stolen after playing a sold out show in Boston, Massachusetts on 17 May.
Read more about this topic: Coming Up (album)
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