Yeah, they are two completely different sounding groups but since The Family consisted of a few members of The Time and everyone was expecting this group to be the replacement group after The Time broke up, I think it deserves a good versus thread. Also, they are both funk even though they are completely different.

Which group do you like better and were you pleased or disappointed with The Family when the album first came out?

I prefer The Time 50 times more than The Family and was very disappointed with The Family when they first came out. The Time pisses all over that classical shit.
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[Edited 2/7/07 11:18am]

Well, they are 2 completely different bands and so their sound was different. I wouldn't call The Family a funk band by any means, I'd call them a fusion of R&b/Jazz with some pop vibe to boot. I'd take The Family when I wanna hear some cool ass string arrangement and love vibe and I'll take the time when I'm hangin' with the fellas and we're on the hunt for some bitches

Apples 2 Oranges to me and I love them both...but since we have to do a versus..

(1a) The Time

(1b) The Family

vainandy said:

I don't think this comparison is fair.

I will take The Time overall, but if I were to rank individual albums, it would be in this order:

1. What Time Is It?
2. Pandemonium
3. The Family
4. The Time
5. Ice Cream Castle

grammar edit
[Edited 2/7/07 16:39pm]

The Time has to win, simply because they did more, but the Family comes across to me as less cartoony, which is a plus. I haven't heard their album in a while, though.

I think the Time misses out on respect because they are perceived as something of a joke.

Definately THE TIME.

However, I am glad that The Family is back.

I prefer The Time,and yes,I was pleased with the Family's abum!

The Time

a better comparison would be The Time vs.Mazarati.Again,I would choose the Time but I think Mazarati's album is stronger than 'Ice Cream Castles'.

SoulAlive said:

Definitely stronger than 'Ice Cream Castle'.

SoulAlive said:

Was Mazarati's album actually released? Also was Prince involved? I know Kiss was for them initially, right?

Why does everyone hate "Ice Cream Castles" so much?!?

That is arguably the best album by THE TIME.

vanity2 said:

I've always liked Ice Cream Castles and I'm going with The Time

Yeah it is. Both groups contain some of the same members. Besides, with all the love on this site for The Family (which everyone I know considers to be one of Prince's weakest protegee groups), it's fun to watch them lose in a comparison thread.

NDRU said:

Mazarati's first album was released. I remember buying it at Sam Goody and taking it back and exchanging it because the side 2 label on my copy of the record was printed on side 1. The CD was only released in Japan. Their second album is very hard to find even on vinyl. I've seen it pop up on ebay though.

Prince gave them "Kiss" and then took it back. He also gave them the track "100 MPH" and supposedly worked with Brownmark on the tracks "Strawberry Lover" and "I Guess It's All Over". Maybe that's why Jill Jones sings background on those two songs. Mazarati also recorded a version of the Time's "Jerk Out".

OVERALL.....THE TIME!!!!!

RIGHT NOW, ADVANTAGE GOEZ 2 THE FAMILY!!!
WITH A PENDING REUNION WITH ALL THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS (SOMETHING THE TIME HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO SINCE 1990), AND NEW MUSIC IN THE WORKS AS WELL (SOMETHING THE TIME HASN'T DONE SINCE 1990-"IT'S ABOUT TIME" BY MORRIS DAY DOESN'T COUNT. THOSE "NEW TRACKS" WERE DOGSH*T!!), SOMEONE COULD EEEEEASILY ASK MORRIS 23 YEARS AFTER THE FACT.....


"HOW'S THE FAMILY?????"
:lol

NDRU said:

Yes,their self-titled debut album was released in early 1986,on Paisley Park Records

Player's Ball
Lonely Girl On Bourbon Street
100 MPH
She's Just That Kinda Lady
Stroke
Suzy
Strawberry Lover
I Guess It's All Over

contains the hits "Player's Ball" and "100 MPH" (written by Prince),which went Top 10 on the R&B charts.It's an excellent album,rivaling the Time's 'Ice Cream Castles',imo.I also think it's funkier than the Family's album.The album was largely produced by BrownMark,but it's obvious that Prince was heavily involved as well.He initially gave them "Kiss" for this album,then re-claimed it for himself.He was also planning to give them "Jerkout" (with different lyrics) for this album.Instead,he gave them "100 MPH".

vanity2 said:

I disagree The Time's best album is 'What Time Is It'.That's when they were at the top of their game.Come on now...."777-9311","The Walk","Wild and Loose","Gigolos Get Lonely Too".....those songs are CLASSIC! The guitar solo on "777-9311" (by Prince) is out of this world!! Truly explosive! The song also has one of Prince's most distinctive basslines.The last track "I Don't Wanna Leave You" is my favorite Time song ever.

