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Phil Ryan (musician)

May 03, 2024

For other people with the same name, see Phil Ryan.

Phil Ryan (21 October 1946 – 30 April 2016) was a Welsh keyboardist and composer known for his work with Man and Pete Brown.

Phil Ryan
Birth namePhilip Ryan
Born(1946-10-21)21 October 1946
Port Talbot, Wales[1]
Died30 April 2016(2016-04-30) (aged 69)
GenresRock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Keyboards, trombone
Years active1964–2016

Early career edit

Born in Port Talbot, Ryan played trombone in the National Youth Orchestra,[1] but his rock career started in 1964 when he formed the Port Talbot/Neath band The Smokestacks, with John Hockin, Gary Pickford-Hopkins, Peter Randal and Gerald Trolley.

Career edit

Eyes of Blue edit

In 1966 Ryan and Hopkins – together with the drummer John Weathers – joined The Eyes of Blue, who then turned professional. They won the 1966 Melody Maker Beat Contest, winning a one-year record contract, but had to record songs chosen for them, rather than their own material, and neither of their singles, "Heart Trouble" / "Up And Down" and "Supermarket Full of Cans" / "Don't Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart", sold well.[2]

The Eyes moved from Decca to Mercury Records and recorded their first album Crossroads of Time in 1968, which was produced by Lou Reizner.[2] The album included two tracks written by Graham Bond "Crossroads of Time" and "Love is the Law", who was a major influence on Ryan.[3] and who also wrote the album sleeve notes.[4] Despite poor sales, the album was "acknowledged as a major influence on the nascent Yes"[3] Reizner then used The Eyes as the backing band for American singer-songwriter Buzzy Linhart's album Buzzy.[5] They collaborated with Quincy Jones on the score of the movie Toy Grabbers, some tracks of which appear on their second album In Fields of Ardath (1969),[2] and they also appeared in the movie Connecting Rooms.[6]

Through producer Lou Reizner, Ryan began getting work as an arranger, and wrote the string arrangements on Caetano Veloso's third self-titled album called either his 1971 album or A Little More Blue.

The Eyes of Blue's third and final album, Bluebell Wood, was released under the pseudonym Big Sleep, and the band broke up shortly afterwards.

In 1970, Ryan and Weathers joined Pete Brown & Piblokto! playing on one single, "Flying Hero Sandwich" / "My Last Band". When bassist Steve Glover broke his wrist, he was replaced by Michael "Will" Youatt,[7] and when Piblokto disbanded Ryan and Youatt, together with Clive John, who had just left Man, formed the first incarnation of Iorworth Pritchard and the Neutrons.

Man edit

In April 1972, Ryan and Youatt joined Man, Clive John re-joining at the same time.[8] The band recorded Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day which received good reviews. A party on 19 December 1972, with Dave Edmunds, Help Yourself and others, was issued as Christmas at the Patti, a double 10" album, which topped the "budget" album chart. Man then recorded the double album Back into the Future, half in the studio, and half live at The Roundhouse.[9] The album initially sold well, rising to No 23,[10] and was tipped to be album that would make the band, but pressing was restricted by a lack of plastic during the 1973 oil crisis.

Neutrons edit

Ryan and Youatt left Man in 1973 to re-form the Neutrons. Andrew Lauder, head of A&R at United Artists put the duo in Rockfield Studios where they began recording the first Neutrons album, Black Hole Star. To record the album, Ryan and Youatt assembled several friends and former bandmates, including drummers John "Pugwash" Weathers (then with Gentle Giant) and Dave Charles; guitarists Martin Wallace and Ray "Taff" Williams, who had been in Eyes of Blue and Piblokto!, violinist Stuart Gordon (ex Incredible String Band) and vocalist Caromay Dixon.[11]

The initial recordings were made at Rockfield Studios – "Snow Covered Eyes" and "Living In The World Today". The rest of the album was recorded in April 1974 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios. Released in September 1974 Black Hole Star featured Neutrons' logo, designed by Rick Griffin, whilst the track "Mermaid And Chips" features the lyrics of Pete Brown. The album spawned one single "Dance of the Psychedelic Lounge Lizard"/"Suzy and the Wonder Boy", The A-side being dedicated to Graham Bond, whilst the B side was not on the album, although it features Dave Edmunds on slide guitar.[7]

The second album Tales From The Blue Cocoons was released in April 1975. The performers were similar to the first album, except Weathers was replaced by Stuart Halliday and Stuart Gordon did not play.

