Search - The Time :: The Time

How to form a funk band in 6 easy lessons with just 1 member

29-year old wallflower | West Lafayette, IN | 07/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 1981, Prince was still very much a critical darling with a fan base that was small compared to the worldwide one he would win in just a few years. But apparently, the Purple One had a considerable amount of clout even in his pre-stardom days, for that is how one of the greatest funk bands of the 1980s got started, with just one member & his mentor playing the music under a pseudonym. That eventually turned into The Time.The story goes that Morris Day, an old high school friend of Prince's, wrote the lyrics to "Partyup" on Prince's landmark DIRTY MIND album (1980) & in exchange for giving Prince full credit on the song, he would help form a band & get them a deal with Warner Brothers Records. Needless to say, the band hadn't formed yet when THE TIME (1981) was recorded, but that didn't stop Morris & Jamie Starr (one of Prince's numerous stage names) from laying down a promising, if very skeletal, base for one of the 1980s most unsung acts.Naturally, uptempo & highly suggestive funk is the order of the day on THE TIME, which makes sense because this turned out to be the band's strong point. "Get It Up" & "The Stick" leave very little to the imagination & could easily have found their way onto DIRTY MIND, fleshing out (dirty pun not intended) that criminally short (only 30 minutes) masterpiece. Of course, the main problem with these songs is that they drag on too long, for close to 9 minutes. For dance floor junkies, that might be a good sign, but for fans of the music (like myself), too much of a good beat can get pretty exhausting after a while.One song actually justifies its long length & that's "Cool". Predating "1999" of the next year with its spelling out of the song title, nobody can resist shouting out "C-O-O-L!" (a la "YMCA") while getting down on the floor. Just edging the 10-minute mark, the beat on this song is one that's almost impossible to get tired of. I can imagine this is still a popular tune when the Time plays this in concert.But like the Ohio Players (which the Time could probably be called '80s versions), their attempts at balladry remain quite underrated amidst all the loud, screaming funk that was their forte. "Girl" & "Oh, Baby" (which could have been the title for any of the songs on this album) aren't half-bad tries at slow jams & I'm sure provided dancers with the cool-off they needed after all the whiplash-inducing funk. "After Hi School" is one song on the album that can best be called filler, it not having much of an identity to stand out from the pack.That's what happened before a band called Flytetime was recruited by Morris Day to become The Time. But to give the public the notion that a band really was formed, the cover photos were apparently taken before the album was released & after the band was recruited. That's the music business for you! Nevertheless, The Time would truly go on to provide some of the most infectious & well-crafted funk of the 1980s in their short career. They only lasted two more albums, WHAT TIME IS IT? (1982) & ICE CREAM CASTLE (1984), before calling it quits.Morris Day & guitarist Jesse Johnson went on to have moderately successful solo careers; drummer Jellybean Johnson & keyboardist Monte Moir (the band's only White member) would have more success behind the scenes writing & producing. It's quite obvious what keyboardist Jimmy Jam Harris & bassist Terry Lewis did after the Time, going on to become one of the most successful & in-demand production teams of the 1980s & beyond.But the differences apparently were mended by the start of the 1990s when The Time reformed to record the acclaimed PANDEMONIUM (1990) album. Finally, they got the wide commercial success they long deserved with "Jerk-Out" topping the R&B charts & actually making the pop top 10. From what I hear, the Time still reforms occasionally for live gigs, but it would be so great to have them get back in the studio. Better yet, they can have the production genius of Jam & Lewis behind the boards as well as out front. Well, until that happens, we'll have the Time's short-yet-fantastic output to enjoy, even if their "debut" was essentially a demo that managed to find release as an actual album."

What Band Is It.......................................

BEETLBUG | Toledo, Ohio USA | 12/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can be said for the Time's dubut album? IT'S NOT THEM (sorry if this disappoints you). This album was produced arranged recorded and mixed before the BAND was even put TOGETHER. Yes that's Morris singing lead but do you reconize the rest of the voices and the music (it's prince). Those of us who were into Prince thought it was a Prince album when it first came out (remember??) When Jesse (Johnson) first heard it (the album) he was like who is that?? It's rumored that Prince helped give birth to the Time for the following reasons 1,Morris wrote and gave partyup (off the dirty mind album) to Prince. 2,Being friends and old band members (don't quote me but I believe they called themselves Grand Central) he was helping a fellow musician out. 3.Having a major piece of the band didn't hurt his (Prince) pockets either. In spite all of this they turned out to be one of the greatest bands (in my opinion) of all times. Had not Jimmy Jam and Terry fallen out with Prince over money for not only playing for themselves but Vanity 6 as well or being late to practice (or whatever it was) could you imagine the hits this band would have put out (Janet Jackson's pockets would have been a whole lot lighter) Truthfully speaking I think Prince was scared of what they were becoming for they had gained on him in popularity by their second album. In closing let's not say it's their debut album but their letter of introduction."

Move Over Prince-It;'s TIME 2 Party!

Andre' S Grindle | Bangor,ME. | 07/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes this is more or less a Prince album in most respects but who cares-Morris Day's sexual energy and slicky vocals make
"The Time" one of the most exciting deuts I've heard."Get It Up",
"Cool" and "The Stick" are the same tight,dancable and suggestive funk numbers as Prince was churning out at the time except drawn out to gagantuan preportions,leaving everyone begging for more.An unusual highlite would be the mainstream
new-wave rock of "After High School".Two ballads may seem to sink
the mood but with "Girl" especially,varriate the sexy mood.A great way to start an albeit temporary career."