May 20th, 2006
Neil Hannon, Billy McKenzie and Morrissey
Since Thursday, I’ve also been listening to the new Divine Comedy album, Victory for the Comic Muse. From the first listen, it sounded like something special, proving that Neil Hannon (who also produced it) just hasn’t run out of momentum after so many albums. Apart from the fact that it’s end-to-end fantastic - with songs about not wanting to die a virgin, Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World and wondering if his folks ever thought they’d brought the wrong baby home from the hospital - Hannon has proved himself a master of the cover version.
Listening away in the car I nearly crashed in to someone when I heard Track 7 - one of my favourite songs ever. Party Fears Two by The Associates is one of the best singles of all time. Those spiralling 80s synths with Billy McKenzie’s emotional voice soaring over them affects me every time I hear it. It reminds me, so vividly, of me and my friend Gary - me with my shaved head, him with his mohawk - going to the Olympic Ballroom, meeting in the old Foggy Dew and spending late nights playing each other records. So when the familiar intro started up here, my heart scuttled a little in my chest.
But it’s a gorgeous version. There’s something manic and beautifully dark about the original, and Hannon retains this, adding a cheery, but subtle, oomph to things. That might sound contradictory, but it works.
Lyrically and thematically, Neil Hannon has always reminded of Morrissey in many ways. Today my brother told me a story about Moz and Billy McKenzie that I’d never heard. Apparently they were romantically involved in the early 80s and the classic Smiths’ track ‘William It Was Really Nothing’ is about McKenzie. The Associates later recorded a song called ‘Stephen, You Were Really Something’ in response.
Sadly Billy McKenzie is no longer with us, but a cover like this might make people curious enough about him to rediscover The Associates and his solo work.
“Awake Me!”
May 21st, 2006 at 9:49 pm
The Associates were truly great and sadly missed. Glad someone else feels as passionately about Party Fears Two as I do - I must have more copies of Sulk (LPs, cassettes, CDs including imports) than any other album. Silly (and nerdy) but true. I love Neil Hannon’s version too.
May 21st, 2006 at 10:16 pm
If you search You Tube for “the divine comedy”, you’ll come across a rather charming clip from the Adam and Joe Show back in the day wherein Mr. Hannon sings a little ELO, Doris Day and Blur.
May 22nd, 2006 at 8:09 am
Johnnie, Sulk is my favourtie album of theirs but Fourth Drawer Down is one of my favourite album covers ever.
Copernicus, he has also done some amazing Magnetic Fields covers and a rather fine version of Johnny Mathis’ Feet by American Music Club. I also recall hearing him and four women do a version of Outkast’s ‘Hey Yeah’ live in studio on Ray Darcy’s show a year or two ago.
May 22nd, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Hannon is a genius. Absent Friends, the last album, was damn good and possibly the best thing he’s ever done.
Look forward to the new one.
May 22nd, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Charmed Life from Absent Friends has me in tears, sadly. My daughter was only a few months old when it came out and it’s the loveliest Daddy-to-baby-daughter song I’ve ever heard.
May 22nd, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Gracie by Ben Folds on Songs for Silverman must rank up there too Johnnie.
I must admit I’ve been neglecting his Neilness of late since a fairly lame performance at the Heiniken Green Energy a couple of years ago - the Frames were also abysmal that day. But hey, we all have our off days. I had a little bit on my blog though about the strangely compelling Queens of the Stone Age cover on the Divine Comedy’s My Space. I’m a bit of a QOTSA fan myself, so it’s nice to see people like Neil digging on the same stuff.
Sometimes you just need to rawk it up a bit.
May 23rd, 2006 at 9:37 am
Always really liked that Johnny Mathis’ Feet cover, and his covers of Life’s What You Make It and Make It Easy on Yourself. I’ll head along to his gig this week because I remember seeing him years ago supporting Kristin Hersh in the Olympia just before Promenade came out and he was fantastic. As the line-up swelled they became a less attractive proposition. I’ll admit that while I liked Regeneration, a surprisingly awful gig in the Olympia around that time made me think him a spent force. Never heard the last album but with the nice things said above perhaps I’ll give it a try now.
I remember seeing him do a lovely hymn on Later once too..
October 28th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
I am yet to purchase the latest Divine Comedy album, but have long been a fan of Neil Hannon’s vocal abilities and satirical lyrics. I am so intrigued by him choosing to cover Party Fears Two, which is one of my fave 80s tracks. Lyrically and vocally he can very much be compared to the late, great Billy Mackenzie.
I also absolutely adore the Associates and rate Billy Mackenzie as the most underrated musician and lyricist of the 80s if not of all time. All their albums are fantastic with Billy’s haunting and enchanting voice reflecting his truly torchured soul. Double Hipness - which contains Stephen, You’re Still Really Something - is a real gem of an album.
An Associates DVD is long overdue, but is very unlikely to see the light of day. There is a rarities DVD available by contacting Susan Durrant at the following email address:
sgtrayelwood@ntlworld.com
It’s about time Billy’s genius reached a wider audience.