Interesting career... started playing in clubs at 12, toured with the Spinners and did Motown sessions as a teenager, Joined Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove band from '71-73 (That's his solo on "Maybe Your Baby") co wrote "You Got The Love" for Rufus and Chaka Khan, co-wrote hits with Barry White and Leo Sayer and was a guitarist on countless sessions (for example, Freda Payne's "Band of Gold", the Honeycombs' "Want Ads", Leo Sayer's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin' ", Marvin Gaye's " I Want You" ), then fronted his own band, Raydio, became a hit, went solo, and by 1982's The Other Woman, started to suck ...and by 1984's Ghostbusters, he sucked hard...

(actually, he ended up getting sued by Huey Lewis over Ghostbusters' similarity to " I Want A New Drug", although both were similar to M's "Pop Muzik".....they ended up settling out of court...)

anyway, my favorite ( Pre-suck) Ray Parker tracks:

You Got The Love
Jack and Jill
You Can't Change That
Honey I'm Rich
Rock On
More Than One Way To Love A Woman
Going Through School and Love
For Those Who Like To Groove
Two Places at the Same Time
[This message was edited Thu May 27 14:21:28 2004 by paligap]

paligap said:

I always hated that. The one song that got him the most attention was probably the worst song recorded by someone with his talent and credentials. But he did have one good song after that, I can't remember the name of it but he put it out in '87/88. I'll have to dig through my cassingles and find it.

paligap, you picked most of his best tunes there already and "For those who like to groove" is my jam!!! I would probably add "A woman need's love" 2 the list, even though it has been played to death by radio it still remains a splendid midtempo groover

but I wouldn't say everything he did since Ghostbusters sucked:

yes, the "Sex and the single man" album from 1985 was a crossover disaster (second only to "Dancing on the ceiling" maybe...) he smelled the BIG money and tried to be everybody out there: Michael, Prince & Lionel, but not himself!

but I DO think "I don't think that man should sleep alone" was great (I guess that's the single u meant, psykosoul) and the After Dark album did have some fine moments. Also his last solo album from 1991 was OK, at least he tried not selling out to the Top 40 market and aimed more at the commercial R&B sector.


I would love to have a new album by Ray, he's a damn great musician, no doubt!

My favorite Ray Parker Jr. songs,most of them recorded with Raydio...

Jack And Jill (1978)
More Than One Way To Love A Woman (1979)---this song is an underrated gem!!
You Can't Change That (1979)
Hot Stuff (1979)
Two Places At The Same Time (1980)
It's Time To Party Now (1980)
For Those Who Like To Groove (1980)
Tonight's The Night (1980)---NO slow jam tape would be complete without this jam!!
A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do) (1981)
It's Your Night (1981)
The Other Woman (1982)--yeah,this song was the start of his "pop phase",but it's still a good song
Let Me Go (1982)
Bad Boy (1983)
Jamie (1984)
I Don't Think That Man Should Sleep Alone (1987)
Over You with Natalie Cole (1987)
You Shoulda Kept A Spare (1987)
Perfect Lovers (1987)
After Dark (1987)

I have always been a fan of Ray.....One thing about Ray he always has a least one line in a song that truly stands out and some of those lines are even CLASSIC...

To me one of the greatest lines in R&B music history is the end of "Let Me Go" from his 1982 album The Other Woman.....

"Girl you KNOW your STUFF is so good I want MY name on it".....That's CLASSIC there baby!!!

I haven't heard anything in R&B since that can top that line!!!!

Brother 9/15
[This message was edited Fri May 28 5:08:57 2004 by BRO915]

Isn't Ghostbusters like - - the most overplayed song of one summer in history ??

Ray's music went downhill in the mid-80s (remember that awful "Girls Are More Fun" song?)but he bounced back in 1987 with one of his strongest albums,'After Dark'.This was considered a comeback for him,and it contained two excellent singles "I Don't Think That Men Should Sleep Alone" and a lovely duet with Natalie Cole "Over You".The rest of the album was filled with equally impressive (and remarkably soulful) jams that made it one of 1987's best R&B releases.He pretty faded away after this project though.

Ray was never the same after Raydio. Has anyone ever noticed how the focus on Ray seem to increase with each album cover. I knew the end was near when "A Woman Need Love" came out with Ray on the front and the rest of the guys on the back. I was pretty much done with him after "Woman Out of Contol". Only thing that even hinted at Raydio's sound was N2U2. It was down hill musically from that point on.

"Tonight's The Night (1980)---NO slow jam tape would be complete without this jam!! "

And David, you ain't lyin' here!

DavidEye said:

That's the one

Ray's turn on "Maybe Your Baby" is the most memorable of all his workl.
[This message was edited Fri May 28 12:01:42 2004 by namepeace]

He was/is a pretty darn good guitar player. Raydio was good...but the Ghostbuster's stuff was horrible. Unreal.

"...JACK WENT DOWN THE HE-ILL
(HE WENT DOWN THE HE-EE-ILL)
HE NEEDED LU-UH-UV (OH YES HE DID)
LOVE HE COUDN'T GET FROM JILL..."

That was my JAM when I was little...I swear, sometimes y'all are just TOO good with these songs!

"All I'm missing is you" is a song ray wrote and produced 4 Glenn medeiros' 1990 album. It was a single, song is alright actually! Bet u fans didn't know that one huh...

RPJ can't sing...but I love "Mr. Telephone Man" by New Edition, a song he wrote and produced.

intha916 said:

So tell Thomas Edison we don't need his lights
And remind Mr. Bell not to ring this phone tonight


you gotta love Ray's ad libs

I didnt know there was a time he didnt suck

bigonez said:

hehe, that is because you're much to young

Dancelot said:

You must be right, cause i only found out about him once Ghostbusters came out..