Ryan and Youatt were having musical differences, so, unlike the first album, none of the tracks on the second were jointly written by the pair, whilst the uncredited "Welsh R Blunt" dates from when Ryan was in Piblokto! and had also been played, but not recorded, by Man.

Neutrons toured to promote the album, but Taff Williams left shortly after the start of the tour, so former Help Yourself guitarist Richard Treece stood in, but Neutrons had disbanded by July 1975.

Man again edit

Ryan played on Clive John's solo album You Always Know Where You Stand With a Buzzard, and briefly started a solo project Road of Cobras, before rejoining Man in September 1975, along with bassist John McKenzie. One of the Road of Cobras tracks "Something is Happening" ended up on the next Man album The Welsh Connection[11] which reached No 40 in the UK Album Chart.[10] Towards the end of the US tour to promote the album, Man's manager, Barrie Marshall, announced that he would be discontinuing his role as the band's manager, and adopting all rights to the name Man. On the farewell tour of Europe, differences arose amongst the band who agreed to call it a day. The MCA record deal was for 3 albums, but MCA eventually agreed to a live farewell album, All's Well That Ends Well recorded at the Roundhouse on 11–13 December, although the final gig was in Slough on 16 December 1976.

Pete Brown edit

After Man's breakup, Ryan started working with Pete Brown again and also toured with Gallagher and Lyle, including a 1978 BBC "In Concert" session,[12]

Ryan moved to Denmark in 1980, where he met and married the writer and director Bolette Bernild.[13] In the 1980s he wrote the score for the BBC Play For To Day, Red Shift. Although now living in Denmark, Ryan continued a productive songwriting partnership with Pete Brown, producing two Ryan/Brown albums, Ardours of the Lost Rake and Coals to Jerusalem. They began touring in 1993, and a compilation of the two albums was issued on CD as The Land That Cream Forgot. Ryan worked as a musical director and composer for many of the top Danish Theaters, eventually becoming house composer for Comedievogen and the B&U department of Denmark's Radio (TV). His long association with Pete Brown produced two more albums, Road Of Cobras (2010) and Perils Of Wisdom (2014).

Man yet again edit

Ryan rejoined Man in 1996, playing on the albums 1998 at the Star Club (1998) and Endangered Species (2000), before leaving again in 2001, to look after his wife, who was terminally ill. Ryan rejoined Man in 2007, remaining with the 'core' band when it split in two in 2008 and playing on the albums Kingdom of Noise (2009) and Reanimated Memories (2015).[14] Despite suffering three heart attacks and a stroke,[15][13] he continued playing and remained in Man until his death in Denmark on 30 April 2016.[16]

Discography edit

With The Eyes of Blue
  • Crossroads of Time (1968) (reissued on CD by Cherry Red in November 2015)
  • In Fields of Ardath (1969)
  • Bluebell Wood (1971) (issued under the pseudonym Big Sleep)
With Buzzy Linhart
  • Buzzy (1969)
With Ancient Grease
  • Women and Children First (1970)
With Pete Brown
  • "Flying Hero Sandwich" / "My Last Band" Pete Brown & Piblokto!
  • My Last Band (1977) Pete Brown & Piblokto
  • Land That Cream Forgot (1996) Pete Brown & Phil Ryan
  • Coals to Jerusalem (2003) Pete Brown & Phil Ryan
  • Ardours of the Lost Rake (2003) Pete Brown & Phil Ryan
  • Road of Cobras (2010) Pete Brown & Phil Ryan
  • Perils of Wisdom (2014) Pete Brown & Phil Ryan
With John St. Field (Jackie Leven)
  • Control (1971)
With Man
With Neutrons
  • Black Hole Star (1974) (United Artists UAG 29652)
  • Tales From the Blue Cocoons (1975) (United Artists UAG 29726) (reissued as a pair (BGOCD 598) in 2003)
With Clive John
  • You Always Know Where You Stand with a Buzzard (1975)
With The Flying Aces
  • Seashell (2002)

