Casanova

Product Information

The Divine Comedy celebrated its 30th anniversary by reissuing remastered versions of the band's first nine albums (from Liberation to Bang Goes the Knighthood) on LP and CD. All eleven albums were included in the box set Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time: 30 Years of the Divine Comedy, released in October 2020. [24] The 24-disc box set consists of 12 albums of two CDs: each with an original remastered album, with a second CD of B-sides, demos, alternate versions, rarities and unreleased material curated by Neil Hannon. The collection includes the original album Fanfare for the Comic Muse, and other pre- Liberation material. The CD release of A Short Album About Love comes with a DVD of A Short Film About A Short Album About Love – a previously unreleased 50-minute film of the Shepherd's Bush Empire concert at which Short Album... was recorded. [25] Also included is the iconic 'Song Of Love' - a reworking of the tune originally written for the Channel 4 comedy 'Father Ted'. Seen here in a more stripped down version and with a beautiful set of harmonic vocals playing blissfully over the harpsichord melody it's certainly one of the highlights of the album. Taken from the same session 'A Woman Of The World' was also a contender for the show's theme tune but ultimately became the jaunty deep cut seen here, proving that Hannon is no stranger to recycling creative ideas across his career. The songs that are sincere, such as the domestic drama “Norman and Norma,” and the brokenhearted lover’s lament, “A Feather in Your Cap” are surprisingly so, so much so that I waited for a punchline that never quite came. In the case of the former, I’m actually happy that Norman and Norma—who we’ve seen raise their children and fall into romantic complacency—find their bliss in battle reenactments. “I’m a Stranger Here,” a simple piano-based melodic operetta, punctuated by sweetly swirling strings, about a time traveler trying to navigate his new surroundings, plays similarly. A sweet plea for assistance as he realizes the life and home he knows is gone, he sings, “If you ask where I come from, I’ll say ‘the past’ and wander on” - PASTE As the record comes to a close we are welcomed with the euphoric serenade 'The Dogs & The Horses' which stands as an incredible epitaph to The Divine Comedy's earlier more humble works. Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios the song is the most grandiose of 'Casanova' and may even have you shedding a tear as Hannon plays out the record's last goodbye.

Something for the Weekend" is a song by the Divine Comedy, produced by Darren Allison and Neil Hannon. [1] It was the first single from Casanova and reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart. [2] The song subsequently became a hit when Chris Evans heard it at a friend's party and had it played on his radio show the following Monday. [3] a b c Bossenger, A.T. (13 March 2014). "10 Essential Britpop Albums". Treble . Retrieved 28 June 2016. Europop' is laced with not entirely bitter irony, a Casio-driven ode to the pros and cons of Smash Hits stardom which has already gatecrashed into the indie top 10 and, with a bit more promotional zeal, could do the same in the grown-ups chart. Post-Setanta ( Regeneration to Office Politics) [ edit ] The Divine Comedy performing at the Summer Sundae festival in 2007.Micallef, Ken. " Casanova – Review". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on 30 August 2004 . Retrieved 13 April 2020. Hannon isn't adverse to a spot of constructive plagiarism either - 'Timewatching' is a gloriously flamboyant re-write of 'When I Fall In Love' while 'Lucy' takes Wordsworth's 'A Slumber Did My Spirit Steal' and turns it into the lushest of love songs. The moral here, I think, is that if you're going to rip something off, do it with a sense of panache! Flaherty, Mike (24 October 1997). " Casanova – Review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 13 April 2020. Choice Music Prize". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012 . Retrieved 26 March 2021. a b Aston, Martin (June 1996). "The Divine Comedy: Casanova". Q. No.117. Archived from the original on 1 September 2004 . Retrieved 13 April 2020.

producer, vocals, guitar, piano, hammond, Wurlitzer, bass guitar 1-10, percussion 1-10, arrangements 1-10, timpani 3, whistling 7 The album Casanova (1996), and in particular the single " Something for the Weekend", championed by Chris Evans, then BBC Radio 1 breakfast show DJ and presenter of TFI Friday, led to the band's first major success. [3] Casanova was the third album to be produced by Darren Allison and Neil Hannon, thus completing a trilogy of albums which began with Liberation in 1993. [4] Further singles from Casanova, including "Becoming More Like Alfie" and "The Frog Princess", both of which received some airplay, and further cemented the band's reputation.

Yer man is not, it has to be said, the happiest of campers. In fact, the likes of 'Death Of A Supernaturalist' and 'I Was Born Yesterday' are downright miserable but unfurl their tales of woe with such eloquence that Morrissey and Marc Almond comparisons are, I'm afraid, unavoidable. Trumpet – David Gosland, Doug Waterston, Gregor Clarke, Joe Gribble (2), Robin Smith (2), Titch Walker Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2. Clayton-Lea, Tony (9 October 2020). "The Divine Comedy: Venus, Cupid, Folly & Time review – 30 years of smart pop". The Irish Times . Retrieved 8 September 2021.

Watch: The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon grapples with a lovely horse in My Lovely Horse Rescue campaign video". The Independent. 20 September 2018 . Retrieved 10 January 2019.

Tracklist

In 2006, whilst on tour, the band did a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon. A year later, the first ten or so seconds of "Tonight We Fly" was used as the ending tune to BBC7's Digi Radio. The song was also used for an advertisement for the Airbus A340 airliner. [21] Engineer [Assistant] – Chris Scard, Darren Nash, Gareth Parton, Gerard Navarro, Paul Mysiak, Robbie Kazandjian, Scott Howland, Tom Gurling It might be argued - and I'm sure many of my colleagues will - that The Divine Comedy are a little too weighty and intellectual for current tastes but artistry shouldn't be limited by the marketplace and if this LP only sells half-a-dozen copies, it'll still be a triumph. Casanova had the longest recording period of any Divine Comedy album up to that point and consequently had a higher budget. Setanta was able to indulge Neil Hannon's desire because of the success of Edwyn Collins' hit single " A Girl Like You". [2] For the 30th Anniversary reissue, 'Casanova' has been remastered by Frank Arkwright at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, and the iconic images have been restored by photographer Kevin Westenberg.