wonder505 said:

SoulAlive said:

I'm not so sure about that.Prince is the one who broke the band up in the first place.Back in 1983 when he fired Jam and Lewis,that was sorta the beginning of the end for them.

As for their current situation,I think that sometimes you just can't go back.Some bands can reunite and keep it going,while others simply can't.I'm just happy we got a great CD from them.

Not according to Jesse.

I just think the joke is on them because the band's breaking at first was Prince's fault, but then they collapsed on their own which nobody expected.

I never really thought that them getting back together would be a permanent situation,anyway.They all seem to have their own lives outside of the band.Jam and Lewis still do alot of production work for other artists.It's the same way it was in 1990 when they got back together for Pandemonium....a brief,temporary "reunion" then they go back to their regular lives.

thesoulbrother said:

When I heard Condensate for the first time, I wasn't expecting What Time Is It or Ice Cream Castle because that was Prince. I was curious to see what these guys could do on their own. I liked the album and thought it was damn good. It was fresh, it was funky, and it was a good album. Listening to it, I got the sense the guys were having fun because there was a good vibe about it. Then there were the TV appearances and I was excited because you had a funk band doing the damn thing! So imagine how I felt when Jesse walked away. As a fan I felt cheated. I was hurt and yes, I took it personal. I wait some 29 years for a full-fledged reunion album and it was all over in a matter of a few months after the project drops? Really? To add insult to injury, Jesse goes and joins D'Angelo' band! Get the kcuf outta here with that noise, son! I have been a fan of Jesse's since his 1985 debut but this was not cool. For the sake of the fans I felt like he should've rode the wave for a minute and then he could jet. But wait a minute: If Jesse was unhappy with the direction of the album, why wait until after it's completed to say something? You mean to tell me that he had no input at all? I call bullshit. I listened to the interview and I heard him ranting and raving and I just shook my head. Why now? Condensate was released in late 2011; it's 2014. There were a lot of high hopes riding on this project and egos ruined it. Can you imagine how big of a tour this would have been? We're not talking album sales, we talking just the tour alone. These guys would've sold out arenas. Instead, it's Morris Day and the Half-Time and it's just not the same. And poor Morris. I think he really wanted this to work because it was opportunity for him to sing fresh material because I know at this point he has got to be tired of the same show day in and day out. At this point, it is what it is.

[Edited 2/9/14 10:13am]

thesoulbrother said:

If Jesse was unhappy with the direction of the album, why wait until after it's completed to say something?

Here is an interview Jesse did a few months before Condensate was released, and he says something different. It's at 6:40. There was another interview with Jesse, Morris, Jimmy, & Jerome on a news program, but I can't find it. But Jesse seemed positive then. On the documentary that came with the CD Jesse calms down Morris, who was speaking about the name change and getting upset.

thesoulbrother said:

If Jesse was unhappy with the direction of the album, why wait until after it's completed to say something? You mean to tell me that he had no input at all? I call bullshit.

Exactly.And if he was really disatisfied with the music they were creating,he should have just left the project altogether.He should have simply said "I'm not feelin' this,guys...I can't do this album".They could have used a new guitarist and kept it going.To me,Jesse comes across as wishy-washy and always complaining about something.

SoulAlive said:

thesoulbrother said:

If Jesse was unhappy with the direction of the album, why wait until after it's completed to say something? You mean to tell me that he had no input at all? I call bullshit.

Exactly.And if he was really disatisfied with the music they were creating,he should have just left the project altogether.He should have simply said "I'm not feelin' this,guys...I can't do this album".They could have used a new guitarist and kept it going.To me,Jesse comes across as wishy-washy and always complaining about something.

Jellybean bad mouthed Jam & Lewis in an interview as well and Morris basically said he's too lazy to do anyhting new. So why is it all on Jesse?

HonestMan13 said:

SoulAlive said:

Exactly.And if he was really disatisfied with the music they were creating,he should have just left the project altogether.He should have simply said "I'm not feelin' this,guys...I can't do this album".They could have used a new guitarist and kept it going.To me,Jesse comes across as wishy-washy and always complaining about something.