References edit

  1. ^ a b Melody Maker article 10 November 1973
  2. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 186. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
  3. ^ a b Needs, Kris (4 May 2016). "Obituary: Phil Ryan". Team Rock. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  4. ^ . Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. ^ The Tapestry of Delights, Vernon Joynson – ISBN 1-899855-15-7
  6. ^ Allmusic Biography of Eyes of Blue by Bruce Eder Retrieved 7 February 2010
  7. ^ a b Sleeve notes by Michael Heatley to CD reissue of Black Hole Star/Tales From The Blue Cocoons
  8. ^ NME Biography of Man Retrieved 1 February 2010
  9. ^ Joynson, Vernon (2006). The Tapestry of Delights Revisited – Man (1st ed.). Telford: Borderline productions. pp. 531–532. ISBN 1-899855-15-7.
  10. ^ a b Chart Stats for Man Albums Retrieved 17 March 2009
  11. ^ a b Dutch Progressive Rock Pages on Neutrons written by Nigel Camilleri Retrieved 7 February 2010
  12. ^ Mannerisms II "Man & roots/offshoots Information Booklet" by Michael Mycock, P19
  13. ^ a b Brown, Pete (30 May 2016). "Phil Ryan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  14. ^ Manband Archive listing current line-up Retrieved 8 February
  15. ^ Leonard, Deke. "Phil Ryan". Deke Leonard. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Phil Ryan of Welsh Group Man 1946–2016 R.I.P." Blurt. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.

