Rock On is the second album by Raydio, released in 1979 on Arista Records.[1] The album reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 45 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[2][3] Rock On was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[4]
| Rock On | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Funk, soul, rock | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | Ray Parker Jr. | |||
| Raydio chronology | ||||
| ||||
History
editLike the debut, it features eight tracks, most of which were written by Ray Parker Jr. It reached a peak of number 45 on the charts and featured two singles; one of them being "You Can't Change That", which was another top ten pop hit, peaking at number 9. The other single, "More Than One Way to Love a Woman", failed to chart on pop, but did make number 25 on R&B.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[6] |
| Melody Maker | (favourable)[7] |
Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described Rock On as "lively and fun".[8] Ace Adams of the New York Daily News wrote, "This is the group that had the big hit 'Jack and Jill', and this album shows them at their best. It has an instant funk sound that will please their fans, plus sparkling vocals and good instrumental interplay."[9] The Bay State Banner wrote that, "by settling for imitating everything from rock to Chic, Ray Parker has Raydio floundering around with poor songs, cutesy lyrics and no direction."[10] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave Rock On a B+ grade, writing, "Ray Parker's idea is to synthesize the old black-music tradition of the male vocal group with the new one of the self-contained funk band, and here he proves that he has what it takes as a composer to keep the idea going. None of these songs stands out like 'Is This a Love Thing' and 'Me' did on the debut, but every one is danceable/listenable fun."[6]
Craig Lytle of AllMusic remarked: "To be taken seriously as an R&B group and to shake the stigma of their nursery rhyme hit 'Jack and Jill' (their debut single), Raydio answers the call on this album with two Billboard R&B singles."[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Ray Parker Jr.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What You Waitin' For" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Hot Stuff" | 5:14 |
| 3. | "You Can't Change That" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Rock On" | 5:05 |
| 5. | "More Than One Way to Love a Woman" | 5:44 |
| 6. | "When You're in Need of Love" | 6:13 |
| 7. | "Goin' Thru School and Love" | 4:14 |
| 8. | "Honey I'm a Star" | 3:39 |
Personnel
editRaydio
edit- Arnell Carmichael – vocals
- Darren Carmichael – vocals
- Ray Parker Jr. – vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, guitars, bass
- Charles Fearing – guitars
- Larry Tolbert – drums, percussion
Additional Personnel
edit- Sylvester Rivers – acoustic piano
- Ollie E. Brown – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Jack Ashford – percussion
- Norma Jean Bell – saxophones
- Horatio Gordon – saxophones
- Ken Peterson – trumpet, backing vocals
- Cheryl Brown – backing vocals
- Valorie Jones – backing vocals
- Franci Pearlman – backing vocals
Production
edit- Ray Parker Jr. – producer, engineer, mixing
- Bernie Grundman – mastering at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
Charts and certifications
editCharts
edit| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 65 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs[3] | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs[2] | 45 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [12] |
US R&B [13] |
US A/C [14] | ||
| 1979 | "You Can't Change That" | 9 | 3 | 25 |
| "More Than One Way to Love a Woman" | — | 25 | — | |
Certifications
edit| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| U.S. RIAA | Gold[4] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Raydio: Rock On. Arista Records. 1979.
- ^ a b "Raydio: Rock On (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Raydio: Rock On (Billboard Top Soul Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Raydio: Rock On". riaa.com. RIAA.
- ^ a b {{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-on-mw0000876921%7Ctitle=Raydio: Rock On|author=Lytle, Craig|website=AllMusic
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Sigerson, Davitt (April 28, 1979). Raydio: Rock On (Arista). Melody Maker.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert (May 6, 1979). "Disk Derby: Have You Met Miss Jones?". newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. p. 416.
- ^ Adams, Ace (April 27, 1979). "Raydio: Rock On". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 112.
- ^ Lane, George (12 Apr 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 27. p. 16.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 247. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Raydio: Hot 100". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Raydio: Hot Soul Songs". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Raydio: Adult Contemporary Songs". billboard.com. Billboard.