Casanova

La boucle

Some interesting sounds and influences, clearly, but eventually it ended up just sounding like a random musical theatre soundtrack. Fine if you're into that kind of thing, but not my cup of tea. Happy to be introduced to this artist though - I always enjoy interesting music.

Meh

Ok

It's weird. Definitely a different genre and not in my wheelhouse. Another way to look at Brit-Pop for the 90s. First couple hooks are interesting. But that's it. It'd all panache and empty Broadway after that.

This guy is so greasy. Like the human equivalent of a floppy Baconator.

Britpop mit Orchestereinflüssen; nicht uninteressant, aber mir zu monoton. 2,5

I am indifferent.

Somewhere, a community theater is missing it's acTOR. Pretentious, self-indulgent nonsense. If this guy could get over himself he could probably write a few decent songs.

Sounds like the theme tunes to some obscure and kinda crappy 70s sitcoms that your uncle had a vhs boxset of.

Very odd sound. Reminds me of 50ish talk singing.

I get that this is tongue in cheek, but it's not really a great listening experience.

what even genre is this? very 90s vibe, all over the place, not really consistent?

Where I loved the Associates I hated this, while very same sort of atmosphere. Dunno why, 2 stars it is

This album is the person at your school lunch table that everyone has decided is “the funny one” despite the heavy feeling and need for a shower you experience whenever they strike up a conversation.

Something for the weekend and father ted were ok.

Not my thing. Somehow reminded me of the vampire opera from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Listened Before? N I don't know how I feel about this style of pop music. On one hand, it's not really my favorite thing, but on the other hand I'm starting to realize there was a whole bunch of 80s-90s stuff from the UK and Ireland that influenced American music in the early 2000s, which I suppose makes this influential. I just think it's okay. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Something for the Weekend

what is this...

I thought I didn't know this band, but I recognized Become More Like Alfie. Starts out as britpop like Pulp etc. and slowly morphs into music for theatre nerds. It's all well-crafted, but I don't like it very much. I'm pretty sure there's over 1001 records more essential than this one.

Nope

This album is big and weird and aware of itself and I don’t think I’d listen again.

Whew 😓😅

38/100

Kinda rapey lyrics tbh and I can't tell if it's satire? I didn't care for the album but the radio that followed was good

It starts off weirdly creepy and doesnt really get better. Its humour deserrves to stay in the past

Fun album, but not one I'd revisit.

British music in the 90s was wild. So quirky and out there. Essential tracks: The Frog Princess (Playlist) Song of Love

This one just didn’t click with me at all.

Not a fan. Really dont like his French Jacque Brel style voice.. It really bugs me and the stream of songs about sex just irks me.

I gave it more than one star because it was at least well done, but...topically this was uninteresting, and I just didn't enjoy him vocally.

A bit over-dramatic for no reason.

Irsk 90’er poprock, lyrikken i fokus, sjove tekster, kedelig musik

This was an unremarkable album. Definitely something that can be skipped. It sounds very theatrical and somewhat of a joke. At first I thought it was Thom Yorke on the cover.

I don't know who that album was aimed at. Is it for britpop fans? Smiths fans? Pop fans? Comedy fans? Apart from the Father Ted bit it was painfully aimless.

Another peculiar pick of an album, joining a very long line of other picks on this here website. As is often the case, it smells of "do admire my sophistication for having picked this here album that you would otherwise not willingly choose to listen to".

vraiment oubliable comme album. J'ai écouté pendant 50 minutes et rien ne me revient, pas une chanson ni aucun arrangement... Mon écoute n'était pas tr`s active mais bon ca ne m'apporte rien de plus dans mon bagage et ca aurait probablement pu être laissé de coté dans cette liste.

4/10

Hmmm. This was very- theatrical. The lyrics were just wack and there’s no denying that, but I kind of liked the vibe. If there were no vocals or just better ones, I think I would actually enjoy this quite a bit, however they were unbearable. I really liked the overall sound of mysterious music though.

I certainly will not be listening to this one again. He's really good at talking over poorly-aged instrumentals, though.

What is chamber music anyway?! Never knew that’s what this style is supposed to sound like. It isn’t bad. I wouldn’t call it good. The lyrics are hokey with a little Lawrence Welk thrown in. Won’t remember this. Won’t likely ever look for it again.

esunaporon

Man, this album was a real struggle to get through. I don't know why this is on this list, but someone was drunk when making the choice! The Divine Comedy is a chamber pop/europop band from Northern Ireland. He sounds like a Dollar Store version of Nick Cave, except Nick has musical talent. I had to listen to this in installments throughout the day, because if was just so shitty. The only good thing that I discovered through this listen was that this guy is responsible for the theme song to Father Ted (Songs of Love), as well as the song My Lovely Horse from the A Song For Europe episode. Songs of Love was really the only listenable track on the whole record. Overall, this album is a hot mess. Absolutely no redeeming qualities. It is only getting a 2 because of the Father Ted connection. What a gobshite. Favourite songs: Songs of Love, Through a Long & Sleepless Night, Becoming More Like Alfie Least favourite songs: Charge, Middle-Class Heroes, The Dogs & The Horses... and the rest of the record. 2/5

Felt way too niche for my liking and way too long of an album.

