Singing the Songs of Paul Ryan
When Paul and Barry Ryan split as a performing duo in 1968 nobody expected to hear from them again. Their fine Britpop singles and overlooked semi-Freakbeat/Pop albums weren't selling, they were trapped on a cabaret circuit they loathed. The image of the handsome swinging, singing twin brothers was under severe strain.So when Barry reappeared at the end of the year and scored a colossal worldwide hit (reaching number one in six countries!) with the epic, Paul-penned "Eloise" it was akin to a particularly unlikely phoenix rising from the ashes. The single was a stunning five and a half minute tour de force of grandiose orchestral pop and Uber-Jim Webb-ism which sounded unlike anything else in the charts at the time, and is fondly remembered and covered worldwide still! The subsequent entirely Paul-penned album, imaginatively entitled 'Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan', received rave reviews and has become something of a cult favourite amongst fans of contemporary orch-pop works by Scott Walker, Glen Campbell and even Tom Jones.Rev-Ola Records. 2005.