Release and Reception
Dog Man Star entered the charts two places lower than its predecessor, held off the top by R.E.M.'s Monster and Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits. "It didn't sell as well as I thought it deserved," says Anderson. "I felt that it didn't get the commercial success it deserved, it got the critical success. I think a lot of people thought the band had split up because Bernard had left." Suede's lead single from Dog Man Star, "We Are the Pigs", peaked at a disappointing 18, plunging to 38 the following week. The choice of single had been a subject of heated debate, with Sony wanting to release "New Generation" as the first single, which would have made more commercial sense, however, Anderson disagreed as he did not feel it had the drama and the power that represented Dog Man Star. Even the release of "The Wild Ones", the ballad that Anderson still thinks may be the best song Suede have ever recorded, did not seem to help, like "We Are the Pigs", it stalled at number 18. The third single "New Generation" charted even lower, peaking at number 21. "The Power", the only song on the album Butler did not play on, was the proposed fourth single, set for release on 1 May 1995, however this never happened.
The British music press were more enthusiastic about Suede's new record. In his full page review for NME, John Harris gave Dog Man Star a rating of 9 out of 10, calling it "a startling record: an album surrounded by the white heat of something close to genius". The issue also had a free 7" flexi-disc, in a sleeve that used the album artwork, mounted on the cover, which included excerpts of the album tracks "The Wild Ones", "Heroine", "The Power" and "Still Life". David Sinclair of Q magazine gave the album a full five stars; in his review he said. "With Dog Man Star the group has vindicated just about every claim that was ever made on their behalf...It will be hailed in years to come as the crowning achievement of a line-up that reinvented English, guitar-band rock'n'roll for the 1990s." Nicholas Barber of The Independent complimented Butler's musicianship, "The follow-up to Suede's Mercury-Prize-winning debut is a larger-than-life blend of pop hooks and theatrical gestures. The music is a testament to the talent of its composer, Bernard Butler, whose lurid guitar curls notes into the mix exactly where they are needed." He added that, "at times Dog Man Star is messy and preposterous. But no record collection is complete without it."
Despite Suede's problems in the US, such as the short-lived tour and the lawsuit over the band's name, Dog Man Star sold about 36,000 copies there as of 2008, per Nielsen SoundScan figures. However, this is about a third of the sales of Suede, which shifted 105,000 units in the US. American music journalist Robert Christgau was keen on Suede's debut album, however he rated Dog Man Star a "dud" in his consumer guide review. Other critics saw the album as a step forward from their debut. Simon Reynolds of The New York Times wrote that while Suede's "self-titled debut was too steeped in glam rock and mope rock connected with only the most devout Anglophiles", on their second record "the group soars to new heights of swoony hysteria". He concluded by stating that "Dog Man Star deserves attention, if only for its absurd ambition". In 1995, the Spin Alternative Record Guide had a similar view, saying that the album "...proved a massive flounce forward, ...Gone are the endless I'm-shocked-that-you're-shocked ruminations on sexual identity, drugs and decay". It also proclaimed "Still Life" as Suede's finest hour, calling it "...A string-laden showstopper, it spotlights Anderson's vocal evolution from drawling South London gutter-snipe to impassioned—and immaculately enunciating—crooner." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic awarded the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, writing, "while Suede may choose to wear their influences on their sleeve, they synthesize them in a totally original way, making Dog Man Star a singularly tragic and romantic album".
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