I did not care for this. I understand Neil Hannon is leaning on his humour but I didn’t find it funny so it just sounded like a shitty musical where the lead is a rapist. 2 stars

Yeah fuck this. I guess you needed to be there, but seriously "Theme from Casanova" is the shit I hate. Self-referential masturbation. Rest of the album is bland. 1.5/5

You guys I think this dude might have listened to David Bowie before

Didn't love it

This guys voice gives me the creeps

I do admit that I left today's album too late as it's past 1am the next day, which admittedly isn't getting the most of my attention as im trying to stay awake, but i'm still thinking it's a little too much and too samey. Maybe if it caught me on a better day with a drink or two in me I might rate it higher but today isn't that day.

On the cover of The Divine Comedy’s “Casanova,” Neil Hannon looks like Thom Yorke having some kind of hipster crisis. Start listening though, and you won’t mistake Hannon’s cringy chamber pop bombastics for Radiohead.

I almost gave this a one but I found exactly one song to be inoffensively not terrible.

Ugh. Not this guy again. Two entries for this is group is overkill. I hate the deliberately goofy and artless way this album sounds.

meh

Ok, the weird seduction stuff is uncomfortable. It makes it feel like an album a rapist would listen to. If they were going for sexy, they failed. The album would be better without that. I actually kind of like the song Charge. This is definitely a unique album. This sounds like an off brand Bowie, like if you ordered David Bowie from Wish.com and got this instead.

Dit maakt me verdrietig!

Sorry hoor, maar dit kan ik echt niet serieus nemen. Wat een theatraal gedweep.

Best theatraal, best vervelend. Hoewel ik in eerste instantie enthousiast was.

Before I get into this I just want to acknowledge my mistake (like I knew I would have to) after listening to 'Electric Ladyland' by Hendrix again. I want to bump my score up to 4/5. I regret my initial score. As for this I didn't like it and I will not be amending my score of 2.

Too over the top and theatrical for me.

He / They wrote the theme music for 'Father Ted' don't you know?! She said, There's something in the woodshed Just nod if you can hear me Is there anyone at home? It's all a bit silly really, and if you scratch the surface, a little bit sinister. 2 / 5 stars.

I've never heard of The Divine Comedy, and all of the music on Casanova was new to me. The music verges into territory of music that I might listen to. The Divine Comedy sounds like Brit Pop (something I'll listen to) funneled through Frank Sinatra style crooning (something I don't listen to). Most of the time listening to the album I was trying to figure out if "putting up" with the music until it's over is good enough to NOT give the album a dis-like (2 stars). I don't think I liked it.

This album might be the most mediocre below average album I’ve ever heard. The singers voice us pretty lame. The song lyrics are boring and uneventful. The instrumentals are okay but lacking. Overall this album is an hour of music that just doesn’t hit. None of it us objectively bad it’s just boring. 4.6/10

At some points I thought this was a joke... is it?

Want to go 1.5 can’t decide if it’s leaning 1 or 2. Ugh the big hit wasn’t bad

I try to not immediately reach for "I did not in fact need to listen to this one before I died" when I don't like one, because at 1089 entries on the list, obviously there's going to be some duds in there. But geez this one was skippable. A late-90s attempt to update crooner shit to modern sensibilities, no thank you

Not my thing.

Already knew "Something for the weekend" but could never really get into the Divine Comedy. Was fun to hear the Father Ted theme though.

MOR indie-pop-singer-songwriter

A few great tracks but seems very dated now. Songs About Love is far superior

Hm. Is this ska? Pop? His voice is kind of David Bowie-like? But deeper? I think I'm just super confused on what this lol. But also, I just could not. This wasn't pleasing at all and I have 3,000,000 albums to review and I can't waste time listening to something I don't enjoy. 2 stars only. I reserve one star reviews for albums offensive to my ears.

somehow the divine comedy's casanova comes across as pretentious, like they're trying too hard. i'm not sure if this is because i'm an american and band is british. but even though the music isn't bad, i'm left with such a sour taste in my mouth and i find it hard to enjoy much of the music. in the spirit of saying something positive: i liked the usage of several melodies from classical songs interspersed throughout. and the backing orchestra can be quite beautiful! it's pleasant enough, but overall, eh.

Getting through this was not impossible, but it was definitely a chore. Everything about it felt overblown and self-indulgent. It was all over the place, and not really in a good way. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but I did not dig this at all. I am surprised how annoying I found this album to be.

Drippy lame music

okay so i am pretty sure this was like, satire? but im not sure what exactly it was satirizing or why. and it wasn't very funny or maybe i just didn't GET it musically it was fine but not great. it felt like it kept almost doing something that i would like, and then stopping and doing something else there were little bits here and there that felt like they could have been a super precursor to black midi but minus most of the stuff that make them cool i didn't ever really dislike this except the lyrics being maybe questionable sometimes but it was mostly mediocre

Never heard it before. Probably won't again.

C’est un peu drôle, mais ça ne suffit pas. 1 fois c’est suffisant

Pretentious British art-pop with an orchestral backing. Not my ting

Goofy brit-pop. Tongue-in-cheek "romantic" lyrics. Catchy at times but really nothing special. Standout is "Something for the Weekend"

Levyn paras biisikin oli aika skeidaa. Muutaman biisin jälkeen alkoi jo odottamaan päättymistä. Ei jatkoon.

Ei kutitellu kyllä mitenkään

This album is crazy. Certainly the description of Britpop and Irish Chamber Pop from the 90s during the CD era when albums were needlessly long, didn't engender it to me from the get go. It's a lot, very busy, very lush pop layers and highly produced. But I had it on for a few repeats and around the third time, I think I started to get the appeal, and I can understand a little bit better why people like this music, which is an excellent outcome from this 1001 Album exercise. This is just not really for me.

