The Divine Comedy – A Short Album About Love

Description

09/10/2020

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 nine reissued albums have been remastered from the original tapes at the legendary Abbey Road Studios by mastering engineer Frank Arkwright (Blur, The Smiths). Overseeing the audio throughout the campaign is engineer / mixer / producer Guy Massey, whose work on the Beatles Stereo Remasters won him a Grammy Award.  ‘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.