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 bands classic albums. The reissues will be released by Neil Hannon’s own label Divine Comedy Records on August 21st, 2020 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 Dont Look Down, The Summerhouse and Tonight We Fly, the song with which, to this day, the band close every live set. The album has 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. 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. 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 Neils liner notes. Tracklisting 1. Bath 2. Going Downhill Fast 3. The Booklovers 4. A Seafood Song 5. Geronimo 6. Dont Look Down 7. When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe 8. The Summerhouse 9. Neptunes Daughter 10. A Drinking Song 11. Ten Seconds To Midnight 12. Tonight We Fly Bonus Disc 1. Ten Seconds To Midnight (alternate version) 2. Assume The Goldsmith 3. When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe (live) 4. Tell Me Whats Wrong 5. Lifes What You Make It 6. Lost Prom Jam 7. Neptunes Daughter (demo) 8. Going Downhill Fast (instrumental) 9. The Booklovers (demo) 10. The Bright Lights Of Ealing 11. Bath (alternate version) 12. The Summerhouse (early idea) 13. The Summerhouse (live) 14. When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe (early idea) 15. A Woman Of The World (Promenade style demo) 16. Geronimo (live with Yann Tiersen) 17. Dont Look Down (demo) 18. A Drinking Song (live) 19. Only For Tonight 20. Tonight We Fly (demo)
