On 29th July 1981 the first album [The Time] was released by Warner Bros. Records. The credits listed [Morris Day] (lead vocals), [Jesse Johnson] (guitar), [Terry Lewis] (bass), [Jellybean Johnson] (drums) as well as [Monte Moir] and [Jimmy Jam] (both keyboards) as the members of the band. The production credit is shared by [Morris Day] with a guy named Jamie Starr, who had been first introduced as an engineer on [Prince]'s 1980 album "Dirty Mind". Neither record nor sleeve contains any songwriting credits. The music itself bears all the hallmarks of [Prince]'s synth-based Minneapolis-Sound and it didn't take long before stories start to circulating at the press, that [Prince] himself was behind this project - writing all songs, playing mosts instruments and producing the complete album, only utilizing [Morris Day] to add some vocals on the final mix.[The Time] contains six songs. Cool is registered as a collaboration of [Prince] (music) with Desmond "Dez" Dickerson (lyrics). After hi school is registered to [Morris Day], yet it was actually written and demoed by Dez Dickerson. Similary The stick was originally written by Lisa Coleman, but it was registered to [Prince] (as Jamie Starr). Except for [Morris Day]'s songwriting credit to After hi School and Dez Dickerson's credit to Cool all the songs are registered sole to [Prince] (as Jamie Starr).
[Prince]'s involvement in [The Time] was strongly denied by all band members. [Morris Day], who claimed credit for creating the band and shaping it's slick look and cool attitude, was only willing to admit, that [Prince] had offered some guidance on the album. He also explained, that Jamie Starr was really an engineer who lived and worked in Minneapolis, while Steve Fargnoli (from [Prince]'s former management team Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli) did his best to support the story by pointing out in interviews, that Jamie was hard to get, because he was a kind of reclusive maniac. The truth was, that Jamie Starr was [Prince] in disguise and THE TIME was very much his own musical creation. The pseudonym enabled him to distance himself from this project, so THE TIME would stand or fall on its own. This also should allow the band to establish its own identity.
Undoubtedly [The Time] sounds like [Prince], but the emphasis is more on pure funk. Much like [Prince]'s albums at this time, the sound is very dominated by keyboards and the arrangements are spartan overall. Admittedly, the record has many weak points, but it provides good fun and entertainment without too much pretence. The album contains two rather melodic ballads, Girl and Oh, baby, and three tight funky mid-tempo songs Get it up, Cool and The stick, all stretching into extended jams, leaving plenty of room for guitar and synthesizer solos. In addition After hi school is a fast and bouncy but quickly forgettable pop effort.
Cool portraits [Morris Day] as a flamboyant womanizer, who "might dine in San Francisco and dance all night in Rome". Both, Get it up and Oh, baby, find him attempting to seduce a woman, while Girl depicts him as a desperate former lover who is doing his confused best to get back the girl that dumped him. After hi school is more serious and seems intended to balance the bravado of the other songs, asking "Hey you, what you gonna do after high school?". The stick introduces the famous signature phrases "What time is it?" and "Somebody bring me a mirror!". The song is an ode to masturbation, with [Morris Day] paying homage to his "stick". [Prince] has later returned to this masturbation theme in songs like "Jack U Off" (1981, from the album "Controversy"), "All the critics love U in New York" (1982, from the album "1999"), "Darling Nikki" (1984, from the album "Purple Rain"), "Tamborine" (1985, from the album "Around The World In A Day") as well as "Superfunkycalifragisexy" and "Rockhard in a funky place" (1987/1994, from the "Black Album").[The Time] became a big hit with going gold, that means more than 500,000 copies sold in only seven months - much better than [Prince]'s own 1980 album "Dirty Mind". The album hits position #7 at the Billboard R&B-Carts and position #50 at the Billboard Pop-Charts. Three singles were released: The debut Get it up hits #6 at the R&B-Carts, while the second single Cool made it to #7 at the R&B-Charts and #90 at the Pop-Charts. Less successful, the third single Girl only hits #39 at the R&B-Carts.
In many ways, [The Time] belonged to a new era in funk music. Their raunchy style with its pared-down and synth-oriented sound was far away from the mostly horn-based and elaborate funky music of the late '70s. THE TIME's stylish suits also seemed like a conscious attempt to get under way from the glamorous and outlandish outfits of many '70s funk acts. In an Interview [Morris Day] commented: "The black market has been starving for entertainers like us, who project a real image". What else to say ...
