Displaying a sound of Britishness and glam rock, its music and lyrical content has been compared to the Smiths and early David Bowie.

Although it remains the group's biggest-selling album in the US,[4] it struggled to make headway commercially compared to the success in the UK.

[12] In the studio, Buller's method of working was that he would form a close relationship with the band member whom he thought to be most important for the sound and creative input.

Instead of the song ending abruptly after the chorus, which the band demonstrated when performing live, Buller suggested an extended fade-out, which incorporated a key change.

"[15] Butler would eventually clash with Buller for similar reasons during the recording of the next album,[16] which was an event Anderson could perceive early on.

[11] In Suede's early days when Justine Frischmann was still a member and was dating Blur's Damon Albarn, the lyrics of her ex-partner Anderson were conveying a more depressing meaning.

"[8] "London was a touchstone for everyone in the band, so the album became about us being placed in this city of sex, drugs and poverty after living in these suburban satellite towns.

"[22] The band were determined to release "Sleeping Pills" as the third single, but were soon over-ruled by Nude Records' owner Saul Galpern, who suggested the former instead.

[23] "Animal Nitrate", a play on amyl nitrite, contained Anderson's most risqué lyrics to date: as their author concurred, "You know it's about violence and abuse and sex and drugs.

"[8] "The Next Life", which was Butler's first serious piano part, was a lament to Anderson's deceased mother, while "Breakdown" dealt with his schoolfriend's descent into extreme depression.

On the song, Anderson states: "the ankle chain and stuff like that, is the kind of detail that can only come from truth, that can't be conjured up.

[15] The gender-ambiguous cover art provoked some controversy in the press, prompting Anderson to comment: "I chose it because of the ambiguity of it, but mostly because of the beauty of it.

"[8] The cover image of the androgynous kissing couple was taken from the 1991 book Stolen Glances: Lesbians Take Photographs edited by Tessa Boffin and Jean Fraser.

[35] In Europe, Sony issued a special introduction EP containing the first two UK singles, "The Drowners" and "Metal Mickey".

The DVD features the promotional videos for the singles including the US version of "The Drowners" and the band's "Animal Nitrate" performance at the 1993 Brit Awards.

The DVD includes two full live sets the band played in 1993; The February appearance at the Sheffield Leadmill and the May show at Brixton Academy.

For its 30th anniversary, the album received a new mix in stereo and surround sound by musician, producer, and Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson, to be issued in several formats, along with a new remaster from the original master tapes.

"[45] Ben Thompson of The Independent wrote that "it would be a shame if the eagerness to get the backlash underway stopped their excellent album getting the respect it deserves.

More popwise and also more literary than the Smiths at a comparable stage, Suede's collective genderfuck projects a joyful defiance so rock and roll it obliterates all niggles about literal truth.

He added: "the group's greatest strengths are strictly melodic, thanks to the consistently tuneful interplay between Brett Anderson's voice and Bernard Butler's guitar.

As such, it's impossible to come away from the album without humming snatches of the slow-and-dreamy 'Sleeping Pills,' the dark, punchy 'The Drowners,' or the intoxicatingly catchy 'Animal Nitrate'.

There is an undercurrent of doomsday urgency in Anderson's feigned languor, tartly echoed in Bernard Butler's corrosive guitar work."

"[44] In a more mixed review, Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times felt the band "do their best to alienate the common listener."

She wrote: "When not pretending to be superhuman, Suede churns out strong songs--a couple of fun, post-punk, power-pop tunes among them.

But mostly the band oozes alluring, tousled and sexy songs over sometimes steamy lyrics or weaves sad and opiated melodies around Anderson’s shooting highs and desperate lows.

"[48] The album featured in the top ten end-of-year best-of lists of NME,[49] Select,[50] Melody Maker,[51] The Face,[52] OOR[53] and Eye Weekly.

[1] Suede is the group's best-selling album in the United States, having sold about 105,000 copies as of September 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The other two number ones, Arctic Monkeys' debut and Pulp's Different Class are the top-two best-selling Mercury Prize winners.

Reviewing the 2011 reissue, Kevin Courtney of The Irish Times spoke of the strength of Suede's early singles.