May 03, 2024
phil, ryan, musician, other, people, with, same, name, phil, ryan, phil, ryan, october, 1946, april, 2016, welsh, keyboardist, composer, known, work, with, pete, brown, phil, ryanbirth, namephilip, ryanborn, 1946, october, 1946port, talbot, wales, died30, apri. For other people with the same name see Phil Ryan Phil Ryan 21 October 1946 30 April 2016 was a Welsh keyboardist and composer known for his work with Man and Pete Brown Phil RyanBirth namePhilip RyanBorn 1946 10 21 21 October 1946Port Talbot Wales 1 Died30 April 2016 2016 04 30 aged 69 GenresRock psychedelic rock progressive rockOccupation s Musician composerInstrument s Keyboards tromboneYears active1964 2016 Contents 1 Early career 2 Career 2 1 Eyes of Blue 2 2 Man 2 3 Neutrons 2 4 Man again 2 5 Pete Brown 2 6 Man yet again 3 Discography 4 ReferencesEarly career editBorn in Port Talbot Ryan played trombone in the National Youth Orchestra 1 but his rock career started in 1964 when he formed the Port Talbot Neath band The Smokestacks with John Hockin Gary Pickford Hopkins Peter Randal and Gerald Trolley Career editEyes of Blue edit In 1966 Ryan and Hopkins together with the drummer John Weathers joined The Eyes of Blue who then turned professional They won the 1966 Melody Maker Beat Contest winning a one year record contract but had to record songs chosen for them rather than their own material and neither of their singles Heart Trouble Up And Down and Supermarket Full of Cans Don t Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart sold well 2 The Eyes moved from Decca to Mercury Records and recorded their first album Crossroads of Time in 1968 which was produced by Lou Reizner 2 The album included two tracks written by Graham Bond Crossroads of Time and Love is the Law who was a major influence on Ryan 3 and who also wrote the album sleeve notes 4 Despite poor sales the album was acknowledged as a major influence on the nascent Yes 3 Reizner then used The Eyes as the backing band for American singer songwriter Buzzy Linhart s album Buzzy 5 They collaborated with Quincy Jones on the score of the movie Toy Grabbers some tracks of which appear on their second album In Fields of Ardath 1969 2 and they also appeared in the movie Connecting Rooms 6 Through producer Lou Reizner Ryan began getting work as an arranger and wrote the string arrangements on Caetano Veloso s third self titled album called either his 1971 album or A Little More Blue The Eyes of Blue s third and final album Bluebell Wood was released under the pseudonym Big Sleep and the band broke up shortly afterwards In 1970 Ryan and Weathers joined Pete Brown amp Piblokto playing on one single Flying Hero Sandwich My Last Band When bassist Steve Glover broke his wrist he was replaced by Michael Will Youatt 7 and when Piblokto disbanded Ryan and Youatt together with Clive John who had just left Man formed the first incarnation of Iorworth Pritchard and the Neutrons Man edit In April 1972 Ryan and Youatt joined Man Clive John re joining at the same time 8 The band recorded Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day which received good reviews A party on 19 December 1972 with Dave Edmunds Help Yourself and others was issued as Christmas at the Patti a double 10 album which topped the budget album chart Man then recorded the double album Back into the Future half in the studio and half live at The Roundhouse 9 The album initially sold well rising to No 23 10 and was tipped to be album that would make the band but pressing was restricted by a lack of plastic during the 1973 oil crisis Neutrons edit Ryan and Youatt left Man in 1973 to re form the Neutrons Andrew Lauder head of A amp R at United Artists put the duo in Rockfield Studios where they began recording the first Neutrons album Black Hole Star To record the album Ryan and Youatt assembled several friends and former bandmates including drummers John Pugwash Weathers then with Gentle Giant and Dave Charles guitarists Martin Wallace and Ray Taff Williams who had been in Eyes of Blue and Piblokto violinist Stuart Gordon ex Incredible String Band and vocalist Caromay Dixon 11 The initial recordings were made at Rockfield Studios Snow Covered Eyes and Living In The World Today The rest of the album was recorded in April 1974 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios Released in September 1974 Black Hole Star featured Neutrons logo designed by Rick Griffin whilst the track Mermaid And Chips features the lyrics of Pete Brown The album spawned one single Dance of the Psychedelic Lounge Lizard Suzy and the Wonder Boy The A side being dedicated to Graham Bond whilst the B side was not on the album although it features Dave Edmunds on slide guitar 7 The second album Tales From The Blue Cocoons was released in April 1975 The performers were similar to the first album except Weathers was replaced by Stuart Halliday and Stuart Gordon did not play Ryan and Youatt were having musical differences so unlike the first album none of the tracks on the second were jointly written by the pair whilst the uncredited Welsh R Blunt dates from when Ryan was in Piblokto and had also been played but not recorded by Man Neutrons toured to promote the album but Taff Williams left shortly after the start of the tour so