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DIVINE COMEDY 2020

The Divine Comedy

A Short Album About Love

    In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

    A Short Album About Love was conceived as a companion piece to the band's previous album Casanova. It was recorded live at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London in 1996 with a 30-piece orchestra, and was released in time for Valentine’s Day 1997, charting at 13 in the UK. NME described the show where the album was recorded as "an evening when dreams finally come true; a night of costume changes, classical kisses and - in time honoured tradition of drinking and dressing up - hugely sophisticated fun… One suspects it wouldn't be too hazardous to suggest that Neil Hannon is having by far the finest night of his entire sodding life." Time Out, reviewing the album, said: "Seven of the most heart-stoppingly gorgeous, romantic smoochers you have ever heard, all drenched in strings and emotion." The single Everybody Knows (Except You) reached 14 in the UK chart.


    TRACK LISTING

    CD/LP:
    In Pursuit Of Happiness
    Everybody Knows (Except You)
    Someone
    If…
    If I Were You (I'd Be Through With Me)
    Timewatching
    I'm All You Need
    Bath (live)
    A Short Film About Driving
    Everybody Knows (Except You) (early Idea)
    Johnny Mathis' Feet (live)
    I'm All You Need (instrumental Demo)
    A Short Film About Dreams
    Your Daddy's Car (live)
    Teach Us To Love
    A Short Film About Waiting
    A Short Film About Chance
    If I Were You (I'd Be Through With Me) (rehearsal Version)
    Make It Easy On Yourself (live)

    DVD - A Short Film About A Short Album About Love
    In Pursuit Of Happiness
    Everybody Knows (Except You)
    Someone
    If…
    If I Were You (I'd Be Through With Me)
    Timewatching
    I'm All You Need

    The Divine Comedy

    Absent Friends

      In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

      Absent Friends was first released in 2004. Describing the album, Neil said: "The songs use stories and characters as a framework to pin my ideas on. It's mostly about the eternal battle between the pull of personal freedom and the comfort of domesticity”. The album was recorded by Guy Massey, mixed by Nigel Godrich and features guest appearances by 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne and French multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen. “The whole album is rich, beautiful and can make you smile and cry on the turn of a chorus” stated Phill Jupitus in the Radio Times, while the Guardian described it as an “ornate gem” and Word magazine said, “it’s Neil Hannon’s best yet”. Stand out tracks from the album include singles Come Home Billy Bird and Absent Friends, as well as fan favourites Our Mutual Friend and Charmed Life.

      TRACK LISTING

      CD 1/LP:
      Absent Friends
      Sticks And Stones
      Leaving Today
      Come Home Billy Bird
      My Imaginary Friend
      The Wreck Of The Beautiful
      Our Mutual Friend
      The Happy Goth
      Freedom Road
      Laika's Theme
      Charmed Life

      CD 2:
      Absolute Power
      Our Mutual Friend (early Idea)
      The Bird Evolution
      Girl Least Likely
      Mr Right
      Sticks And Stones (demo)
      The Dark Horse
      Idaho
      All Things (alternate Version)
      Rose For The Lady
      Smiler
      Absent Friends (demo)
      Anthem For Bored Youth (demo)
      Our Mutual Friend (alternate Version)
      Antidepressant
      Windy Pop
      Laika's Theme (The Promise)
      Charmed Life (alternate Version

      The Divine Comedy

      Bang Goes The Knighthood

        In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

        The Knighthood was first released in 2010. Written in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Bang.. took an acerbic look into the lives of the rich and powerful, and their impact on the rest of us “down in the street below.” It was described in the Sunday Times as "a collection worthy of Randy Newman at his best" while Pitchfork said, "Neil Hannon continues to quietly and effectively operate his own one-man niche, thanks to impeccable arrangements and tightrope-walking songwriting." Includes the singles At The Indie Disco and I Like, and live favourites Assume The Perpendicular and The Complete Banker.

        TRACK LISTING

        CD 1/LP:
        Down In The Street Below
        The Complete Banker
        Neapolitan Girl
        Bang Goes The Knighthood
        At The Indie Disco
        Have You Ever Been In Love
        Assume The Perpendicular
        The Lost Art Of Conversation
        Island Life
        When A Man Cries
        Can You Stand Upon One Leg
        I Like

        CD 2:
        Assume The Perpendicular (alternate Version)
        On The Barge
        At The Indie Disco (demo 1)
        Girl Overboard
        Bang Goes The Knighthood (alternate Version)
        Beside The Railway Tracks
        Have You Ever Been In Love (alternate Version)
        Oh Christina
        Ya Sumeera
        Down In The Street Below (demo)
        Island Life (demo)
        The Bitter End
        When A Man Cries (demo)
        The Loneliest Man In The World
        The Circular Firing Squad
        At The Indie Disco (demo 2)
        What's Wrong With You
        Wide Open Spaces
        I Like (alternate Version)

        The Divine Comedy

        Casanova

          In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

          Casanova was the band's third album and the first to bring real success. First released in 1996 it explored and dissected a world of casual affairs, loose morals and a thousand anxieties in between. From the NME: "’Casanova’ fairly teems with sex, with suppressed desires.. with ample evidence of what dicks men can be." Mojo described it as a "glorious.. sumptuous paean to life, love and longing." Select said "Only a barren heart could resist it.. Sensible people simply swooned." Singles Something For The Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie and The Frog Princess became chart hits and airplay staples while an alternate version of Songs Of Love became the theme music for legendary Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.