On paper this seems like something I’d really enjoy. However, this album is over earnest to the point of being creepy. Having said that, there are some really gorgeous moments on this album, but it’s trying to be too much. It doesn’t execute its lyrics well and coupled with some very dated musical motifs comes off as overwrought pseudo intellectual drivel.

Pop elegante y cómodo de escuchar, sin destacar especialmente. Con aires de teatro y muy inglés.

DNF Cool sound but too like incely? in parts

It's like a cooler Thom Yorke, but he made shittier music.

I’m simply too American for this.

This was amateur at best. 4/10.

There are some things about this album that are neat. I can't say that it sounds like anything else from its time. It's like a Tom Jones album made with 90s sensibilities. I think that it is possible to make a good album in with this approach, and Casanova has a nice voice that works with the musical arrangements On the other hand, I found this album cloying from the very beginning. I kept waiting for it to turn into something that I could get into, but that eventually turned into me waiting for it to finally end. I think that the name of the album and artist are an attempt to be funny, but like with everything about this album, execution is lacking. My only hope at this point is that I can get drunk enough tonight that I forget that this album ever existed, since the odds of anyone in my life ever bringing it up at any point in the future are pretty small 2/5

I listened to the most popular track ("Something for the Weekend") and didn't like it. It has a Smiths vibe without being as instrumentally or lyrically interesting. It sounds a little like The The with lesser vocals but more upbeat and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Casanova tries to pass itself off as normal but it's really not; a very deliberately odd vocal style, some dodgy lyrics, it occasionally makes for an alright listen but I disliked more than I liked. 2/5.

Never, ever, ever, ever heard of The Divine Comedy or this album. According to Wikipedia, this is Chamber Pop. I also am unfamiliar with that genre. There's a Dexy's Midnight Runners sensibility to this, so maybe that poppy new wave sound is chamber pop? Anyway, this is ok. I think it is a weird choice to put a bunch of child laughter on a track you hope will be a single. It's very distracting. The Alfie song feels like a joke, and it has that Burt Bacharach background instrumentation. There are some clear 80s/90s references and then all this Alfie stuff. What's it all about? :) Middle Class Heroes is another goofy song. I'm shocked this band ever caught on. These guys sound like I would sound if I was pretending to be in a band.

Honestly this album made me uncomfortable. It has a lot of rapey dialog and I’m not into it.

Not for me

Had some good songs and some not got at all

Yeah.. maybe yeah. Right? I mean... Not really though, right? I think... Yeah I actually think definitely not.

I think most of this was lost on me. Some enjoyable tracks but I did not feel like I was in on the joke

Ug. The cleverness - if you can call it that - and overt bravado of Neil Hannon turns me off.

Even though I was unfamiliar with this album, just looking at the cover I knew two things: 1) this was British, and 2) I wasn't going to like it (not that those 2 things are related). I like some of the arrangements, but not necessarily the way they are recorded/mixed. And the vocals really don't work for me. He seems incapable of pulling off what he's trying to achieve. I'd actually like to hear Mike Patton have a go at some of these songs. I think Mike could get across that tongue in cheek ironic quality they're going for, while evoking a more genuine range of emotions and reverence for the influences. Heck, even Jarvis Cocker could do wonders with this material. I think Jarvis could play the part much more convincingly. This album comes across sounding like they're trying too hard to write Scott Walker a love letter and it's just awkward. But I'll tell you, the thing that really irks me the most is anytime he breaks into a spoken word segment. They each made me cringe, but the affected accent one on "Charge" actually made me shudder.

Some Scott Walker vibes in here. And I was just getting over Scott Walker. I reserve 1's for only the purest of crap. This isn't a 1 but it certainly no more than a 2.

Not my style at all.

What genre is this? Orchestral pop? Not that that is a bad thing. Some catchy hooks here and there but overall not something I cared for.

Not my cup of tea, but pleasant enough

I really did not like this.

This is hard to describe, it's like some kind of weird musical theatre written by a sex crazed teenage boy. The lyrics are super cringey. The music is too "cute" with lots of orchestration. It's like one of those architectural styles that is too over the top with ornamentation: Baroque or Rococo maybe? What I'm saying is I could do with fewer fucking cherubs, metaphorically speaking of course. Holy shit, just got to "The Frog Princess" - this could be a Disney song, maybe if it was less obviously sexist. Not for me. I'd much prefer something authentic. Tempted to give it a 1 but at least it wasn't a boring listen so it's got that going for it.

It wasn't bad but also wasn't good in any way. 2 stars because it wasn't terrible but I couldn't recommend this to anyone.

I know this album is from 1996, but given I am listening to it for the first time in 2021 I can’t get past the lyrics. I was actually creeped out by many lines throughout the album (no means yes? Come on). It’s too bad because the background orchestration is cool and the lead vocals were very crooner sounding. This would be a 3 if not for the lyrics.

Brief respite from Faust, but lyrics were much rapier than I like in my music.

Heard snippets before. I had to give up on this - musically and lyrically not half as clever as it thinks it is.

Indie Theatralik, Opulenz, Pathos. Mag das eigentlich, aber hier ist mir den Sunday Roast zu stark in Marmite eingelegt gewesen. 2.2

The Divine Comedy daring to ask the question: "What if Danny Elfman was boring and shitty?"