Jellybean bad mouthed Jam & Lewis in an interview as well and Morris basically said he's too lazy to do anyhting new. So why is it all on Jesse?

Not to mention when the did the first couple of shows at the Original 7 they only did one song from the new cd.

Eye feel the whole 07V3N project was poorly organized. Eye remember going to their debut tour date in LA 2011, it was so unprofessionally done.Only moment was great, was when they were all on stage together. Jesse's segment was the highlight of that show. Its a case of too many talented individuals in one band. Jesse has been wishy washy & seems two faced, like someone else said, earlier innerviews he gave with the group, he showed absolutely no signs of being unhappy with the album or the group, One thing Eye will agree with what he said in the innerview. The project shouldn't have happen without the original name. It just never felt right without Prince's blessing and was doomed to fail..

But something seems kind of off. We are not getting the whole story. The true fans of "The Time" were cheated & Jesse abruptly leaving and joining D'angelo's band was hurtful, even though Eye'm a D'angelo fan. But Eye do understand Jesse needed to get payed. But it was done very shady and with disregard for the fans. Also that fake suicide issued through Facebook, about Jesse was very suspect! Morris seems bitter also. By his statement he prefers to play with his band instead of The original The Time.. It was all a hot mess! Maybe like Jesse said Prince still has animosity. I mean he has taken over all The Time's hits and added to his setlist. Which says a lot....Jesse did bare his soul in the innerview. But a big piece of the puzzle is being hidden from us.

It's worth noting that Jesse has always talked alot of shit and made alot of wild accusations throughout his entire career.He's the type of person that gets pissed at something (or a situation) and spews alot of harsh words without thinking about what he's really saying.For example,I recall a blistering 1986 interview in Rock N' Soul magazine where he tore Prince a new one It was brutal.Here are a few excerpts....

"Did you hear the garbage that Prince has been playing lately?",Jesse asked,referring to Parade."No wonder there's all this talk about him starting over with a new band".

"Since we (The Time) left him,Prince has no one to get ideas from",Jesse said."He heard our stuff and got ideas of his own.That's why his music has declined"

"Prince is scared to death that we're reuniting,"Jesse said

See what I mean about "wild accusations"? That's why Jesse's statement about Prince refusing to let them use the 'Time' name because of his feud with a Time member who bullied him when they were young,sounds kinda suspicious.

wonder505 said:

HonestMan13 said:

Jellybean bad mouthed Jam & Lewis in an interview as well and Morris basically said he's too lazy to do anyhting new. So why is it all on Jesse?

Not to mention when the did the first couple of shows at the Original 7 they only did one song from the new cd.

Here's something we all need to keep in mind: The Time were an 80s funk band.Let's be honest,there isn't really a market for funk bands anymore.How many 80s funk bands can you name who are still "relevent",having hit records and doing well in today's music scene? I think some of us were expecting a little too much from this reunion.It was never gonna be like 1983 all over again.

SoulAlive said:

SoulAlive said:

wonder505 said:

Not to mention when the did the first couple of shows at the Original 7 they only did one song from the new cd.

Here's something we all need to keep in mind: The Time were an 80s funk band.Let's be honest,there isn't really a market for funk bands anymore.How many 80s funk bands can you name who are still "relevent",having hit records and doing well in today's music scene? I think some of us were expecting a little too much from this reunion.It was never gonna be like 1983 all over again.

Why can't it be like 1983 all over again isn't that what y'all expect from Prince every single time he releases music?

HonestMan13 said:

SoulAlive said:

Here's something we all need to keep in mind: The Time were an 80s funk band.Let's be honest,there isn't really a market for funk bands anymore.How many 80s funk bands can you name who are still "relevent",having hit records and doing well in today's music scene? I think some of us were expecting a little too much from this reunion.It was never gonna be like 1983 all over again.

Why can't it be like 1983 all over again isn't that what y'all expect from Prince every single time he releases music?

