The Time (The Time album)

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The Time
Studio album by The Time
Released	July 29, 1981
Recorded	April 1979, April 1981
Genre	Minneapolis sound, funk, post-disco, R&B
Length	42:34
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Prince (as Jamie Starr), Morris Day
The Time chronology
The Time (1981) What Time Is It? (1982)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

The Time is the 1981 debut album by The Time. The album proper was produced and arranged by Prince (using the moniker Jamie Starr) The Time produced three singles: "Get It Up", "Cool" and "Girl", with the first two charting within the top ten on the R&B charts. "Cool" was covered by Snoop Dogg for his ninth album, Ego Trippin'.

Recording[]

Although the individual members of The Time are credited with instrumentation, in reality the music was almost entirely performed by Prince. The only instrumental performance not by Prince was by Doctor Fink, who played synth on "Cool". Morris Day sang lead vocals, replacing Prince's guide vocals.

The credits list the recording studio as the fictional "Time Studio", but recording took place in Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, Minnesota, USA during April 1981. "Oh, Baby" had originally been recorded during the Prince album sessions from late April to 13 June 1979, at Alpha Studios, Burbank, California, USA, but the version on the album is from the April 1981, sessions.

The album was mixed at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California, in late April 1981.

Commercial performance[]

The album peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top Soul LPs charts. The album spent a total of 32 weeks on the Billboard 200 and 45 weeks on the R&B Albums chart. The album was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing[]

Note that the original LP and singles give no writer credits, only stating that "All Jams Published by Tionna Music". However, all compositions were registered with ASCAP, and the writer credits are derived from that source.^[1]

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Get It Up"	Prince	9:05
2.	"Girl"	Prince	5:34
3.	"After Hi School"	Dez Dickerson	4:20

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
4.	"Cool"	Prince, Dickerson	10:06
5.	"Oh, Baby"	Prince	4:57
6.	"The Stick"	Prince	8:23

Personnel[]

• Produced by Morris Day and "Jamie Starr" (Prince)
• Recorded, engineered and mixed by Prince (as "Jamie Starr")
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman
• Vocals - Morris Day
• All instruments (except as noted), backing vocals - Prince
• Synth solos on "Cool" - Dr. Fink
• Background vocals on "Cool" - Lisa Coleman (Uncredited)

Singles and chart placings[]

• "Get It Up" (#6 R&B)

1. "Get It Up" (Edit)
2. "After Hi School"

• "Cool" (#7 R&B, #90 Pop)

1. "Cool" (Edit)
2. "Cool" (Part 2)

• "Girl" (#49 R&B)

1. "Girl" (Edit)
2. "The Stick" (Edit)

Charts[]

Chart (1981)	Peak position
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape	50
US Billboard Top Soul LPs	7

Certifications[]

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[2]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

External links[]

• The Time lyrics
• "The Time" at discogs