Barry Ryan - Give Me A Sign (1972)

Barry Ryan and his twin brother Paul were born in Leeds on 24 October 1948, the sons of pop singer Marion Ryan and antiques dealer Fred Sapherson. Their father left when Barry and Paul were two, and they were brought up until they were 11 by their grandmother, moving to London when the boys were 16. Their mother suggested they try a career as singers, with her boyfriend and then husband, impresario Harold Davison, managing them, and he secured a contract with Decca Records in 1965 under the name of Paul & Barry Ryan. Within two years they'd amassed eight Top 50 singles in the UK, with their best sellers being 'Don't Bring Me Your Heartaches'. 'I Love Her', and 'Have Pity On The Boy'. Feeling that he couldn't cope with the stress of show business, Paul left the group and Barry continued as a solo artist, enabling his brother to stay out of the limelight and concentrate on writing songs. Their greatest achievement as a composer-singer duo was with the heavily orchestrated and melodramatic 'Eloise', which was a number 2 hit in 1968. Paul reputedly wrote 'Eloise' in three days, after being played the Richard Harris version of 'MacArthur Park' by Harris himself, and being determined to write something as good. In 1969 Barry recorded a whole album of songs written by his brother, with 'Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan' being one of his best records, and Paul continued to write nearly all of Barry's singles and albums right up to the early 70's. As well as 'Eloise', four other singles were lifted from the '...Sings Paul Ryan' album, and the titles alone show that Paul was not content just to pen 'moon/june' lyrics, with further singles including 'The Hunt' (1969), 'Magical Spiel' (1970), and 'Kitsch' (1970). Ryan was also popular in Germany and France, with his first solo single 'Goodbye' being almost impossible to find other than in the German version, and he recorded a number of other songs in German and Italian for those markets. Around 1976 he withdrew from singing, and from the late 70's he maintained a successful career as a fashion photographer, with his photographs appearing in such magazines as Ritz and Zoom. Ryan died on 28 September 2021 after complications from a lung disorder, and so this collection of rare singles and b-sides is a tribute to a performer who will forever be associated with his biggest hit, but as you can hear from these songs, had much more to offer than just that one single. 

Track listing

01 Goodbye (single 1968)
02 I'm So Sad (b-side of 'Goodbye')
03 Love I Almost Found You (b-side of 'Eloise' 1968)
04 Love Is Love (single 1969)
05 I'll Be On My Way Dear (b-side of 'Love Is Love')
06 Oh, For The Love Of Me (b-side of 'The Hunt' 1969)
07 Magical Spiel (single 1970)
08 Caroline (b-side of 'Magical Spiel')
09 Lay Down (b-side of 'We Did It Together' 1970)
10 Give Me A Sign (b-side of 'Kitsch' 1970)
11 Loneliest Night Of The Year (b-side of 'Red Man' 1971)
12 Annabelle (b-side of 'It Is Written' 1971)
13 I'm Sorry Susan (single 1972)
14 Bye And Bye (b-side of 'Sanctus, Sanctus Hallelujah' 1972)