"RAY PARKER, JR. - The Heritage Collection," is a bit of a revelation. Parker, whose "Ghostbusters" single was his biggest seller -- and, ultimately, the downfall of his career -- was all over the radio in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with songs like "The Other Woman," "Jack and Jill," and "Bad Boy." He was in the right place at the right time. The demographers were all over the radio industry, and, rebelling against the drug-laden psychedelia of the late 1960s, there was a trend toward "lite rock" programming -- a niche which Parker fit into comfortably and perfectly.

Parker, while clean-cut and handsome, was not particularly blessed with a good or strong voice, and was smart enough to know it. He accordingly wrote and recorded seductive songs well-suited to his limited range. Parker's singles were always lushly produced with just enough of a groove to them to keep things mildly interesting. His arrangements were ultimately, however, little more than recycled, water-down Zapp (it is a wonder that Roger Troutman didn't sue over "For Those Who Like to Groove"). Parker's lyrics, however, ranged from loving, "A Woman Needs Love," to scatological "Two Places at the Same Time, " "Bad Boy," to, in retrospect, downright creepy. "I Still Can't Get Over Loving You" would never get played in the present political climate. Parker, however, usually knew who his audience was -- women, women, and women. If, in the mid-1970s, a man walked into a woman's apartment in the evening and she was playing a Ray Parker, Jr., CD, he could reasonably be assured that tonight was gonna be the night.

Parker's career peaked with the release of "Ghostbusters," the enormously popular theme song of the enormously popular movie of the same name. The song was overplayed on the radio and on MTV, and was sung on every playground in the country. Repeatedly. Parker, for whatever reason, never got his groove, or his original audience, back after "Ghostbusters."

Parker's place in the music of the 1970s is probably underrated. The Heritage Collection, containing all of hits (including, unfortunately, "Ghostbusters") goes a long way toward correcting this potential injustice. There is a timelessness about these songs that belie their age and make one wonder where Ray Parker, Jr. is today. And what he is doing. Recommended.