Paul Reynolds (musician)

Paul Reynolds (born 4 August 1962) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the new wave band A Flock of Seagulls. He is highly praised for having a unique guitar sound that differentiated his band from others of the time.

Early life

Paul Reynolds was born on 4 August 1962 in Liverpool. In his teens, Reynolds always enjoyed playing the guitar, but in his spare time he enjoyed writing, drawing and was also an amateur photographer.

Career

Paul briefly joined a local Liverpool band called Visual Aids.
Then at the age of seventeen, he joined the new wave band A Flock of Seagulls, a few months after the band was formed, and came to replace the original guitarist Willie Woo. The group's popularity soared in the early 1980s with the release of " (It's Not Me) Talking," and in 1982 the song "I Ran (So Far Away)" was a hit in the US and at home. By the time he was 21, the band had released an album, won a Grammy Award, got two more hit singles, and had embarked on a worldwide tour. Reynolds, whose "textural wash" contributed significantly to the group's sound, was praised for his "echo-laden" "unique guitar style", which differentiated A Flock of Seagulls from other synth-heavy bands of the period.

Reynolds left the band in 1984, after the release of '' The Story of a Young Heart'', two years before the band broke up. When it was reformed in 1989 by singer Mike Score, Reynolds and the remaining members decided not to rejoin. Reynolds and his fellow ex-members did, however, reunite with Score for a one-off performance in London in 2003 for VH1's ''Bands Reunited'' television program. Before the performance, Reynolds was interviewed about why he left the band; he claimed that he was too young for the "rock 'n' roll lifestyle" and that he was exhausted from all of the performances.

In 2018, Reynolds and the other original members of the band met with Mike Score to record a new album, the first with the complete classic line-up since 1984, entitled '' Ascension''. The album features the main songs from the band's career accompanied by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2019, Reynolds reunited with his former music companions to record an album called ''Inflight (The Extended Essentials)''.

At the beginning of the year 2020 Paul Reynolds suffered a stroke and was admitted to the hospital.

Equipment

Reynolds played several guitars, including his 1980 Kramer XL-5, mostly used for performances between 1980 and 1984. His XL-5 was a uniquely shaped walnut-bodied electric with an aluminum-framed neck with wooden inserts.

Another guitar that stood out was his red Gibson Firebird Studio, often used live to play songs like Wishing (If I Had a Photograph You). It was also used in the clips for Wishing, Space Age Love Song and The More You Live The More You Love.

Paul has also played two different Fender Stratocasters. A black one was used in the Transfer Affection clip which he also played live during the band's return tours in 2004. Reynolds used a naturally-finished Strat in the clip for Space Age Love Song with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018.

Reynolds also had a synthesized Roland G-808 guitar with a wood finish that was used exclusively for the songs, which are supposed to be done across the border.

Two more guitars Raynes used during his tours alongside A Flock Of Seagulls were a special 1981 Fender Telecaster Black and Gold, which can be seen in the clip for "Never Again (The Dancer)" and a blue Vantage Avenger that was used in programs and TV.

Reynolds also used a Roland Jazz Chorus-120 amplifier on tour during the 1980s and a Marshall Lead 100 Mosfet used in the clip Space Age Love Song in with Orchestra in 2018.

For instrumental performances such as "D.N.A," Reynolds used a ProCo The Rat in his performances, this distortion pedal was used a lot when Reynolds was in the band in 1979 and 1984.

Paul also had his studio equipment that was often used in concerts, including the Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo and Roland Chorus Echo SRE-555 that were used on the band's first three albums.

When Paul returned to a band in the early 2000s, Paul used the Lace Sensor Red, Silver, Blue Pickup Set pickups on his Stratocaster.

Inspired by one of his guitar heroes, Brian May, Paul used an old pre-decimal British coinage British shilling piece to play, in place of a plectrum. This also contributed to his unique guitar tone.

One of the most famous effects accessories used by Reynolds was the Ebow Sound Heet, which was used to make endless harmonics and sharps, Reynolds made several solos with this accessory, as in the songs, Wishing (If I had a Photograph You), Nightmares, The fall, Don't ask me, European (I wish I was) and among other songs, all of these performed live.

Discography

* ''A Flock of Seagulls'' (1982)
* ''Listen'' (1983)
* '' The Story of a Young Heart'' (1984)
* '' Ascension'' (2018)
*''String Theory'' (2021)

References

External links

*

Paul Reynolds
at MySpace

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Paul
1962 births
British male guitarists
Living people
English rock guitarists
English new wave musicians
Musicians from Liverpool
A Flock of Seagulls members