Introduction
The Divine Comedy is a British/Irish pop group led by the charismatic Neil Hannon. The Divine Comedy was first born in 1989 after Hannon came together with John McCullagh (Vocals) and Kevin Traynor (Drums) but the lineup has changed dramatically over the years.
The Divine Comedy blend pleasant ballad-based music, with intensely clever lyrics which often provide biting social commentary. Hannon, the driving force behind The Divine Comedy, has a pessimistic and often sarcastic take on modern society, which is implicit in his music.
Collaboration's with Joby Talbot, who was the BBC's Young Composer Of The Year in 1996 proved fruitful for the band and resulted in the wonderful album Casanova providing the band's first top 20 hits, with the elegantly composed, Something For The Weekend and The Frog Princess.
The brilliance of 1998's Fin De Siecle, earned The Divine Comedy more, throughly deserved, accolades such as their first top ten album, and a top 10 hit in National Express.
The Current Lineup
The Divine Comedy consists of
Neil Hannon, guitar, songwriter, vocals
Joby Talbot, piano
Bryan Mills, bass guitar
Ivor Talbot, guitar
Stuart Bates, Hammond organist
Rob Farrer, percussion
Releases
The Divine Comedy's releases to date are:
Fanfare for the Comic Muse (1989)
08/93
LP/CD
Ignorance Is Bliss
Indian Rain
Bleak Landscape
Tailspin
The Rise And Fall
Logic Vs Emotion
Secret Garden
Liberation (1993)
08/93
LP/CD
Festive Road
Death of a Supernaturalist
Bernice Bobs Her Hair
I Was Born Yesterday
Your Daddy's Car
Europop
Timewatching
The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count
Queen of the South
Victoria Falls
3 Sisters
Europe By Train
Lucy
Promenade (1994)
03/94
CD/MC/LP
Bath
Going Downhill Fast
The Booklovers
A Seafood Song
Geronimo
Don't Look Down
When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe
The Summerhouse
Neptune's Daughter
A Drinking Song
Ten Seconds to Midnight
Tonight We Fly
Casanova (1996)
04/96
CD/MC/LP
Something For The Weekend
Becoming More Like Alfie
Middle-Class Heroes
In & Out Of Paris & London
Charge
Songs Of Love
The Frog Princess
A Woman Of The World
Through A Long & Sleepless Night
Theme From Casanova
The Dogs & The Horses
Fin de Siecle (1998)
08/98
CD/LCD/MC/LP
SETCD/CDL/MC/LP057
Generation Sex
Thrillseeker
Commuter Love
Sweden
Eric The Gardener
National Express
Life On Earth
The Certainty Of Chance
Here Comes The Flood
Sunrise
A Secret History - The Best Of The Divine Comedy (1999)
08/99
CD/LP/MC
SETCD/CDL/LP/MC100
National Express
Something For The Weekend
Everybody Knows (Except You)
Generation Sex
Becoming More Like Alfie
The Summerhouse
Your Daddy's Car
The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count
The Frog Princess
Gin Soaked Boy
Lucy
Songs Of Love
In Pursuit Of Happiness
I've Been To A Marvellous Party
The Certainty Of Chance
Too Young To Die
Tonight We Fly
Regeneration (2001)
03/01
CD/MC
Timestretched
Bad Ambassador
Perfect Lovesong
Note To Self
Lost Property
Eye Of The Needle
Love What You Do
Dumb It Down
Mastermind
Regeneration
The Beauty Regime