There's a bit of interesting musical material and I like the instrumentation, but the orchestration is uneven and the overall impression is of Scott Walker-lite. Once that image fixed itself in my mind, it was hard to appreciate the concept or attempt at fourth-wall-breaking.

Largely unremarkable. Some fun songs, some horrid songs, nothing that I would go and seek out again.

One nice, rest is noise

First Listen. Had a good vibe to the album. I'd like to hear more.

I feel harsh giving this a 2 as this would be a 5/10 but I cannot give 3 stars for an album I wished was over half way through. Some surprises here and there, found the theme song from Father Ted, but was mainly bored throughout. Nothing terrible, just meh.

Was alright. Not really my cup of tea. Nice to hear the Father Ted theme-tune though.

Top 3 1. (6) Songs of Love 2. (11) The Dogs & the Horses 3. (1) Something for the Weekend

there can be a thing as too british

Started good but went downhill

Lame, tries so hard but fails. Some of the singles were alright but like 😳

Liked the idea, didn't like the execution

Meh, not terrible as background noise. Didn’t want to pay attention to the lyrics.

Did not resonate with me at all… At least the recording and production were good.

Interesting album as a whole. Several differing tones. Some good lighter, jazzy rock tracks were highlight

Uninteresting music with weak vocals.

Didn't like this much at all. Drawn-out, over-the-top, and at times very creepy with the soft whispers in your ear. a 2 because there were a few songs I somewhat enjoyed, but this was close to a 1

sure

My usual bus driver Shaun tells me that his sister once went to a Divine Comedy gig and got so drunk that she climbed onto the stage and whipped her flange out. Neil Hannon started wanking. The crowd looked stunned at first, then all joined in.

bleh nothing too great, some pretty...unsatisfactory tracks here, kind of molesty and gross. Some nice orchestration.

Like swinging a pig's dick in the wind on a Wednesday afternoon in April.

A posher, shitter Pulp. It does contain the Father Ted theme tune though so have that Jarvis.

Still wrapping my brain around Casanova. What an eccentric performance. But every once in awhile it reminded me of other concept albums like Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I laughed when he kept going on about dogs and horses having their day or whatnot.

The first few songs were OK, but then the 5th song where they brought out a Barry White impersonator? ugh.

Art pop? Pop fusion? It's fine, not my thing.

I had never heard this (or heard OF this). And I’m not a fan. I’m not sure if it’s just a dated sound or what, but the production sort of sounds like this album was made as a joke. Like a mocking of David Bowie. Maybe it was? Some of this is just straight up cringeworthy.

Not for me. I'm sure there is an audience for this, but nothing "hooked" me

Not a fan. Too baroque and not poppy. 4/10

Eh, didn’t enjoy this much at all. That sort of schmaltzy lounge singer feel. Some of the music was nice but in general a thumbs down from me.

Ok I guess

This is an album made in the 90s that feels like an album made a lot earlier. Not my jam.

weird rock opera

1.8

not my thing

Vissa låtar var roliga och ganska bra men överlag inget som tilltalar mig.

1996. Key Songs: Songs of Love, Through a Long and Sleepless Night

I hate the open. This sounds like advanced elevator music. Like someone took Girl from Ipanema and decided to try and turn it into a generic indie rock album, but only succeeded in stripping away the beauty. I feel sick, get this shit outta here! 1/5.

Ireland, blink twice if England made you produce this album. 🤮

on a last of bad britpop this might be the baddest

This was not good. Who included it in this list? Their judgement was very poor.

WTF? NO! We already had one of these! STOP please! It wasn't funny the first time.

No thanks

It's keeping me at a distance.

this is a joke right…….

This garbage managed to not even live up to my absolutely rock bottom expectations I had going in. Guy's named himself "The Divine Comedy" and his album "Casanova" and has that album cover and it was somehow worse than I'd feared. Lucky I didn't punch my monitor.

Not my cup of tea

Weird and creepy.

A complete waste of time. Novelty nonsense. If we are going to include novelty, let’s put the master on the list: Weird Al Yankovic. Yankovic is way more hilarious than this lame act. This is really inessential. Just absolute dogshit. The horn arrangements and performances are the only redeemable thing on this album.

Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 😎🚬🛥️ Production (2020 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🤔❓😂 Rating: 🤡(🤡)/5

Did not enjoy.

Hated them then Still hate them now

Reads reviews; pssht, all these yanks hating on British music. Oh, no, this is shit, fair enough.

When I refreshed the page and saw the album cover, I immediately thought "This must be one of those albums that BRITISH people need to hear before they die." Opened Wikipedia, saw the description and thought "Yup!" Then the music started and I thought "Wait, this sounds like that guy I hated so much last week." Read a little further on the Wikipedia page and got to this part: "Casanova exemplifies the influence of American singer-songwriter Scott Walker" and thought "Oh yeah, Scott Walker - that was his name. I HATED that album." This was not QUITE as bad as that Scott Walker album, so it gets an extra star. I can't believe somebody made this in 1996 and some people actually liked it. But to each his/her own, I guess. (About halfway through I was really wavering on the decision to give that extra star. I do not enjoy this music at all. I got to "A Woman of the World" and changed my mind - this can't be more than one star. But then I remembered Scott Walker. If I hadn't heard Scott Walker last week this would get one star. I struggled with this decision, as you can see.) EDIT: I have slept on it and changed my mind. This deserves one star.