          TRACK LISTING

          CD 1/LP:
          Hannon's Game
          Birds Of Paradise Farm
          A Woman Of The World (early Idea)
          Motorway To Damascus
          Crapper's Delight
          Songs Of Love (demo)
          Love Is Lighter Than Air
          Comme Beaucoup De Messieurs (avec Valérie Lemercier)
          Grinchworm
          Painting The Forth Bridge
          Solsbury Eel

          CD 2:
          Frog Princess (demo)
          My Lovely Horse (from Father Ted)
          Father Ted Theme
          My Lovely Mayo Mammy (from Father Ted)
          The Miracle Is Mine (from Father Ted)
          Theme From Casanova (early Idea)
          Electro Wurly Groove
          Something Before The Weekend (early Idea)
          Something For The Weekend (monitor Mix)
          Becoming More Like Alfie (monitor Mix)
          Stereo Laboratory
          Through A Long And Sleepless Night (early Idea)
          The Dogs And The Horses (live)

          The Divine Comedy

          Fin De Siècle

            In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

            Fin de Siècle was first released in 1998. Chock full of millennial angst, it was the band's most ambitious album to date. Time Out described it as "A huge, extraordinary record – a concept album even, picking at the scabs of twentieth century existence.. quintessential pop music." Metro said "Fin de Siècle ...is dangerously close to being a masterpiece.. funny, sad, melodically compelling and obsessed with the themes of numbness, death and public transport." Neil McCormick in the Telegraph said "Neil Hannon is one of the most prodigiously talented individuals working in the world of pop... The range of Hannon’s songwriting is simply unmatched by any of his contemporaries." The album charted at number 9, but it was the third single from the album, National Express, that provided The Divine Comedy with their first top ten single. Other stand out tracks from the album include Generation Sex, The Certainty Of Chance and Sunrise.


            TRACK LISTING

            CD 1/LP:
            Generation Sex
            Thrillseeker
            Commuter Love
            Sweden
            Eric The Gardener
            National Express
            Life On Earth
            The Certainty Of Chance
            Here Comes The Flood
            Sunrise

            CD 2:
            I've Been To A Marvellous Party
            Generation Sex (early Idea)
            Gin Soaked Boy
            With Whom To Dance
            Thrillseeker (rehearsal Version)
            Maryland Electric Rainstorm
            Little Acts Of Kindness
            Life On Earth (early Idea)
            The Dead Only Quickly
            The Winter Blues
            London Irish
            Here Comes The Flood (demo)
            The Certainty Of Chance (demo)
            Last Stand In Metroland
            Overstrand
            Then Four Buses Came Along At Once
            National Express (rehearsal Version)
            Postcard To Rosie
            Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind

            The Divine Comedy

            Liberation

              In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

              Liberation was the band’s first full album. Released in 1993 it achieved few sales but plenty of critical acclaim. The NME described it as “an array of seductive yarns.. glorious, gleeful tunesmanship."  Dave Cavanagh, writing in Select said "..one of the bountiful, overflowing joys of the year. Any year." Melody Maker described it as "An album that could make any listener want to stumble up to him and proclaim ‘Neil, you’re a genius’". Tracks such as Your Daddy's Car, Europop, and Lucy are fan favourites still performed live by the band to this day while Pop Singers Fear Of The Pollen Count was released as a single from the 1999 "Best Of.“

              TRACK LISTING

              CD 1/LP:
              Festive Road
              Death Of A Supernaturalist
              Bernice Bobs Her Hair
              I Was Born Yesterday
              Your Daddy's Car
              Europop
              Timewatching
              The Pop Singer's Fear Of The Pollen Count
              Queen Of The South
              Victoria Falls
              Three Sisters
              Europe By Train
              Lucy

              CD 2:
              Untitled Melody
              Your Daddy's Car (demo)
              Queen Of The South (demo)
              Europop (live)
              Little Darlin'
              Bernice Bobs Her Hair (early Idea)
              Bontempi Beats 1
              The Pop Singers Fear Of The Pollen Count (demo)
              Europe By Train (live)
              I Can Think (But I Can't Feel)
              Lucy (early Version)
              Festive Road (demo)
              Three Sisters (live)
              I Was Born Yesterday (alternate Version)
              Bontempi Beats 2
              Christmas With The Hannons
              Victoria Falls (demo)
              Timewatching (demo)
              Bontempi Beats 3
              Suzanne (live)

