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. Other hits including "Love Is Love" and "The Hunt" followed into the '70s, as did five more solo albums, none of which have ever been reissued on CD.... until now! "Barry Ryan: Singing The Songs Of Paul Ryan (1968-69)" couples that classic debut with its remarkable eponymous 1969 follow-up and adds two ultra-rare tracks found only on the German version of the second album, all remastered for your sonic delight! It also features in-depth liner notes containing new interview material with Barry, previously unseen photographs, rare cuttings and memorabilia. A great rediscovery awaits
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