Casanova | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 April 1996 | |||
Recorded | June 1995 –January 1996 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 51:52 | |||
Label | Setanta | |||
Producer | ||||
The Divine Comedy chronology | ||||
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Singles from Casanova | ||||
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Casanova is the fourth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy. It was released in 1996 by Setanta Records, and it happened to be the band's commercial breakthrough. It was certified Gold in the UK in July 1997, aided by the release of the album's first single, "Something for the Weekend", which reached No. 13 on the charts. Two other singles released from the album, "Becoming More Like Alfie" and "The Frog Princess", charted at No. 27 and No. 15, respectively. [3]
Treble writer A.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. [1] Its central theme is sex, around which all songs on the album centre, except "The Dogs and the Horses", which is the last song on the album and whose theme is death. [1] Jeremy Lee of ABC News considered that this record brought Neil Hannon "closer to the orchestral pop sound he'd been dreaming of." [2]
Casanova exemplifies the influence of American singer-songwriter Scott Walker: [4] "Through a Long & Sleepless Night" shares the same title as a track from Walker's first solo album, while "The Dogs and the Horses" is reminiscent of the chamber pop musical style of Walker's first four solo albums. 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. [5]
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]
Casanova featured more musicians than on the band's previous two albums, Liberation and Promenade , but like those two albums, Neil Hannon performed the majority of the instrumental parts himself, with co-producer/drummer Darren Allison directing proceedings. [6] The album's closing track, "The Dogs and the Horses", recorded at Abbey Road Studios, features a large orchestral ensemble which includes future members of the live band, namely Joby Talbot, Stuart 'Pinkie' Bates, Grant Gordon, and Bryan Mills. 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.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Dotmusic | 90/100 [8] |
Entertainment Weekly | A [9] |
The Guardian | [10] |
Q | [4] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Select | 4/5 [12] |
Wall of Sound | 83/100 [13] |
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. 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'sCovers of Covers album in 2022. [14]
The album was included in the 2010 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [15] In 2014, NME included the album in its list of "30 Glorious Britpop Albums That Deserve a Reissue Pronto," saying "Gawky Neil Hannon as smooth loverman was a conceit that actually worked and it produced two of Britpop's least obvious classics in the hilarious Cold Comfort Farm-inspired tale of 'Something for the Weekend' and the movie fantasy of 'Becoming More Like Alfie'." [16]
All songs written and arranged by Neil Hannon, except "Theme From Casanova", arranged by Hannon and Joby Talbot; "The Dogs & the Horses" arranged and orchestrated by Talbot.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Something for the Weekend" | 4:19 |
2. | "Becoming More Like Alfie" | 2:59 |
3. | "Middle-Class Heroes" | 5:26 |
4. | "In & Out of Paris & London" | 3:27 |
5. | "Charge" | 5:27 |
6. | "Songs of Love" | 3:26 |
7. | "The Frog Princess" | 5:13 |
8. | "A Woman of the World" | 4:12 |
9. | "Through a Long & Sleepless Night" | 6:12 |
10. | "Theme from Casanova" | 5:51 |
11. | "The Dogs & the Horses" | 5:14 |
Personnel per CD booklet A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy . [6]
Edward Neil Anthony Hannon is a singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is the founder and frontman of the chamber pop group the Divine Comedy, and is the band's only constant member since its inception in 1989. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for the television sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd, as well as the original songs for the musical film Wonka (2023).
The Divine Comedy are a pop band from Northern Ireland, formed in 1989 and fronted by Neil Hannon. Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation except drums. The band has released 12 studio albums. Between 1996 and 1999, nine singles released by the band made the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, including the 1999 top ten hit "National Express".
Joby Talbot is a British composer. He has written for a wide variety of purposes, with a broad range of styles, including instrumental and vocal concert music, film and television scores, pop arrangements and works for dance. He is known, to sometimes disparate audiences, for quite different works.
Liberation is the second album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released on 16 August 1993 by Setanta Records. Following the unsuccessful Fanfare for the Comic Muse, the group started improvising on their new album which was recorded in Fundamental, London in March 1993. Although it was the band's second album, the band's leader, Neil Hannon, often refers to it as the first, due to the stylistic differences from their debut album, Fanfare for the Comic Muse.
Promenade is the third album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1994 on Setanta Records.
Scott 2 is the second solo album by Scott Walker, released in 1968 by Philips Records in the UK and Smash Records in the US. Featuring the minor hit "Jackie", it arrived at the height of Walker's commercial success as a solo artist, topping the UK Albums Chart.
Absent Friends is the eighth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2004 by Parlophone in the UK and Nettwerk in the U.S. Two singles were released from the album in the UK: "Come Home Billy Bird", which features former Kenickie vocalist Lauren Laverne on vocals, and the album's title track.
Victory for the Comic Muse is the ninth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2006 by EMI.
A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy is a greatest hits compilation album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1999 by Setanta Records.
Regeneration is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2001 by Parlophone/EMI. Three singles were released from the album: "Love What You Do", "Bad Ambassador" and "Perfect Lovesong", the latter failing to make the top 40.
Fin de Siècle is the sixth album by Northern Irish pop band the Divine Comedy. It was released on 31 August 1998 by Setanta Records. Following the release of fifth studio album A Short Album About Love (1997), frontman Neil Hannon demoed new material at his flat in Clapham. During this time, the relationship between the band and their label Setanta Records was straining as a result of heated discussions over tour costs and studio sessions. They recorded their next album in three studios with Jon Jacobs as the main producer and Hannon co-producing. Fin de Siècle is a chamber pop concept album that details living in the 20th century.
A Short Album About Love is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1997 by Setanta Records. It was recorded on 20 October 1996 at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London.
Fanfare for the Comic Muse is the debut album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1990 by Setanta Records. Recording took place at Homestead Studios in May 1990 with producer Sean O Neill. Lorcan Mac Loughlann engineered the sessions, and Mudd Wallace mixed the recordings.
"The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count" is a song by the Divine Comedy. Written by Neil Hannon, it was originally recorded for the Liberation album and was issued as the B-side of "Lucy".
Punishing Kiss is a studio album by German singer Ute Lemper, released in 2000 by Decca Records. It is the product of a collaboration between Lemper and the Divine Comedy and includes songs by the latter artist, as well as Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Philip Glass, Tom Waits, Scott Walker and Ute Lemper's signature artist, Kurt Weill.
"Gin Soaked Boy" is a song by Irish chamber pop band The Divine Comedy. It was the second single from the album A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy, released in 1999 on Setanta Records. The song peaked at No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for two weeks.
Darren Allison is an English record producer, musician, and audio engineer, best known for his production work with artists such as Spiritualized, The Divine Comedy, rock band Bôa, and, more recently, Efterklang, Belle & Sebastian and Amatorski.
"Lucy" is the debut single by the Divine Comedy, released in October 1993. Written by Neil Hannon and William Wordsworth, it is the only single from the album Liberation.
"Something for the Weekend" is a song by the Divine Comedy, produced by Darren Allison and Neil Hannon. It was the first single from Casanova and reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart. 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.
Charlotte Glasson is a British multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer and session player, playing soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin and viola, penny whistle, melodica, percussion, and saw.