              The Divine Comedy

              Promenade

                In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

                Promenade, originally released in 1994, loosely recounts a day in the life of a pair of friends / siblings / lovers. It was an immediate hit with the critics and catapulted Neil to early notoriety in France. The Melody Maker said "’Promenade’ is music hall, cool French films, late nights in a bygone city, sea-shanties swelled by alcohol.. ‘Promenade’ walks the path of indulgence with bravado and a mischievous grin. A stolen masterpiece."  Q picked it as one of its best albums of ’94 and described it as "One of the most unexpected and original treasures of the year."  Reviewing for Select, Stuart Maconie said "’Promenade’ is a masterpiece. If you do one brave and imaginative thing this month, be on the side of the angels and buy this record."  Stand out tracks include Don't Look Down, The Summerhouse and Tonight We Fly, the song with which, to this day, the band close every live set.

                TRACK LISTING

                CD 1/LP:
                Bath
                Going Downhill Fast
                The Booklovers
                A Seafood Song
                Geronimo
                Don't Look Down
                When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe
                The Summerhouse
                Neptune's Daughter
                A Drinking Song
                Ten Seconds To Midnight
                Tonight We Fly

                CD 2:
                Ten Seconds To Midnight (alternate Version)
                Assume The Goldsmith
                When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe (live)
                Tell Me What's Wrong
                Life's What You Make It
                Lost Prom Jam
                Neptune's Daughter (demo)
                Going Downhill Fast (instrumental)
                The Booklovers (demo)
                The Bright Lights Of Ealing
                Bath (alternate Version)
                The Summerhouse (early Idea)
                The Summerhouse (live)
                When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe (early Idea)
                A Woman Of The World (Promenade Style Demo)
                Geronimo (live With Yann Tiersen)
                Don't Look Down (demo)
                A Drinking Song (live)
                Only For Tonight
                Tonight We Fly (demo)

                The Divine Comedy

                Regeneration

                  In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

                  Regeneration was originally released in 2001. Recorded with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the album was a more stripped back, guitar-oriented affair, and a big break with their trademark orchestral sound. The Observer said: "Regeneration marks, for Hannon, a personal and musical breakthrough". Time Out said: "Hannon has finally created an album as complete and deftly wondrous as you suspected he was capable of; every track shines with a love for music." The Times said "A subtle collection of gorgeous pop songs. Combining the lyrical dexterity of old with some spectacular melodies, this is an album that lives up to the promise of its title". Key tracks from the album include singles Love What You Do, Bad Ambassador and Perfect Lovesong.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  CD 1/LP:
                  Timestretched
                  Bad Ambassador
                  Perfect Lovesong
                  Note To Self
                  Lost Property
                  Eye Of The Needle
                  Love What You Do
                  Dumb It Down
                  Mastermind
                  Regeneration
                  The Beauty Regime

                  CD 2:
                  Get Me To A Monastery
                  Lost Property (early Idea)
                  You
                  U.S.E
                  How's Your Wireless?
                  Thinking The Unthinkable (demo)
                  Garden Cities
                  Timestretched (demo)
                  Note To Self (live)
                  Edward The Confessor
                  Soft Power
                  Born With A Broken Heart
                  Mastermind (rehearsal Version)
                  Boy With A Harmonica
                  Soul Trader
                  Perfect Lovesong (early Idea)
                  The Night Is Not Enough
                  No Excuses
                  Love What You Do (Live)

                  The Divine Comedy

                  Victory For The Comic Muse

                    In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later, Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records.

                    Victory For The Comic Muse was first released in 2006. Recorded virtually live in the studio over a two-week period, 'Victory...’ showcased Neil's restless creativity and his flair for observation and narrative. Pitchfork said, "These songs set lofty goals, and realize them" while The Guardian called it a “triumphant comeback” and Spin declared "[Hannon] deserves to be recognized as the unsung genius of symphonic pop."  Singles from the album include To Die A Virgin, Diva Lady and live favourite A Lady Of A Certain Age.

                    TRACK LISTING

                    CD 1/LP:
                    To Die A Virgin
                    Mother Dear
                    Diva Lady
                    A Lady Of A Certain Age
                    The Light Of Day
                    Threesome
                    Party Fears Two
                    Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World
                    The Plough
                    Count Grassi's Passage Over Piedmont
                    Snowball In Negative

                    CD 2:
                    Births, Deaths And Marriages
                    Diva Lady (acoustic Version)
                    Home (demo)
                    Pamplemousse
                    Lili Marlene
                    Count Grassi's Passage Over Piedmont (early Idea)
                    Count Grassi's Passage Over Piedmont (instrumental)
                    Trafalgar
                    Love/Hate Relationship
                    Miss Sharapova
                    Don't Blame The Young
                    Guantanamo
                    Long Slow Suicide
                    To Die A Virgin (early Idea)
                    A Little Bit Of Love (Goes A Long Long Way)
                    Elaine (alternate Version)
                    A Lady Of A Certain Age (instrumental)
                    Premonition Of Love


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