Review by Jason Barnard
Paul & Barry Ryan ‘Have Pity On The Boys! (The Pop Hits And More, 1965-1968)’ packs 31 tracks into one CD chronicling the Leeds pop duo’s releases over four years. Much of this material hasn’t been available digitally for years and it’s a testament to the dedication of this Aussie label that they’ve finally corrected this wrong.
The twins were often pushed by their producers to record material to seek chart success with this collection representative of the range of styles they recorded. In this mix of ballads and pop are plenty of diamonds in the not-so-rough. Take a listen to the innovative production of ‘I Love How You Love Me’ featuring bagpipes, the harmony and string laden ‘Rainbow Weather’ and Cat Stevens gem ‘Keep It Out Of Sight’ – now regarded a classic of the period. Speaking to Barry last year in a rare interview highlighted his changing view on this period of his early years: “I’ve been very harsh on the stuff Paul and I did together but I kind of reassessed things recently and listened to some of the stuff. They’re some really nice tracks.”
Indeed. ‘Pay You Back With Interest’ keeps pace with the Hollies original, whilst the psychedelic single ‘Pictures Of Today’ b/w ‘Madrigal’ remains one of favourite a and b side sets of the Sixties. As we venture deep into 1968 the production of their self-titled album gets even more sumptuous with the Brian Wilson-esque ‘Golden Gate’ and ‘The Sun’s In the Sky’, a track that paired back could be an outtake from ‘The Who Sell Out’. ‘Have Pity On The Boys!’ ends fittingly with with the sole Paul Ryan penned track the Pepper-esque, ‘We Are Going Home’.
It’s a track showing that the pair had taken everything they could from their pop career, with Paul mastering songwriting and Barry becoming a huge solo star soon after. They would arguably move on to even bigger and better things but their work in this formative period should not be underestimated. ‘Have Pity On The Boys! (The Pop Hits And More, 1965-1968) shows they left behind a legacy of great period tracks.
More information can be found at Teensville Records – also available from other online outlets worldwide.
