He was accompanied in that 1995 recording by a specially assembled group of young musicians, under the baton of Dr. Phrases like “Pale, pubescent beasts” are golden, but one line sticks out in particular: “Fortune depends on the tone of your voice.

By far the tightest of the band's earlier works it paved the way for not only more ambitious music from Neil Hannon over the course of the next few years but also left a permanent mark on the Brit-Pop genre, making The Divine Comedy a must have to many an indie lover.The rest of the album is not at all like that, and has definite echoes of Bonzo Dog Doodah Band wackiness about it. A couple of months ago, I became aware of The Divine Comedy and the amazing Neil Hannon for the first time (I know . Taken from the same session 'A Woman Of The World' was also a contender for the show's theme tune but ultimately became the jaunty deep cut seen here, proving that Hannon is no stranger to recycling creative ideas across his career.

As the Father Ted theme song was my entry point, it’s only predictable that I first found the original song where the theme appears, as part of the track “Songs of Love”. Performing as an eleven-piece ensemble, the band will play two albums from their catalogue in full each night. Like I imagine many others did, I found The Divine Comedy through the Irish comedy series Father Ted. Perhaps Hannon is poking fun at himself and the love-song-writing community, but he still takes his advice to heart – something that helps distinguish him from other artists. After spending quality time with the album, all 11 tracks here become songs of love to love, even if they are all actually about sex (or maybe especially because of that fact).The LP is heavyweight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve accompanied with photos, credits and Neil's liner notes. When Hannon delivers a line, he does so entirely invested in it, regardless of how absurd, silly, or ludicrous it might be. No doubt the fame from Father Ted helped make the album a commercial success (making it a gold record as well as boasting two Top 20 singles in the UK charts), but the strength of Casanova is earned in its own right – something all the more obvious in hindsight.