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 band’s classic albums.

The nine reissued albums have 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.

‘Absent Friends’ was first released in 2004. Describing the album, Neil said: “The songs use stories and characters as a framework to pin my ideas on. It’s mostly about the eternal battle between the pull of personal freedom and the comfort of domesticity.” The album was recorded by Guy Massey, mixed by Nigel Godrich and features guest appearances by 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne and French multiinstrumentalist Yann Tiersen. “The whole album is rich, beautiful and can make you smile and cry on the turn of a chorus” stated Phill Jupitus in the Radio Times, while the Guardian described it as an “ornate gem” and Word magazine said “it’s Neil Hannon’s best yet.” Stand out tracks from the album include singles ‘Come Home Billy Bird’ and ‘Absent Friends’, as well as fan favourites ‘Our Mutual Friend’ and ‘Charmed Life’.

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 Neil’s liner notes.