What Time Is It? (album)

Infobox Album | Name = What Time Is It?
Type = Album
Artist = The Time


Released = August 25, 1982
Recorded = December 1981 – July 1982
Genre = Funk, R&B, Pop
Length = 38:46
Label = Warner Bros.
Producer = Morris Day, The Starr ★ Company
Reviews =
Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ad57gjurj6ic link]
Last album = "The Time"
(1981)
This album = "What Time Is It?"
(1982)
Next album = "Ice Cream Castle"
(1984)

"What Time Is It?" is a 1982 album by The Time. Like the band's preceding debut album, "What Time Is It?" consists of six tracks in the funk-pop or ballad genre.

The album was once again produced & arranged by Prince as The Starr ★ Company. All tracks were written by Prince (as Jamie Starr) except for "Wild and Loose", co-written with Dez Dickerson. Prince performed all instruments, lead and background vocals with Morris Day adding additional lead vocals and some additional background vocals on "Wild and Loose" and "The Walk" by Vanity 6. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound and Prince's home studio in the Minneapolis suburbs.

The album's title comes from an exclamation by Morris Day, which had become the band's catchphrase, appearing frequently on the band's debut album, as well as during live shows. In addition to the songs on the album, 3 outtakes were recorded but not used: "Bold Generation", "Colleen" and "Jerk Out".

The album is even more accessible than its predecessor, mixing elements of rock and roll with funk. Armed with this new material, the band's live performances regularly outshined their headliner, Prince, and it is rumored that Prince dropped them from his "1999" tour to prevent being upstaged.

"What Time Is It?" produced three singles: "777-9311", "The Walk" and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too".

Track listing

#"Wild and Loose" – 7:32
#"777-9311" – 8:05
#"Onedayi'mgonnabesomebody" – 2:26
#"The Walk" – 9:31
#"Gigolos Get Lonely Too" – 4:41
#"I Don't Wanna Leave You" – 6:29

ingles and chart placings

*"777-9311" (#2 R&B, #88 Pop)
#"777-9311"
#"Grace" (non-album track) – "7" single"
#"The Walk" – "12" single"

*"The Walk" (#24 R&B, #104 Pop)
#"The Walk"
#"OnedayI'mgonnabesomebody" – "7" single"
#"777-9311" – "Japan 7" single"
#"I Don't Wanna Leave You" – "12" single"

*"Gigolos Get Lonely Too" (#77 R&B)
#"Gigolos Get Lonely Too"
#"I Don't Wanna Leave You"

Miscellanea

* An outtake from this album, "Jerk Out", was rejected by Morris Day for its lyrical content. Three years later, it was revived and recorded by Mazarati on their debut album, but didn't make the final cut. Five more years passed before it was reclaimed by The Time for their album "Pandemonium", with various changes, though Mazarati's backing vocals still appear in the song.
* During the song "D.M.S.R." on Prince's "1999" album, the lines "Jamie Starr's a thief / It's time to fix your clock" are sung during the bridge, possibly as a response to The Time's exploding fame.
* In an interview with "Bass Player" magazine, Prince stated that the bass line to "777-9311" could be considered his signature bass line because "no-one can play it like I can"; he said the same of "Let's Work" from his album "Controversy", calling a tie between them.
* Rapper Tupac Shakur sampled "777-9311" for his song "What'z Ya Phone #" on his diamond selling LP, "All Eyez On Me".
* K-Dee, a rapper affiliated with Ice Cube, sampled & had Morris Day lay vocals on his remake of "Giggalos Get Lonely 2" from his album "Ass, Cash or Grass-Nobody Rides for Free".
* Morris Day has appeared on many tracks making cameos, most recently on rapper Suga Free's song, "She Get What She Pay Foe", from his album "The New Testament-The Truth".

External links

* [http://www.dtt-lyrics.com/related/what.html "What Time Is It?" lyrics]