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Even though Prince’s control-freak tendencies made him itch to play every instrument himself in his first band, Grand Central Corporation, friend and guitarist Morris Day swung his swanky balls around enough to earn a place in the little guy’s future collaborative royalty. Day’s song “Partyup” ended up on Prince’s genre-ravaging Dirty Mind (the first R&B LP any punk owned), and Day was repaid with his own band, The Time, a funk-rock powerhouse that was the first of Prince’s many post-success pet projects. The Time was the unbridled id of Paisley Park, and the group’s 1981 self-titled debut was led by choice workouts like “Cool” and “Get It Up.” The band dressed like dandy new wave pimps and featured geniuses like Terry Lewis and Jimmy “Jam” Harris. When Prince had The Time open for him on a tour with The Rolling Stones, The Time’s vibrant grooves and comedic energy tended to make the Purple One purple with jealousy before he hit the stage. As goofy as their antics were, The Time’s masculine excesses kept it raw. Despite masterpieces like “Jungle Love,” The Time never got too huge, but then again, we know punks who traded in their LPs after Purple Rain and held on to the bold funk jams of their Time sides.
