The Time Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
How frustrating it is that one of the most vital and dynamic bands of the 1980s, the Time, broke up after only three albums. When the Time reunited in 1990 after a six-year absence from the studio, there was excitement as well as cautious optimism in the R&B world. The big question: Would the chemistry still be there? And the answer turned out to be a definite "yes." Humorous, inventive, and unapologetically funky, Pandemonium is an excellent party album that's every bit as strong as its three predecessors. Leader Morris Day is as amusing and confident as ever, and the distinctive unit still used the influence of George Clinton and mentor Prince to great artistic advantage. Those who savored the Time's three previous albums will find that on gems like "Chocolate," "Jerk Out," and the rock-influenced "Blondie" (a fine vehicle for Jesse Johnson's electric guitar), the old magic asserts itself without hesitation. This is a disc that no fan of the Minneapolis sound should be without. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Essentially a side project for Prince in the wake of his tour with Rick James in support of Dirty Mind (1980), the Time made their self-titled album debut in 1981, a few months before the release of Controversy. The band's lineup is listed as Morris Day (vocals), Jesse Johnson (guitar), Terry Lewis (bass), Jimmy Jam (keyboards), Monte Moir (keyboards), and Jellybean Johnson (drums) -- all from the same Minneapolis music scene as Prince -- though reportedly all the music heard on The Time was performed by Prince with the exception of the vocals and a couple synthesizer solos. Moreover, Prince wrote all but one of the songs. None of this information is evident in the liner notes, however (at least not on the initial edition), as the only sign of Prince's involvement is a production credit for Jamie Starr, one of his pseudonyms. The origin of the Time -- and subsequently Vanity 6 -- came about because Prince was a prolific artist and his record label, Warner Brothers, recognizing this, gave him its contractual blessing to create side projects. This worked out well for Prince since he was able to release music in addition to his proper solo recordings, and he would have himself an opening band for his tours. The Time may have not written or performed the music on their self-titled debut, but they were fully capable of performing it live on-stage as Prince's opening act. Far from a bunch of stage actors, the Time was actually a talented bunch: Morris Day would prove himself a charismatic frontman and had previously co-written "Partyup" for Dirty Mind; Jesse Johnson would develop as a virtuosic guitarist; and most accomplished of all, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam would become a first-rate production duo, helming Janet Jackson's Control in 1986, among many other projects. As for the album itself, The Time is short on material, featuring only six songs, a couple of them quite slight, but there are a few truly fantastic songs here on a par with Prince's best work of the era, namely "Get It Up," "Cool," and "The Stick," all extended synth-funk jams in the eight-to-ten-minute range. Successive albums by the Time would be more typical of the band itself, yet The Time is no less noteworthy for the lack of the band's involvement; in fact, this debut release is especially noteworthy for Prince fans enamored of his Dirty Mind-era output, for the music here feels like a session of outtakes as sung by Morris Day. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Time's second album, What Time Is It?, is similar in many ways to The Time (1981), except better all-around, boasting three extended synth-funk jams ("Wild and Loose," "777-9311," "The Walk") that surpass those on the preceding album, plus a humorously wonderful ballad, "Gigolos Get Lonely Too," that tops any of those on the band's eponymous debut. In terms of similarities, both What Time Is It? and The Time are largely the work of Prince with the exception of the vocals, which are sung instead by Morris Day. Jesse Johnson (guitar), Terry Lewis (bass), Jimmy Jam (keyboards), Monte Moir (keyboards), and Jellybean Johnson (drums) are again listed as bandmembers, and though they certainly performed this material live in-concert as Prince's opening act, it's questionable how much musical input they had in the recording studio. Prince reportedly performed every note of music heard here except the vocals, though there's no evidence of that in the liner notes (at least not on the initial edition), as the only sign of his involvement is a production credit for Jamie Starr, one of his pseudonyms. Another similarity between What Time Is It? and The Time is the slim song offerings -- only six songs on each album, and though half the songs approach ten minutes in length, there are slight offerings on each album, "Onedayi'mgonnabesomebody" thankfully the only inconsequential song here. Any way you measure it, What Time Is It? is undoubtedly the better of the two albums, and the Time's most fully developed album overall, if not their flat-out best. Sure, there are only six songs, but five of them are fantastic, especially "777-9311," and the album itself sounds much more fully produced than its predecessor. Any fan of Prince's early-'80s work, particularly 1999 (1983), will find much to enjoy on What Time Is It? ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Time's third and final album before the band splintered into three different camps, Ice Cream Castle is yet another six-song offering highlighted by a cache of fantastic songs ("Ice Cream Castle," "Jungle Love," "The Bird") offset by some slight material (the Morris Day features "Chili Sauce" and "If the Kid Can't Make You Come") that essentially serves as filler. As was the case on the Time's previous two albums, Prince reportedly performed all of the music except for Morris Day's vocals and Jesse Johnson's guitar, though there's no evidence of that in the liner notes (at least not on the initial edition), as the only sign of Prince's involvement is a production credit for Jamie Starr, one of his pseudonyms. On the other hand, Ice Cream Castle does explicitly state in the liners that "all jams [were] written" by Morris Day except "Jungle Love," which was written in conjunction with Jesse Johnson. So, again, it's unclear who did what -- Prince, the Time, or some of both. (One thing's for sure: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis weren't involved with the album, having been replaced by Mark Cardenez, St. Paul Peterson, and Jerry Hubbard, reportedly for missing a concert on account of a blizzard.) Regardless of who did what, there's plenty to enjoy on Ice Cream Castle, which stylistically sounds akin to Prince's Purple Rain. As it should -- both albums were recorded around the same time, and Ice Cream Castle was released only a week after the film Purple Rain, which prominently featured Morris Day in the role of the antagonist and also featured the Time as his band (both "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" are heard in the film). Despite its half-greatness, Ice Cream Castle marked the end of the Time in its original incarnation, for the band acrimoniously splintered into three camps: Morris Day mounted a solo career, debuting with Color of Success (1985); Jesse Johnson mounted a solo career also, debuting with Jesse Johnson's Revue (1985); and remaining Time members Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and St. Paul Peterson formed a group called the Family, debuting with a 1985 self-titled album. The original members of the Time would eventually reunite in 1990 for the Pandemonium album and the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
