"The Hunt" is a song by Barry Ryan, released as a single in September 1969. It peaked at number 34 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Release and reception

"The Hunt" was Ryan's first single for

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. His previous few singles " Eloise" and " Love Is Love" had been very successful and like them "The Hunt" was written by Barry's brother

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

. However, Barry was "bitterly disappointed... with the relative failure of "The Hunt" in Britain and could only really put it down to the fact that the number was too complicated", with Paul adding that it "was not an easy number for people to catch on to". Reviewing for ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', Derek Johnson wrote that "on the debit side of this disc, we have the fact that it's another Paul Ryan song is in much the same expansive style as "Eloise", and lacking the melodic content that would enable the youngsters to whistle it in the streets. On the credit side is an incredible dynamic performance by Barry; a scorching up-tempo pace; and a magnificently-scored arrangement that's almost overpowering in its impact". Peter Jones for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' wrote that "though there are signs of yet another massive production, in fact this Is a much simpler sort of sound – and for me, it has hit written all over it. Barry is sometimes much-maligned, but fact is that Paul writes good stuff for him, and no expense is spared in making his singles "complete" productions. Once this gets over the first over-done bit, it's a jogging impacty piece". Reviewing for ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'',

Carl Wayne Carl Wayne (born Colin David Tooley; 18 August 1943 – 31 August 2004) was an English singer and actor. He is best remembered as the lead singer of The Move in the 1960s. Early days Wayne was born in Winson Green, Birmingham, and grew up in ...

the Move The Move were a British rock band of the late 1960s and the early 1970s. They scored nine top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the United States. For most of their caree ...

described it as "a tremendous performance. The whole record, and the song, is just a stepping stone away from being a great record. But it tends to fall into a position of uncertainty. The production seems too light and not dramatic enough for what is going on".

Track listing

# "The Hunt" – 2:59 # "Oh, for the Love of Me" – 3:02

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt 1969 singles 1969 songs Polydor Records singles Songs written by Paul Ryan (singer)