UPDATES 2

When I went on holiday I took a number of my old posts with me, and listening to them by the pool on headphones, I noticed a few things which I'd missed when listening through my speakers. I've therefore corrected the various imperfections, and as there was only one track per album that needed to be fixed I've put them all in one folder on Mega, and Soulseekers can just take the upgraded tracks that you need from the updated folders. The full albums have also been corrected, if you want to try them for the first time. The tracks that have been upgraded are:

UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming (1982)

The transition from the vocal part of 'My Way Of Thinking' to the dub part was not a smooth as it could have been, so that's now been fixed.

Kossoff - Tuesday Evening (1973)

Listening to this again made me realise that a couple of the edits were very noticeable, and so I've re-done the whole thing to try to make them a bit more seamless. I think one works much better, and although the other is better then it was, it's still not perfect, but is probably the best that I can do. 

Steeleye Span - Bonny Moorhen (1984)

The sound on 'Stookey' sounded a bit thin compared to the other tracks, so I've boosted the bass to bring it more in line with the rest of the album. 

Hot Chocolate - I Want To Be Free (1973)

The first track 'Love Is Life' was not the best quality, so I've sourced a new, better version.

Bryan Ferry - Alphaville (1995)

There was a brief gap around 1'41 of 'Love War', which I hadn't noticed before, so I've sourced a complete version of the song. 

George Michael - Trojan Souls (1993)

The original recording of 'You Slipped Away From Me' only had one verse and then a very long instrumental passage. I felt that the instrumental part was way too long, and there was not enough vocal, so I've repeated the verse and faded down the ending to make a more concise version which now sounds more like a finished song. 

And finally, massive thanks to Barry Ryan and Sparks fan Helmut, who has provided me with a completely remastered version of Barry Ryan's 'Give Me A Sign' album, with upgraded versions of the songs that I could only find in poor quality. Not only that, but he has also let me have a new recording of the Sparks album that they made in 1968 as Halfnelson, which is now finally available at the correct speed.  

Both of these albums have been replaced in full on Soulseek and Mega, so help yourself to the upgraded version of these two, and marvel at the difference in them. 

pj 

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)