🤮😩🤢😡

Pompous, self-indulgent, pseudo-intellectual, and smug mess. Production is weird at best; the vocals are unnerving, the lyrics are fitting to the overall theme, but bad nonetheless.

Pompous, smug. The entire vibe is "Amn't I clever?". To which I say "no, you are not." This is much less than the sum of its influences - Scott Walker, The Associates, Kurt Weill. One star

Bwah

Chaos

Knew I was gunna hate this within the first 10 seconds.

Genuinely surprised this isn't a Sacha Baron Cohen character. "No means yes". Ewwwwwwwww

Is every song on this album about rape? What a psycho.

Why?

Album 251. Casanova (https://open.spotify.com/album/0txgYRjymfL0U28aTEK6Qk?si=0QM1UK95TGaCTu0Rm_0glw) — The Divine Comedy (1996) The torture. One of the worst albums I've ever ever ever heard. 1/5 No liked songs

Previously unknown. Couldn't tell if this was jus really cheesy or a joke. He seemed serious and and that made it hard to take.

Man this guy sounds exhausting to be around

First song is really nice actually The rest of the album is just not great and off putting.

Color me unimpressed. I don’t at all enjoy this site’s opinion on plenty of albums (AC/DC’s “Back In Black” is much to high for the trash it is, whereas “Third” by Soft Machine is much too low, for no reason other than it being too weird for much of this site’s user base), but I agree with this site’s low score here. It’s doing Pulp but without the class commentary, or any of the wit. The vocals are mediocre and not at all stimulating, the songs seldom hold water, and the production SUCKS. The strings are weirdly mixed, and they sound so cheap. Songs that have good bones, such as “In & Out of Paris & London” are ruined by these things, yet most of these songs don’t even HAVE good bones. “Charge” has its moments, but sucks. “Middle Class Heroes” is an example of a song that is bad from the top down. But it is all bad. It’s bad. It’s bad. 3.3/10

This list is simultaneously iconic albums and also albums that are just absurd and that’s why they’re on here

Tbh made me chuckle. Winningly regressive

Poopoo garbage

Continuously oscillating between “is this a joke?” and “wow, creepy lyrics.” This whole album feels like a gross old man’s sexual fantasy, and sometimes it’s downright rapey. I absolutely hated it.

Well that was different. Did not appeal to me at all.

Not really sure what that was all about. One of the reviews suggested it was some kind of Pulp-esque fusion which caught my attention but unfortunately it had all of the bad bits of Pulp and none of the things I like.

Honky shit

accidentally gave this 4 stars

This is a bit funky but not for me

are you a bad person if you like this kind of music? probably not. nonetheless, do i find this kind of music utterly, excessively offensive to the senses? with every ounce of my being, yes

I did not care for this album at all. The lyrics were weird and it didn't even sound fun. I don't understand how this made the list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die, but at the very least I can say I listened to it.

Couldn’t finish it that’s how fucking shit this album is

If axe body spray and neon ground effects on a Honda Civic personified made an album. This makes me think of my favorite tweet: Welcome to Chuck E. Cheese. Everything is visibility dirty and our mascot is a rat. Have some pizza near a sneezing child.

Massive creep vibes. These guys are way too old to be constantly sexualizing teenagers. Not to mention the romanticization of rape, coercion and emotional manipulation. Even taken as a “critique” of pop culture’s version of Casanova, this album seems to encourage these icky behaviours much more than warn against them.

Boring and forgettable.

Goofy. Did not enjoy.

Why does he keep talking to me.

I don't know what this is, but it isn't very good.

Who listened to this and thought, everyone has got to listen to this before they die?

Sleazy trash, wtf is this shit? Absolutely did not need this before dying. I need a restraining order against this album.

the introduction alone subtracts a point. he seems awful and creepy. i feel like i'm being date raped Would I listen again: god please no Deserves to be on this list: absolutely not 0.4 (if i could give 0s i'd give one)

We all mean No means Yes....I don't really care if this is 'comedy.' Its a joke unless she means it right? Maybe I'll kill her...violence against women is hillarious. F@ck off man I am really over this list and their need to promote disgusting men and disgusting 'jokes' as art. Its not funny...no means no, no more of this crappy men who think they are artsy and funny and that gives them license to be disgusting creatures. Also F@ck this project for encouraging people to listen to these albums and giving them a listens to their music that should be long forgotten.

This was a real cringe fest. Is the whole concept some mega horny guy who thinks he's a real Casanova but is really a bumbling fool? I guess he succeeded if that’s the case. Regardless, this music is genuinely terrible.

not a fan

Wow (and not in a good way). This band does every track like it’s a show tune. Cool if you’re in the mood for show tunes, I guess. But annoying if you’re not in the mood for show tunes, don’t know the show, and suspect you would not like the show if it were an actual show. A 1.

Is this a joke? Why would anyone need to listen to this?

Did not rate this one. I understand this style of music exists but sometimes it just fucks me right off. I would get up to destroy the speaker it's playing from.

Something for the Weekend Become More Like Alfie The Frog Princess

sometimes i wonder if i have been being too liberal about my five star rating, that it means the truly phenomenal once-in-a-universe albums don't stand out as much against a tier of other admittedly cream of the crop albums. this is the first time i've felt that sentiment in the opposite direction. i, if anything, respect the commitment to the ethos. it is aggressively not for me. either the vocals work for me or the instrumental does, or neither, but never both in conjunction (and anything that doesn't work hurts my ears).

