Casanova

Product Information

The remastering work, on my copy, really does make such a huge difference in the definition of the sound, when compared to the OG pressing. Phrases like “Pale, pubescent beasts” are golden, but one line sticks out in particular: “Fortune depends on the tone of your voice. After spending quality time with the album, all 11 tracks here become songs of love to love, even if they are all actually about sex (or maybe especially because of that fact). Also included is the iconic 'Song Of Love' - a reworking of the tune originally written for the Channel 4 comedy 'Father Ted'.

Two of Casanova 's songs were originally composed by Hannon as potential theme tunes for the 1995 sitcom Father Ted: Hannon's first attempt was rejected, and he reworked it to become "A Woman of the World"; his second attempt was accepted and used as the theme for the series, but was later reworked as "Songs of Love", eschewing the original version's guitar for harpsichord. T. Bossenger wrote that, with Casanova, Divine Comedy frontman Neil Hannon "started going for a more straightforward pop tone as the base for his songwriting", resulting in the album having a more Britpop flow to it. Talbot was beginning to play an increasingly important role in the band; he arranged and orchestrated "The Dogs and the Horses," and he co-arranged "Theme from Casanova" with Hannon.This album is also more complex than I think it seems at first, with lyrics both frothy and deep, light and intense. The Divine Comedy's Casanova - a collection of songs for bass baritone and ensemble, inspired by the writings of the eighteenth century Venetian gambler, eroticist and spy; and performed for us there by the composer, Neil Hannon. No doubt the fame from Father Ted helped make the album a commercial success (making it a gold record as well as boasting two Top 20 singles in the UK charts), but the strength of Casanova is earned in its own right – something all the more obvious in hindsight. Like I imagine many others did, I found The Divine Comedy through the Irish comedy series Father Ted. Even almost 25 years after its release it still thrills, beguiles, and dazzles – for both listeners new and old.

As the Father Ted theme song was my entry point, it’s only predictable that I first found the original song where the theme appears, as part of the track “Songs of Love”. Casanova is the fourth studio album and features the singles: Something For The Weekend, The Frog Princess and Becoming More Like Alfie, plus Songs Of Love (the theme from Father Ted). With the vast majority of it's runtime made up of songs themed around the act of fornication, it was Divine Comedy's first toe dipped into the blossoming Brit-Pop genre adding to it's style by way of Hannon's sharp suits and odd appearance. Il faudra beaucoup jouer à cache-cache entre l'éprouvante démesure du son et l'étroitesse des sentiments trop humains (lubricité, jalousie, rancœur, etc. When Hannon delivers a line, he does so entirely invested in it, regardless of how absurd, silly, or ludicrous it might be.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. To mark the release, The Divine Comedy play five nights at the Barbican in London in early September and then later the same month, five nights at the Cite de la Musique in Paris.

Casanova had the longest recording period of any Divine Comedy album up to that point and consequently had a higher budget. Casanova and A Short Album About Love will be performed on the 3rd Sept in London and the 26th Sept in Paris. The CD release consists of 2 discs: the original remastered album, with a second CD of B-sides, demos and alternate versions lovingly curated by Neil Hannon, much of which has never been heard before. This is a brilliant album, it features The Divine Comedy's best songs such as Something for the weekend and Songs of love which was the theme tune from Father Ted.I listen and content myself knowing that someone out there is still carrying the mantle of Walker’s style.

The breadth of quality is wide here, every moment given due consideration from the band and worth a thesis of critical analysis. The song was later covered by Ben Folds on his EP Sunny 16 in 2003 and Peter Bjorn and John as part of Under the Radar's Covers of Covers album in 2022. Charge” is full of vaudeville piano breaks over a marching stomp of drums, all before the air raid sirens start bellowing and orchestra starts spiralling over the sound of gunfire; the imperialist/colonial air is there, but Hannon has his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek. The gloomy neo-swing jaunt of “A Woman of the World” (which is a reworked rejected first iteration of the Father Ted theme) casually ambles into cavernous depths as the Hannon explores the origin of feelings of love and hate (“Maybe I love her ’cause I’m jealous of her…Maybe I hate her ’cause I didn’t create her). 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.L'épreuve de force pour le délicat Neil Hannon : recentrer son délirant opéra comique sur sa petite personne, retrouver au cœur du maëlstrom paranoïaque qui lui sert de dispositif guerrier un peu de la vérité d'une jeunesse ordinaire. The album's sixth track, "Songs of Love", made its debut on the popular Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, [5] officially remaining the show's theme song, as heard in its opening titles and end credits.