Has it really been since 2023 since I last jumped into The Time? Jay and Silent Bob get it.
In the early 80's, Prince wanted to explore other areas of music, while retaining the styles he had built the foundation of his career on. For this, he exercised a clause in his contract with Warner Brothers to recruit and produce new talent, forming The Time.
They were formed from the foundation of existing group, Flyte Tyme, which consisted of Alexander O'Neal, Anton (Tony) Johnson, David Eiland, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam, Monte Moir, and Terry Lewis. However, after asking too many questions about the business and finances during a contract meeting, Prince would end up firing O'Neal, replacing him with childhood friend, Morris Day. Around this time, Jesse Johnson also joined.
Jerome Benton would be the final member to join the band, but not as a musician. Instead, he served as Day's onstage comedic foil. He famously got the role when during a rehearsal or show (it's not been confirmed which), Day asked for a mirror. Benton ripped one off the wall in the club's restroom and brought it onstage to him.
Since this was merely an offshoot for him, Prince's fingerprints are all over this album. He not only played the majority of the instruments on it but recorded most of the guide tracks for Day, while remaining heavily on backing vocals. Not to mention that all the songs were written by him. Basically, this was just another Prince album, but one from an era that I'm personally not too fond of.
This is why, unfortunately, I didn't really get into it. I don't particularly like his first two albums, For You (1978), and Prince (1979). Further, 1980's Dirty Mind, and 1981's Controversy are pretty hit or miss for me. Basically, I'm more of a pop Prince fan, which this album has none of.
I did not hear any songs that necessarily stood out, and this was disappointing because I really wanted another Ice Cream Castle. Not getting that left me in a 50 / 50 scenario. I want to jump into their follow-up, 1982's What Time Is It? However, at the same time, I don't. I mean, I will, but I'm not really feeling all that enthusiastic about it.
The Time were invited to open for Prince And The Revolution in 1982 for the Controversy tour. However, a rivalry soon spurred, with Day trying to get his band to outperform Prince's band. This was all sparked by the group's frustration with lack of input on their albums and being underpaid. Ever the comedian, Prince responded by throwing eggs at them from offstage, and then handcuffing Johnson to a coatrack backstage.
When Prince took the stage, he demanded no interruptions, which was met by a food fight. When the "battle" continued at the hotel, Prince held Morris personally responsible, making him pay for all damages.
Despite all of this, Prince and Morris remained good friends. Sure, the competitive music rivalry was still there, but they were still friends, nonetheless.
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