Heartache b/w It Will Take Time

When Michael Godin heard Craig Ruhnke's demos in 1980, he told him, "I love the songs but you're not producing them right." Godin had brought Ruhnke back to Irving/Almo, A&M's publishing arm, and he wanted the records to sound like top 40 records. In Ruhnke's words, MOR music "gets airplay but no sales." Godin took him into Manta Sound in Toronto with session players Barry Keane on drums, Tom Szczesniak on bass and Bob Mann on guitar. That date gave them two singles. 'You're a Heartbreaker' came out first and reached No. 10 on RPM's Adult Oriented Playlist that September. RPM had already named 'Heartache' as the next A&M A-side. The plan was three singles a year, and Ruhnke and his band were playing about 50 weeks a year around Ontario between releases.

On the B-side you hear how Ruhnke made records before Godin stepped in. He produced 'It Will Take Time' himself, the way he had produced his own records since his first single in 1974. The song first went out in 1979 on The Craig Ruhnke Band, an LP Irving/Almo pressed only for radio stations so programmers could hear his writing. It opened side two there, titled 'It'll Take Time'. At 2:05 it's one of the shortest songs he released.

Both songs went on Reach Out in 1981. 'Heartache' came back on Just Like the Old Times in 1982 and again on The Craig Ruhnke Collection Volume 1 in 1991.

-Robert Williston