I was thinking the same thing. The doublestandard is amazing. With Prince its unforgiveable but when it comes to the orginal members of the Time screwing up their reunion the excuses are overflowing. Not saying you do that SoulAlive but it just seems like people are making excuses for them and just can't bring themselves to admit that the Time messed up on their own without Prince. Yes we got a good CD from them but they themselves made it seem like there was much more to come in terms of live shows and music. It was never presented as a one time deal, drop the cd and then that's it, nothing more.

HonestMan13 said:

SoulAlive said:

Exactly.And if he was really disatisfied with the music they were creating,he should have just left the project altogether.He should have simply said "I'm not feelin' this,guys...I can't do this album".They could have used a new guitarist and kept it going.To me,Jesse comes across as wishy-washy and always complaining about something.

Jellybean bad mouthed Jam & Lewis in an interview as well and Morris basically said he's too lazy to do anyhting new. So why is it all on Jesse?

You are taking both Morris's and Jellybean's comments out of context. Bean only said that he was frustrated about Jesse quiting O7even, Prince not letting any of his bands use their names, then Jam and Lewis moving on. He said the clash of egos was messing with his money. He used strong language but then again, if you ever met Jellybean that's his personality to speak with emotion and say what he feels. That's not why O7even ended early. I doubt there is beef with Jellybean and Jam and Lewis.

As far as Morris goes, MD and The Time, have refreshed their sets a number of times over the years, so I don't think it's a case of him being "too lazy" as you said. The interview where he said he was content in what he was doing and felt less stress now than he did with O7even, was not surprising. Of course he does. O7even was high risk, high reward. To me the reward was the "Condensate" album, which fulfilled, for me as a listener, my dream of getting a MD album produced by Jimmy, Terry and Jesse. I got that out of it. I was too young to see them on the 1999 tour, but I got to see them all together as O7even. I got to meet everybody in the band, except for Terry. I saved every article, downloaded every interview. As a fan, the reunion was a success for me, but for MD, it's understanable if it was a lot of work.

The abrupt end to O7even though is all on Jesse. But, to be completely fair to Jesse, he is who he is. And what I hear in that interview is the true Jesse Johnson. I hear the guy I met doing the reunion. A guy who is, for lack of better words, kind of a dick towards people, but not in an awful way. He just kind of puts you on the defensive, until you praise his solo career. That really is that dude's personality. But it's odd for him to throw so much negativity at the Condensate album, which is no doubt, a great record. There is no credible path to attack it the way Jesse did. So something else is up. Jam and Lewis listed Morris Day as being on their new record, with Janet Jackson, Alexander O'Neal, Cherelle, SOS Band and a lot of other big names. I don't think Jesse is trying to be a part of that given what sounds like competitive criticism of them. So what else is happening that we don't know about? Is anybody else putting out a Time record this year?

wonder505 said:

HonestMan13 said:

Why can't it be like 1983 all over again isn't that what y'all expect from Prince every single time he releases music?

I was thinking the same thing. The doublestandard is amazing. With Prince its unforgiveable but when it comes to the orginal members of the Time screwing up their reunion the excuses are overflowing. Not saying you do that SoulAlive but it just seems like people are making excuses for them and just can't bring themselves to admit that the Time messed up on their own without Prince. Yes we got a good CD from them but they themselves made it seem like there was much more to come in terms of live shows and music. It was never presented as a one time deal, drop the cd and then that's it, nothing more.

The criticism of Prince is based, usually in the poor quality of his albums. God bless, him, the albums haven't been up to his capabilities for a long time now. I think O7even had high hopes, and for everyone involved, it was a heartbreaker when they weren't able to get the awareness of the public, because the cd was very good. Some of it is on Prince withholding some things, some of it is WB, some of it was lack of cooperation within the band itself. As fans though I think we were big winners for the most part with the tv appearances, concerts and interviews from the O7even project. In fact, we really were only upset that it ended too soon.

funksterr said:

wonder505 said:

I was thinking the same thing. The doublestandard is amazing. With Prince its unforgiveable but when it comes to the orginal members of the Time screwing up their reunion the excuses are overflowing. Not saying you do that SoulAlive but it just seems like people are making excuses for them and just can't bring themselves to admit that the Time messed up on their own without Prince. Yes we got a good CD from them but they themselves made it seem like there was much more to come in terms of live shows and music. It was never presented as a one time deal, drop the cd and then that's it, nothing more.

