By the time Ray Parker, Jr. had reached his late twenties, he was already a long-time veteran of the music industry. Not only had he worked as a session guitarist for many of the most prominent R&B and pop artists, he also had developed considerable skills as a songwriter and producer. In 1977, Ray and three other musicians formed Raydio, a collaboration which produced several top 40 hit singles, including "Jack and Jill," "You Can't Change That," and "Two Places at the Same Time" during the years 1978 to 1980.
A Woman Needs Love, the group's fourth album, was released in 1981. Credited to Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio, the title track became the group's most successful single. It was followed by "That Old Song," a smooth midtempo effort featuring Ray on lead vocals. The single peaked at #21 and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts respectively in the summer of 1981, and also gave the group their first Adult Contemporary chart hit, with a peak of #7.
"That Old Song" is included on the compilations Greatest Hits and The Best of Ray Parker, Jr., as well as A Woman Needs Love, available as an import. Listen to the track on YouTube:
2 comments:
I had never heard that one.
Definitely has that early-80's-don't-quite-know-which-way-music-is-going sound.
All in all, not too bad. Much better than "Jack And Jill". I just never liked that one.....
I remember "A Woman Needs Love" getting much more airplay on the Top 40 station I listened to back then than this one did. I'm not sure why there was such a difference, as the two songs are similar in style.
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