What Time Is It?

Whilst Ice Cream Castle may contain The Time’s most familiar work, What Time Is It? certainly houses their best. Prince, albeit hiding in plain sight as Jamie Starr, not only wrote most of it he also plays every instrument throughout. What Time Is It? delivers the stalwarts in The Time’s all-too brief catalogue, kicking off with Wild And Loose a fantastically indulgent seven minute electro funk opener, which then slides into 777-9311 another 7-minute jam which features arguably Prince’s best bass riff laid down on record. And full credit to Jellybean Johnson used to play its hella tricky drum track live in concert. OnedayI’mgonnabesomebody turns up the pace and drives us to the legendary The Walk. Here Morris’ gigolo steps to the fore, and speaks that the immortal line “but, my ass” double entendre – clocking nine minutes it’s pure bliss. His brilliant arrogant confidence stakes claim as the best character in music. His gigolo’s insecurities turn to more reflective tone with this album’s best track, the outstanding Gigolos Get Lonely Too which is certainly for me The Time’s all-time greatest song. The fun is returned again with I Don’t Wanna Leave You, the 4th song in this six-track album to run over six minutes. What Time Is It? is a confident and absolutely solid entry with Prince’s first side project – who had nothing to fear keeping his name from this project, this stuff of legend became music’s worst kept secret. Hail Prince and long live The Time.