The criticism of Prince is based, usually in the poor quality of his albums. God bless, him, the albums haven't been up to his capabilities for a long time now. I think O7even had high hopes, and for everyone involved, it was a heartbreaker when they weren't able to get the awareness of the public, because the cd was very good. Some of it is on Prince withholding some things, some of it is WB, some of it was lack of cooperation within the band itself. As fans though I think we were big winners for the most part with the tv appearances, concerts and interviews from the O7even project. In fact, we really were only upset that it ended too soon.

When you put together all of the interviews/postings done by O7 members since Condensate dropped you get one thing clear as a bell. These dudes don't really get along enough to be around each other for too long. They needed a non member to keep them in line and tell them what to do and when to do it. Fdeluxe got past the name change and has kept it going so that's no longer a valid excuse for this project collapsing. Bean blasted Jesse, Jam & Lewis in an interview. Jesse aired his problems on FB, Morris refused to disband MD & The Time to focus on The O7, Jam & Lewis simply weren't interested in touring extensively. Jerome & Morris already have issues between them. Fans on this site were overly hyped when this project came out then quiet when it fell apart months later then went into PR mode soon after("at least we got a great CD from the fellas", "Prince should've let them use the name") or piled all of the problems onto Jesse. All 7 of these dudes messed this up all by themselves. Morris knows the truth all to well. He knows he's better at following a blueprint laid out for him than being the architect.

the botom line is if u look at the history of the time it was a group that prince put 2gether after he recorded all the music and needed faces 2 coplete the project.everything they ever done was back boned by prince they never had any real motives wit the time. the group was prince dream and they were only bringing it 2 reality 4 him.take the family 4 example none of them are big stars so this lil endie project they are doing is normal 4 them. jimmy and terry knows they dont need the time cuz they doing big things on their own,morris has his touring band and jesse is doing whatever. so without prince the time is nothing and never will be point has been proven

cbarnes3121 said:

it was a group that prince put 2gether after he recorded all the music and needed faces 2 coplete

the project.

Most of them were already a group though. Jimmy, Monte, Terry, & Jellybean were in Flyte Tyme along with Cynthia Johnson and later Alex O'Neal. Morris got Jesse and Jerome came in as he is Terry's brother. So it's not exactly like En Vogue in which the members did not know each other before.

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said:

I feel the same way.Something is "off" about Jesse.I don't know if he's bitter about the way his career turned out,or if he feels that he didn't get enough credit for his contributions,etc.There's definitely some anger/bitterness there.

Yeah I can't understand what's going on with JJ either and I'm a huge fan. The whole debacle with O7/Time is understandable from a business standpoint but to air their differences on Facebook wasn't cool and then try to play victim when fans go in on you for making outrageous rants. The most hilarious thing that a fan said to him on FB was I'm gonna unfriend you because you leaving a legendary band to go play for a nucca that's trying to be you(DeAngelo). Jesse went ballistic after that and he hasn't been right since. LMAO [Edited 2/12/14 4:15am]

Jesse may have taught D'angelo how too play guitar. D has gotten very good @ it! Eye 4gave Jesse 4 going to D because D is a real fan of Prince & the Twin city sound that Prince created.....

HonestMan13 said:

SoulAlive said:

Here's something we all need to keep in mind: The Time were an 80s funk band.Let's be honest,there isn't really a market for funk bands anymore.How many 80s funk bands can you name who are still "relevent",having hit records and doing well in today's music scene? I think some of us were expecting a little too much from this reunion.It was never gonna be like 1983 all over again.

Why can't it be like 1983 all over again isn't that what y'all expect from Prince every single time he releases music?

I certainly don't.

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said:

I feel the same way.Something is "off" about Jesse.I don't know if he's bitter about the way his career turned out,or if he feels that he didn't get enough credit for his contributions,etc.There's definitely some anger/bitterness there.