No me gustó. 1/10

This makes me think of that Andy Samberg - Snoop Dogg Corona commercial from a couple years ago where Andy raps and then... Andy: Was that good? Snoop: No. Andy: Oh. Snoop: It was incredible... Andy: Oh? Snoop: ...ly bad.

No.

Sounds like bad karaoke. But sure, put it on this trash list.

There was nothing particularly redeeming about the album. It does feel out of place. 6/10 [DROP]

Really show toon and kitschy

Disappointing. Theatrical, middle class baroque pop. Ugh.

Britpop Sinatra, without the charisma of either. Dull, gray, bloated - like a whale car ass washed up on a beach. When it's not boring it's annoying.

Second album proposé après 'A short album about love' que j'avais détesté (noté 1/5 - trop d'orchestration, ennuyeux). Cet album fait toujours appel à une partie orchestrale, mais qui m'a paru un peu moins envahissante que dans le précédent album, donc un peu plus supportable. Enfin, c'est ce que pensais après les premiers morceaux. Mais j'ai fini par jeter l'éponge avec les vocalises de 'Charge', terribles. Et l'album est beaucoup trop long. =>1/5

I did not enjoy this listen at all

The guy's clearly a songwriter, I just don't like his songs. Every chord progression just sounds incredibly bland to me, and the orchestration sounds cheap and predictable. His popularity may be lyrically driven and I just need to listen harder, but I'm fine just not liking the Divine Comedy. 1 - doesn't deserve to be on this list

This is a crime. Terrible. OMG. Never heard of this before and open mind but whoa. nope.

This is cringey. A misstep. Love his new stuff, not this.

what if Dead Can Dance was bad I’m probably being overly harsh to this album but the heart wants what it wants, and the heart wants cruelty

Garbage

Incredibly dull for how upbeat and theatrical it is. And my god some of the little talking skits and lyrics are so creepy and rape-y. I could feel my skin crawl as I listened to this

I only listened to the first couple tracks

1089 albums later, almost 3 years, and this album is my last, and my only review. What a fitting end. 40% of this list is irrelevant UK garbage, and this rape-y cringfest of an album is the norm, not the exception. The lyrics are, if I'm being kind, worthy of police investigation for sexual harassment, never mind his limited range and depth of a sippy-cup. So we get to listen to a incel chav's fever dream instead of, you know, actual great albums, hell, even actual great UK albums, like Madvillainy, or any EDM record in the past 20 years - no Tiesto, no Paul Oakenfold, no Armin Van Buuren, Eric Prydz, etc. etc. etc. Fucking hell. What a pot of piss of an album.

I need to shower after listening to this lol

Furchtbares Gesäusel.

🎧We have Pulp at home

This sounds like the soundtrack they play non-stop on the island. You know which one…

This isn’t one star but I gotta take my frustration out that they included a clearly “comedy” album that’s unfunny as hell & the lack of Weird Al is unforgivable. Pulp, but not good. Scott Walker, but not memorable. It’s no Melody Nelson. British comedy isn’t comedy, nor is it divine. (I liked the first couple tracks but then I realized oh, it as a one trick pony & the one trick isnt even good. Like seeing magician do a double lift over and over.)

This list is just an British prank to be played on Americans

Hated it

Painful. I did not like

If Leisure Suit Larry wrote an album.

This isn’t even fun bad. It made me sad with how bad it was.

Chamber pop is definition that I haven't heard before. Theatrical, dramatical and somewhat annoying. This wasn't a joyful listening experience as album feels too much of chamber pop to my taste.

Whoa! A band I've not heard even the name of, that I remember that is. Anyway, the music is kinda shite. It reminds me of the cheapest of Finnish shlager or iskelmä as we call it, combined with cheap Las Vegas stylings and delusions of grandeur. I need to add that I dislike the term/genre chamber pop.

Flög in som en lite udda fågel under britpopparaplyet. Det här albumet var väl den stora lilla kommersiella höjdpunkten. Dom två inledande spåren, tillika singlarna, är rätt kul. Men sen händer inte så mycket mer kul. Ibland drar det år nån slags varitéemusik som jag har lite svårt för. Bombasm står på programet och det hade gott kunnat ge fan i Når inte godkänt

Det börjar relativt okej. Men låt för låt blir detta album alltmer outhärdligt. En massa teatraliskt dravel. Har oerhört svårt för sången. Instrumentalt är det inte mycket bättre.

Första intrycket var att det här var snyggt men tråkigt. Men som kom det skojfriska musikalnumret Charge. Det uppskattas inte. Tillsammans med vidrigheten The Frog Princess kan betyget inte bli annat än underkänt. Det musikaliska skämtet att spela marseljäsen i låten med grodtitel är bara tröttsamt. Tydligen ska bandet ha varit återkommande förband till Suede i början av 90-talet. Utifrån hur den här skivan låter är det är helt obegripligt. Sparks har ju redan varit med på listan. Vad är nästa skiva i genren? Tenacious D? Det får räcka nu.

Album I would replace this one with: Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (1994) 5/5

Not good, not memorable.