former Help Yourself guitarist Richard Treece stood in but Neutrons had disbanded by July 1975 Man again edit Ryan played on Clive John s solo album You Always Know Where You Stand With a Buzzard and briefly started a solo project Road of Cobras before rejoining Man in September 1975 along with bassist John McKenzie One of the Road of Cobras tracks Something is Happening ended up on the next Man album The Welsh Connection 11 which reached No 40 in the UK Album Chart 10 Towards the end of the US tour to promote the album Man s manager Barrie Marshall announced that he would be discontinuing his role as the band s manager and adopting all rights to the name Man On the farewell tour of Europe differences arose amongst the band who agreed to call it a day The MCA record deal was for 3 albums but MCA eventually agreed to a live farewell album All s Well That Ends Well recorded at the Roundhouse on 11 13 December although the final gig was in Slough on 16 December 1976 Pete Brown edit After Man s breakup Ryan started working with Pete Brown again and also toured with Gallagher and Lyle including a 1978 BBC In Concert session 12 Ryan moved to Denmark in 1980 where he met and married the writer and director Bolette Bernild 13 In the 1980s he wrote the score for the BBC Play For To Day Red Shift Although now living in Denmark Ryan continued a productive songwriting partnership with Pete Brown producing two Ryan Brown albums Ardours of the Lost Rake and Coals to Jerusalem They began touring in 1993 and a compilation of the two albums was issued on CD as The Land That Cream Forgot Ryan worked as a musical director and composer for many of the top Danish Theaters eventually becoming house composer for Comedievogen and the B amp U department of Denmark s Radio TV His long association with Pete Brown produced two more albums Road Of Cobras 2010 and Perils Of Wisdom 2014 Man yet again edit Ryan rejoined Man in 1996 playing on the albums 1998 at the Star Club 1998 and Endangered Species 2000 before leaving again in 2001 to look after his wife who was terminally ill Ryan rejoined Man in 2007 remaining with the core band when it split in two in 2008 and playing on the albums Kingdom of Noise 2009 and Reanimated Memories 2015 14 Despite suffering three heart attacks and a stroke 15 13 he continued playing and remained in Man until his death in Denmark on 30 April 2016 16 Discography editWith The Eyes of Blue Crossroads of Time 1968 reissued on CD by Cherry Red in November 2015 In Fields of Ardath 1969 Bluebell Wood 1971 issued under the pseudonym Big Sleep With Buzzy Linhart Buzzy 1969 With Ancient Grease Women and Children First 1970 With Pete Brown Flying Hero Sandwich My Last Band Pete Brown amp Piblokto My Last Band 1977 Pete Brown amp Piblokto Land That Cream Forgot 1996 Pete Brown amp Phil Ryan Coals to Jerusalem 2003 Pete Brown amp Phil Ryan Ardours of the Lost Rake 2003 Pete Brown amp Phil Ryan Road of Cobras 2010 Pete Brown amp Phil Ryan Perils of Wisdom 2014 Pete Brown amp Phil Ryan With John St Field Jackie Leven Control 1971 With Man Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day 1972 Christmas at the Patti 1973 Back into the Future 1973 The Welsh Connection 1976 All s Well That Ends Well 1977 Rare Man 1999 Live at the Rainbow 1972 1999 1998 at the Star Club 1999 Endangered Species 2000 Keep on Crinting The Liberty UA Years Anthology 2006 Live at the Keystone Berkeley 9 August 1976 2008 Kingdom of Noise 2009 Reanimated Memories 2015 With Neutrons Black Hole Star 1974 United Artists UAG 29652 Tales From the Blue Cocoons 1975 United Artists UAG 29726 reissued as a pair BGOCD 598 in 2003 With Clive John You Always Know Where You Stand with a Buzzard 1975 With The Flying Aces Seashell 2002 References edit a b Melody Maker article 10 November 1973 a b c Colin Larkin ed 1997 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music First ed Virgin Books p 186 ISBN 0 7535 0149 X a b Needs Kris 4 May 2016 Obituary Phil Ryan Team Rock Retrieved 5 May 2016 Crossroads of Time Remastered amp Expanded Edition Eyes Of Blue Cherry Red Records Archived from the original on 6 February 2017 Retrieved 5 May 2016 The Tapestry of Delights Vernon Joynson ISBN 1 899855 15 7 Allmusic Biography of Eyes of Blue by Bruce Eder Retrieved 7 February 2010 a b Sleeve notes by Michael Heatley to CD reissue of Black Hole Star Tales From The Blue Cocoons NME Biography of Man Retrieved 1 February 2010 Joynson Vernon 2006 The Tapestry of Delights Revisited Man 1st ed Telford Borderline productions pp 531 532 ISBN 1 899855 15 7 a b Chart Stats for Man Albums Retrieved 17 March 2009 a b Dutch Progressive Rock Pages on Neutrons written by Nigel Camilleri Retrieved 7 February 2010 Mannerisms II Man amp roots offshoots Information Booklet by Michael Mycock P19 a b Brown Pete 30 May 2016 Phil Ryan obituary The Guardian Retrieved 4 June 2016 Manband Archive listing current line up Retrieved 8 February Leonard Deke Phil Ryan Deke Leonard Retrieved 5 May 2016 Phil Ryan of Welsh Group Man 1946 2016 R I P Blurt 2 May 2016 Retrieved 4 May 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Phil Ryan musician amp oldid 1101001739 Eyes of Blue, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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