Yeah I can't understand what's going on with JJ either and I'm a huge fan. The whole debacle with O7/Time is understandable from a business standpoint but to air their differences on Facebook wasn't cool and then try to play victim when fans go in on you for making outrageous rants. The most hilarious thing that a fan said to him on FB was I'm gonna unfriend you because you leaving a legendary band to go play for a nucca that's trying to be you(DeAngelo). Jesse went ballistic after that and he hasn't been right since. LMAO

Yeah, have seen his Facebook ramblings and it's apparent that something just isn't right with him.This type of behavior has been going for years.In a previous post,I printed some of the comments that Jesse made in a 1986 interview.He's the type of person who gets pissed and starts spouting his venom,seemingly unaware of what he's really saying.The fact that the guys booted him out of the band in 1991 (when they were planning dates for a Pandemonium tour) was sorta like a warning sign.That should have been a red flag.Prince suggested to the guys that they should hire Micki Free as their guitarist.In retrospect,that might not have been a bad idea.

HonestMan13 said:

Fdeluxe got past the name change and has kept it going so that's no longer a valid excuse for this project collapsing.

You can't really compare these two situations,though.The Family was a group that was together for only a brief period.They only had one album with one minor hit single.With all due respect,them having to change their name wasn't really a big deal since most people don't remember them anyway.I know that sounds mean and harsh,but you know what I'm trying to say.

The Time,on the other hand,were a well-known R&B/funk band with alot of hits and four albums that sold well.Not being able to call themselves 'The Time' was a big deal and yes,in some ways,it affected their project and how they were able to promote it.Under those circumstances,maybe it wasn't easy for them to simply "keep it going".In the bonus DVD that came with the album,Morris in particular seemed very pissed about the whole situation.

HonestMan13 said:

They needed a non member to keep them in line and tell them what to do and when to do it.

it seems like you're bending over backwards to defend Prince and act as if HE is the only one who should be in control of these guys.You're forgetting that everything wasn't exactly "right" when he was in control.There was alot of friction,arguments and drama in those days,too.The Time were becoming HUGE and Prince had problems with their popularity.He even removed them from some of the '1999' shows,because he was afraid of being upstaged by them.When he fired Jam and Lewis in 1983,that basicallly killed the band.They stuck around for the Purple Rain film,but you can tell they were just going through the motions at that point.By the time the movie was released,Morris and Prince weren't even speaking to each other.So let's not act as if everything was all nice and pleasant when Prince was controlling them.

SoulAlive said:

SoulAlive said:

HonestMan13 said:

They needed a non member to keep them in line and tell them what to do and when to do it.

it seems like you're bending over backwards to defend Prince and act as if HE is the only one who should be in control of these guys.You're forgetting that everything wasn't exactly "right" when he was in control.There was alot of friction,arguments and drama in those days,too.The Time were becoming HUGE and Prince had problems with their popularity.He even removed them from some of the '1999' shows,because he was afraid of being upstaged by them.When he fired Jam and Lewis in 1983,that basicallly killed the band.They stuck around for the Purple Rain film,but you can tell they were just going through the motions at that point.By the time the movie was released,Morris and Prince weren't even speaking to each other.So let's not act as if everything was all nice and pleasant when Prince was controlling them.

It didn't have to be Prince this time around but it shouldn't have been Terry. They needed somebody who wasn't a member to tell them when and what to do and negotiate for them. For being so HUGE they should have had access to better deals and opportunities than what Condensate got. Terry obviously wasn't doing to great as manager. Can they make great music yeah but they lack in being leaders. Even Morris said, "It's a little painful working with all the original members. We have a lot of chiefs." All they needed was one who was real about doing the job.

