The Divine Comedy – Promenade

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.  ‘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 1994 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.  The CD release consists of two 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. The CD comes with a booklet of photos, credits and extensive liner notes written by Neil covering the context and inspiration behind the album and its songs.  The LP release consists of the original remastered album, cut at Abbey Road, packaged with a download code for the album and bonus tracks. The LP is heavyweight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve accompanied with photos, credits and Neil’s liner notes.