Not for me. 1/5

Put off listening to this because it looked really bad at a cursory glance. But then, I did a little bit of reading and oh, frontman Neil Hannon credited Scott Walker as inspiring him. That's cool, I love Scott Walker so much that I've got a book of essays on his albums waiting for me on the holds shelf at the library and I often find myself wishing that Walker had recorded more baroque pop before transitioning into the amazing albeit abrasive industrial music he's become celebrated for. Okay, maybe I'll actually love this album. Didn't happen! Staggeringly unpleasant listen. Hannon imitates Walker, sure, and the album's best track - The Dogs & the Horses - is just that but his sensibilities are just a copy of Walker's and his voice is much closer to the Stephen Merritt than Walker. I love Merrit's voice but the result of this guy trying to do Walker but sounding like Merrit is distracting. The album's concept is juvenile and underdeveloped, a one-note concept totally eclipsed by any Magnetic Fields album. Favorite Tracks: The Dogs & the Horses, Something for the Weekend, Charge

I tried hard to connect with this. But it’s awful.

David Ackles if he sucked

Not good. At all.

wyspiarskie popowanie z 96, album naprawde dobrze zrobil motyw casanovy, bo doslownie wychodzi mi bokiem kontent liryczny tej plyty, o ile the divine comedy to banda, to slychac ze jest mocno skoncentrowana wokol swojego wokalisty pana hannona, nawet nie wiem ilu czlonkow ma zespol, bo wiki listuje caly personel bez ladu i skladu, a sporo ludzi trzeba zeby nagrac bogato brzmiacy pop bez wzgledu na rocznik plyty, natezenie instrumentow detych i smyczkowych zdecydowanie nadaje chamberowosci tej plycie, ale nie buduje jakiegos charakteru, ktory znowu robi lirycznie motywem casanovy, juz nawet okladka z panem hannonem pasuje do motywu przewodniego, tak samo wokalno liryczne wypociny milosno nisko romansowo kasanowe, jesli zazwyczaj nie lubie tego typu muzyki to dzisiaj jest to jeszcze bardziej wyrazne, plyte uratowal utwor casanova theme, ktory okazal sie byc instrumentalem poprzedzonym malym intro dajacym troche insajdowego luka na plyte, ale wreszcie cos czego dalo sie sluchac, wiec tylko ten traczek dodam na plejke, a sam album zdecydowanie zapamietam z niesmakiem, bo juz zygam miloscia i jej wszelkimi odcieniami, nawet tak niskimi

Sounds like the soundtrack for Epstein Island. While there's some interesting music happening, I cant get past the lyrics. "Everybody knows that 'no' means 'yes'." Just gross.

so cheesy so not my thing 1/5

Wtf is this

It's like if a theater kid with no taste liked David Bowie and took all of his dating advice from 80s movies.

ANOTHER Divine Comedy album. I didn't like the first one I got and I don't like this either. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

this was woefully bad i couldn’t even finish it please don’t ever give me this shit again

Don't like it.

1/5 Most of this album was an excrutiating listen, mostly because of the rapey lyrics. Even though I fully understand that the main characters in the songs were meant to be the bad guy - I could barely get through this album. Never again, thank you, NEXT.

New band for me in every way and they definitely did not gain a new fan. Bland, boring, and background music are how I would rate it. It's like the meh emoji in music form.

I tried not to skip.. but it was a mistake... you should always trust your guts. Just skip this album.

Never make me go through this again pleaSE. Some okays were Middle-Class Heroes and The Frog Princess.

Is it just me or were these lyrics incredibly creepy? It's giving that incredibly horny middle aged man who just goes for anything with a pulse. It's too much. I only really liked 'theme from Casanova' because Neil Hannon wasn't singing about school girls and not ever wanting to be deprived of Wonderbras and thunder thighs. And 'the dogs and horses' because he says goodbye - and with that I never have to listen to this again. I did not enjoy this. No thanks.

Is this an April fools joke in January? This makes me think I can make an influential album.

I rarely disagree with my best mate. We share lots in common in life and musically. He thinks that The Divine Comedy are awesome and funny. I however think this fella is a pretentious bore.

The Good: The last time I will ever have to listen to The Divine Comedy on purpose… The Bad: The fact that something so great as Casanova, the person, was tainted by association to this album… The Ugly: The scratches on my skull as I try to figure out why someone would grant this shit 2 entries on a list of 1001… Here we go again, why not include Saturday Night Fever soundtrack to this list, instead of this absolute garbage? I really tried to listen to this with virgin ears, but as the afore ears were already once raped by having to listen to “a short album about love”, this experience proved to be excruciatingly painful. Fuck you Mr Dimery for making me listen to this shit twice! 1*

Pevert

Meh

imagine thinking somebody should listen to this even once of all the albums made in the 20th century then writing it in a book and that book is published. what the fuck are we doing here. dweeb theatre perverts: hated. (⌐■_■) 🚬

This has negative appeal to me. Absolute stinker. Get outta here.

dominant male sexual self-admiring is off-putting, sentences like "no is really yes, you know it" etc are kinda disgusting and added by that chearful-christmasy background makes me nauseous

And this album is a must listen because...?

1. uueekend - 0 2. alfie - 0 3. heroez - 0 4. London -0 5. Charge -0 6. Love - 1 7.frog - 1 8. Woman - 0 9. Night - 0 10. Casanova - 1.5 11. Horses - 1.5 FUCKING ZERO BUT NOT AN OPTION !!!!

I haven’t liked a single album from any Irish band so far

50s crooning in a 90s package. Does not compute and sounded like garbage.

