What Time Is It?

by The Time

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	07/31/2015
Label:	Imports
UPC:	4943674212637

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Time   Primary Artist
Vanity 6   Guest Artist,Voices,Vocals (Background)
Terry Lewis   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background),Bass
Jesse Johnson   Guitar,Vocals,Drums (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Prince   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Monte Moir   Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Jellybean Johnson   Drums,Percussion
Jimmy Jam   Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Morris Day   Drums,Vocals
Susan Moonsie   Vocals
Kim Upsher   Vocals

Technical Credits

Peggy M.   Engineer,Engineer
The Starr Company   Producer
Terry Lewis   Composer
Jesse Johnson   Composer
Prince   Composer,Musician
Monte Moir   Composer
James Harris III   Composer
Don Batts   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Jamie Starr   Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Desmond Dickerson   Composer
Jellybean Johnson   Composer
Morris Day   Producer,Composer
Peggy McCreary   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
The Time   Composer
Al Beaulieu   Photography
Bernie Grundman   Mastering Engineer,Engineer,Mastering