Hi there all you Ryanite prime number fanatics and welcome to our special difficult 23rd Online Ross Ryan/Coathanger Verbose Newsletter!

Ah .. how relative time flies and so on.

But of course, the really big news is that after months of Swiss hospitality and barcode procurement problems, Coathanger, in conjunction with EMI and Aztec Music, is pleased to announce the release of the slightly delayed all new Ross Ryan compilation CD.

According to the press release I'm still working on, 'The Difficult Third Compilation' is an album that charts not only the 35 year career of one of Australia's most well meaning performers, but also showcases the wide range of musical influences that have made Ross what he is today.

Track listing and info: D3C News item

For more than two years, Coathanger's market research department, using focus listening test groups, worked on the track section and track order.

We consulted hundreds of musicians, radio programmers, historians and members of our mailing list. Four decades of data based on Ross's past sales, radio airplay, TV/press coverage and audience attendance figures was also compiled and applied to market forecast projections.

Only then was the final list passed on to senior Coathanger management, selected media outlets and eventually, Ross.

For those of you who keep track of dates and calendars and such, you'll be well aware that Christmas is once again looming on the festive horizon.

You may even recall how Coathanger occasionally rises to the occasion to help you with your gift buying duties during this difficult time of year. Our free credit on the 'One Person Queue' album springs to mind as one of those once-in-a-lifetime gifts whereby your friends and family were immortalised with nary a concern as to whether they liked Ross and/or and his music. (For those who came in late, check out this link: One Person Yuletide)

This year, to help move Christmas sales of 'The Difficult Third Compilation', we are including, exclusively through Coathanger Merchandising, the 'Stuff' album; a special free bonus CD of rare Ross Ryan singles, demos, live recordings and various bits of silliness.

We are aware that many of you already own much of the material that's on 'The Difficult Third Compilation''. That's what makes this so perfect! You can buy 'D3C' for a friend and keep 'Stuff' for yourself! Everybody wins - especially you!

Download page

The new Ross Ryan single, from 'The Difficult Third Compilation', is a track especially recorded for the album - 'Queensland'.

And the best news is that Coathanger is making 'Queensland' available as a free mp3 download. That's right - zero cost - zilch - free!

A Christmas gift from Ross and your good buddies at Coathanger.

There is of course a certain non-enforceable moral obligation involved here. This being; that sometime in your life - or more to the point in Ross's - you have to attend at least one of his gigs, buy one of his CD's or arrange for the Queensland Tourist Bureau to licence the song from us for vast amounts of money.

How hard is that?

To celebrate the release of 'The Difficult Third Compilation', Coathanger's feisty web development team have exhaustively put together a pretty impressive collection of videos and Ryan memorabilia for you all.

As well as the free mp3 'Queensland' single, this new Multimedia part of our web site also includes Ross's track by track cover notes for the album - notes which he'll no doubt be pedantically revising on a daily basis ... sheesh, no wonder there's such a gap between albums!

However, it's probably our updated video collection that will be of most interest.

We've added more than a dozen new clips including Ross's first TV appearance in 1972 performing 'The Sounds of Peppermint' (featured on the 'Stuff' CD); videos from ABC shows 'Flashez' and 'Give 'Em Heaps' as well as a couple more clips from last year's Glen Combo gig at The New Capers here in Melbourne.

Expect this section of our site to be updated on what we euphemistically call a "regular basis".

Tour 2008 has drawn to a close.

This year there have been some real highlights. The tours of New Guinea and WA spring to mind as well as the dates throughout Victoria, especially at The New Capers in Hawthorn. Sadly, the mooted tour of Tasmania was postponed (now tentatively slated for March-April) plus, due to the world economic crisis and some problems we had with our broadband, Coathanger's touring division has had some difficulty making inroads into NSW and especially Queensland.

However the evolution, or if you prefer, the intelligent design, of Tour 2009 is now underway and we're pleased to confirm two gigs that have already emerged onto dry land.

We'll be in touch!

Ross was scheduled to play at the Moonee Valley Legends Bar in September but unfortunately a slight case of laryngitis caused the gig to be cancelled.

This time around we're confident Ross will be in fine form to kick off Tour 2009 with fellow Glen Combo members Roy and Ken.

Well folks that's me done!

A new Ross Ryan compilation; the 'Stuff' CD; the free 'Queensland' single and the beginning of Tour 2009. Whew! It's been a busy time - and I must admit I'm in dire need of a vacation.

Fortunately I've been invited to spend Christmas and New Years at the Palm Jumeirah Resort in Dubai before heading to Washington for the Obama inauguration. Then it's back to Glen Iris for the New Capers gig.

Have a fabulous and safe silly season!

Cheers

Connie Person
Femme Très Difficile
Coathanger Productions
constance@coathanger.com.au