Uno de tantos sonidos tontorrones que hacían los anglos cuando se estaba acabando el siglo (es de Irlanda del Norte, cuenta como anglo). Tiene esos momentos ascendentes donde la voz se apoya en algunas cuerdas para sonar más grande e importante. Si es que cuando se trata de ser cursis, a estos nadie les gana, te lo digo. Suena a lo más insoportable de Robin Williams y a otro puñado de cosas a las que se intenta parecer. La teatralidad que se entromete en algunas de las canciones, siendo algo que me suele gustar, es tan incómoda de escuchar... Favs: Además de que no me gustó ninguna, le voy a poner un 1 en señal de protesta para que nos dejen de llenar la lista con sonidos que no tienen nada de esencial

Just ew. This man makes me uncomfortable.

Horrible.

Oh god I _despise_ this self-satisfied bullshit

I dislike a novelty song, so imagine my pleasure at finding a whole album of them. Neil is so up himself, and a lot of the songs seem pretty demeaning to women. In summary - no.

They’ll just give record deals to anyone over the pond huh? I thought this was a parody at first.

Well, I'd never heard of chamber pop until today. I'm not sure that my life is more enriched for the experience. The first song sounds like Christmas music, and the third song sounds like a mix of Christmas music with Tom Jones' voice. The whole album sounds like a relic of mid-90s "let's see if this works." Given that nobody knows what chamber pop is, the answer to that is pretty clear. The longer this album goes on, the more I suspect Bowie had something to do with this, as that would mean automatic inclusion on this list for Dimery. Just a lot of cheese. It's only 11 songs but seemed to go on forever. 1/5

"Everyone knows that no means yes." Yikes. Pretty shit album, close to completely unlistenable. Couldn't finish it.

Grand idea but execution was not there.

Middle-Class Heroes was so bad it was comical. And, as with A Short Album About Love, I'm not convinced it is purposeful.

I don’t like this spoken word-esque vocal style.

This made me wriggle... and not in a good way.

Music to be shot to

come on man

This is going to be a long 1001 albums with stuff like this.

I can't stand this theater kid bullshit

As far as Brit-Pop goes, it's not terrible. It's just that Brit-Pop isn't very good. I don't think we needed 10 of the 11 songs to be about sex. Maybe branch out a bit. I think this guy is wasting his talents on this album. I can tell he has vocal chops, but he uses them to sound like the biggest douche on the planet. With better lyrics and less focus on the low register, i think I might actually enjoy this band. But alas, i do not enjoy it. I often adjust rankings based on potential, but I don't think I will this time. 1 star.

I did not care for this album, but, when I don't care for an album, I take a star but otherwise try to rate it objectively. This is an album where I might say something like "For what it is, it's very well done." This album is well produced and performed well, but in this case, we have to talk about what this, in fact, is. It's 90's brit pop that's a parody of 70s lounge acts. It's Frank Sinatra meets 90"s kitchy offbeat humor. I'm sure this stuff a load of fun for the Brits at the end of the last millennium, but that's where it needs to stay. The Frog Princess is a straight up spoof on Frank Sinatra's "My Way" but it's about a one night stand with a fat ugly girl? Ugh. (I'm assuming the euphemisms "frog" and "cow" have the same connotations across the pond that they do here). No, I did not need to hear this album.

Didn’t like it

Second track just put me off with the no means yes thing I am not listening to any more; i did like the music decent enough and was trying to see if there it's trying to be ironic or anything or fits a grander narrative- what ive read from the wikipedia and global reviews though a lot of it surrounds sex and seduction and I am not for it. The first track was creepy enough with the weird deep voice. I think the album doesnt seem significant enough to give it another chance

Look, I love Andrew Lloyd Webber, but I didn't need a guy pretending to be the neckbeard version of the Phantom hitting on me non-stop.

p780. 1996. 1.5 stars. I always feel I should like the Divine Comedy, but there is something about the oh-so-clever lyrics and Neil Hannon's smug faux Scott Walker voice that makes me want to slap him with a wet kipper. Saved from 1 star by the theme from Father Ted. Speaking of comedy, how does Neil Hannon get two albums on this list and The Cranberries get none?

Horn and organ heavy. Not sure what it's alternative to for 1997. Something for the Weekend lends itself to a 80's pop sound. Curious how a band with a handful of songs barely cracking any significant UK chart making a list for entire albums you need to hear before you die. Production sounds good at least. Plenty of big band influence. Lots of orchestra for 90's Alt. Dude has talked way too much through 3 songs. This will be the one and only time this will ever be intentionally played by me. Were they trying to have a modern 90's take on the rat pack? The talking on tracks is a common theme. This is in the bottom three of the minimal 54 albums I have listened to so far on this list. One of those that I really didn't want to have to finish, but ya got to hear it all.

This isn't a parody album? BSFFR. This 1001 album experiment might just end here.

To quote Beavis and Butthead, "This sucks more than anything that's ever sucked before."

Somehow more pretentious than a mediocre "SING" act at Baylor, plus some extra lounge overlays. I'm not a fan.

This is not the worst pop record but one of the worst I had to listen to.

I had to look this up on Rate Your Music. It says, that for genres it's Chamber Pop, Baroque Pop, Art Pop, and Cabaret. If that's what it is, I'm pretty sure I don't like these styles. For descriptors, it says that it's humorous, sexual, sarcastic, male vocalist, quirky, romantic, love, bittersweet, passionate, orchestral, lush, poetic, epic, satirical, playful, energetic, melodic, breakup, theatrical, lonely, self-hatred, hedonistic. Again, I don't think I like this style. Maybe I'm not cultured? That's fine.

Bono's Mephisto made a record. Hard pass.