“Reflections of a Musical Era: Brett Anderson Revisits Suede’s Iconic Album Art 30 Years Post Dog Man Star”

It was predicted that music visuals would fade away with the rise of streaming and downloads, yet the aesthetic aspect of music has never held more significance, persisting online as well as occupying our shelves and turntables. Suede’s Dog Man Star, one of the most influential albums of modern times, commemorates 30 years since its debut this year. The album cover was captured by photographer Joanne Leonard in 1971 in Mexico and was later rediscovered by Brett Anderson of the band, who opted to use a version of the artwork for the cover.

Leonard, who documented the American South during the late 1960s but is primarily recognized for her interior photography, is now in her eighties. She has experienced a prolonged career, and her artistic endeavors and teaching have been showcased globally, yet in certain respects, her most well-known image exists in a different realm. Sad Dreams on Cold Mornings is merely one variation of an image she has reworked multiple times, and its role as a significant album cover is yet another chapter in its narrative.

Suede, especially during the period of this album’s launch, were celebrated for music brimming with drama and extravagance crafted within the framework of a hedonistic, artistic lifestyle. They have collaborated with numerous artists including Derek Jarman, Tee Corrine, Nick Knight, Peter Saville, photographer and filmmaker Roger Sargent, and Paul Khera; however, the resonance of this specific image, serendipitously found in a London market, remains unparalleled.

“Dog Man Star, the album that the image became the cover for, was an album of emotional fluctuations, a collection exploring disintegration and remorse, drive and failure, both paranoid and romantic, sensual and reflective,” Brett Anderson elucidates. “Sad Dreams on Cold Mornings seemed to articulate these contrasting emotions and resonate with each of them in succession. I’m still very pleased that the image and the music are eternally intertwined.”

The cover image of Dog Man Star features a man sprawled out on a bed, captured from behind, intertwined with snowy, barren trees. The window remains open, inviting the chill into the room. It conjures feelings of sorrow, solitude, and a poignant sensuality that harmonizes with Suede’s music at that time. The photograph was taken by Leonard in 1971 in Mexico as part of her Dreams and Nightmares series, crafted during the disillusionment of her marriage. This foundational photograph has undergone numerous transformations, initially during Leonard’s artistic journey and subsequently as the cover of an album that holds a revered place in music and popular culture.

“I suppose it all begins with the fact that the original photograph was taken in a hotel room in Mexico, right? I’ve employed the photograph known as Merida Morning in various works, but it also stands alone as a singular photograph,” Leonard mentions during a video call, noting that she then started to explore the composition and processing through collage and layering.