'Ice Cream Castles' is less inspired.At this point,Jam,Lewis and Monte was gone and I think the magic was gone,too.The title track is one of my least favorite Time songs....it's too pop-ish and not very funky at all."Chili Sauce" is obvious filler."The Bird" rocks,but it's not nearly as cool and funky as "The Walk".The only good songs are "Jungle Love" and "My Drawers",everything else is so-so.

vanity2 said:

well I don't hate it, but its my least favorite album by the band

I'd be more willing to compare if The Family was given a shot at another 3 or 4 albums. I enjoyed their only realese for what it was, but The Time definitely brought tighter funk jams and live shows.

SoulAlive said:

I know what you mean. What Time Is It? is a perfect album. However, I do disagree with you about Ice Cream Castles. It is my view that the quality of the strong tracks on Ice Cream Castles outweighs the consistant quality of What Time Is It?.

Although the filler tracks are weak on the album Ice Cream Castles, you can't deny that "Jungle Love", "My Drawers", "Ice Cream Castles", and "The Bird" are some of the best songs put out by THE TIME.

"Ice Cream Castles" is totally unique in my opinion. I disagree that it has too much of a pop sound. The sound of the song is totally original, sort of a funk brand of pop perhaps? Listening to this song is like falling into a dream world. The sound puts you in a trance.

"The Bird" is my favorite song by THE TIME. Morris is supremely cool on this track. I totally prefer "The Bird" to "The Walk" anyday. However, I respect your opinion at the same time.

Don't get me wrong, I love What Time Is It? I believe that Ice Cream Castles and What Time Is It are the two best albums by the time. Here's how I rank them right now:
1. Ice Cream Castles
2. What Time Is It?
3. (tie) all the others

Like someone said I really don't think it is a fair comparsion since one group had more exposure and more hits while other group had only couple minor hits and less exposure due to Prince doing so many things at that period, so therefore I won't choose.

The Time of course.....why try to compare?! This should be a Mazarati vs. the Family. The Time will 4ever be P's greatest side project. Every other project is measured aganist them.

Now as far as "Ice Cream Castles". I believe certain outside elements had a shaping of the album. Terry, Jimmy and Monte not being there. P and Morris beefing. The group tired of being under P's "unfair" control. P getting blown off stage by thre group. Plus the plans for "PR" were taking form. Had things remained the same "ICC" would've been different. But in any event it was still "listenable" Better than Sheila debut and Apples 6 which came out in the same year.

JQuad said:

JQuad. I'll always believe. That if The Time (Original Members) had cut ties with Prince, And had gone out on their own Nationwide tour as the headlining act when Purple Rain dropped. They would've blown up far greater then they did. As a matter of fact. They could've very well outsold The Purple Rain tour featuring Prince. It's just my opinion though.

Jude418 said:

Agreed! Especially on The Time's live show. Man, they were TIGHT and dancing a choreography at the same time. Prince really had to give his all to keep up.

SoulAlive said:

I agree with this. Although my fave album by The Time is their first album, I also dig What Time Is It? I have some info regarding the recording and making of all of the 3 Time albums that I got directly from Morris when recording with him and A. Cymone. What Time Is It? benifited from P's songwriting being at it's best. He totally hit his stride in late 81 through early 84. All of P's shit was bangin' during this period. I love the track "Ice Cream Castle" but the rest of the album, besides Jungle Love {Jesse's} and The Bird, totally suffers. The Time was over by then and P's focus went towards The Family. I think this was a very good thread dealing with these two projects. A lot of The Family's cuts like High Fashion and Mutiny were originally written fot The Time. But after P saw The Time dissolving, partly by his own doing, he formed The Family. P had MAJOR issues with the popularity of The Time. They routinely kicked hiss ass on the 1999 tour. Thus bumping them off of the opening slots in major cities during that tour. When I saw P on the 1999 tour in L.A., only Vanity6 opened. But when I saw him again at Long Beach, The Time was there, along with Vanity6. The Time were clearly the crowd's favorite. I myself dug P's show as well, but I was from the angle of studying P and Dez. I was schooling big time. Watching and listening to them as musicians and performers. While others were screaming and dancing, I was taking notes with a pencil and pad. Remember, Jesse was to be the lead singer in The Family. Not Paul. This was P's way to keep control over Jesse, not wanting him to strike out on his own and go solo. Like he ended up doing. P was basically split between holding Jesse back by offering him the frontman's spot in The Family where he would have more control over Jesse. But then, not wanting Jesse to front a band where he would get even more attention. It was so much shit between those two. But anyways, very good thread. The link between these two bands are on point. The Family would have never existed it The Time had stayed together. But P had to have a project that he had total control over and The Time wasn't it.

sextonseven said:

P not only worked on those two songs but he wrote Strawberry Lover and played all of the instruments on that song just like he did on 100 M.P.H. And yep, J.J. is indeed on backing vocals.