SoulAlive said:

HonestMan13 said:

They needed a non member to keep them in line and tell them what to do and when to do it.

it seems like you're bending over backwards to defend Prince and act as if HE is the only one who should be in control of these guys.You're forgetting that everything wasn't exactly "right" when he was in control.There was alot of friction,arguments and drama in those days,too.The Time were becoming HUGE and Prince had problems with their popularity.He even removed them from some of the '1999' shows,because he was afraid of being upstaged by them.When he fired Jam and Lewis in 1983,that basicallly killed the band.They stuck around for the Purple Rain film,but you can tell they were just going through the motions at that point.By the time the movie was released,Morris and Prince weren't even speaking to each other.So let's not act as if everything was all nice and pleasant when Prince was controlling them.

Also whatever drama existed back then they still managed to put out 4 albums and promote them sufficiently. Condensate came out and it was over in under 6 months. Drama can be worked thru if you really want to do something.

HonestMan13 said:

funksterr said:

The criticism of Prince is based, usually in the poor quality of his albums. God bless, him, the albums haven't been up to his capabilities for a long time now. I think O7even had high hopes, and for everyone involved, it was a heartbreaker when they weren't able to get the awareness of the public, because the cd was very good. Some of it is on Prince withholding some things, some of it is WB, some of it was lack of cooperation within the band itself. As fans though I think we were big winners for the most part with the tv appearances, concerts and interviews from the O7even project. In fact, we really were only upset that it ended too soon.

When you put together all of the interviews/postings done by O7 members since Condensate dropped you get one thing clear as a bell. These dudes don't really get along enough to be around each other for too long. They needed a non member to keep them in line and tell them what to do and when to do it. Fdeluxe got past the name change and has kept it going so that's no longer a valid excuse for this project collapsing. Bean blasted Jesse, Jam & Lewis in an interview. Jesse aired his problems on FB, Morris refused to disband MD & The Time to focus on The O7, Jam & Lewis simply weren't interested in touring extensively. Jerome & Morris already have issues between them. Fans on this site were overly hyped when this project came out then quiet when it fell apart months later then went into PR mode soon after("at least we got a great CD from the fellas", "Prince should've let them use the name") or piled all of the problems onto Jesse. All 7 of these dudes messed this up all by themselves. Morris knows the truth all to well. He knows he's better at following a blueprint laid out for him than being the architect.

Not to be disrespectful, but you are taking things out of context and muddying them together. I think you are just making up things simply to pick a fight with people that love the Condensate cd.The cd speaks for itself, the video, the performances, the appearances were incredible. Do you have a problem with the fact that it was good even without Prince's involvement? All you keep saying is they can't do it without Prince. The world can't turn without Prince. You want Morris to fail at anything he does if Prince didn't control it. And that's another reason why I love Condensate. It surprised fans like you. Morris Day and Co. brought it. You couldn't stand it. The breakup makes you feel better. All parties, all 7 members of The Time and everyone in FDeluxe, is on record, saying the name change is bad for business. For you to insist otherwise is really kind of gonzo.

SoulAlive said:

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said: Yeah I can't understand what's going on with JJ either and I'm a huge fan. The whole debacle with O7/Time is understandable from a business standpoint but to air their differences on Facebook wasn't cool and then try to play victim when fans go in on you for making outrageous rants. The most hilarious thing that a fan said to him on FB was I'm gonna unfriend you because you leaving a legendary band to go play for a nucca that's trying to be you(DeAngelo). Jesse went ballistic after that and he hasn't been right since. LMAO

Yeah, have seen his Facebook ramblings and it's apparent that something just isn't right with him.This type of behavior has been going for years.In a previous post,I printed some of the comments that Jesse made in a 1986 interview.He's the type of person who gets pissed and starts spouting his venom,seemingly unaware of what he's really saying.The fact that the guys booted him out of the band in 1991 (when they were planning dates for a Pandemonium tour) was sorta like a warning sign.That should have been a red flag.Prince suggested to the guys that they should hire Micki Free as their guitarist.In retrospect,that might not have been a bad idea.

Hmmm, good points...when you go back and look at some of the other drama surrounding him you can see a pattern.

Must be something in the water in Rock Is.

How does Micki Free compare to Jess on guitar in your opinion?

I love the hell outta Condensate. I have never doubted that the fellas could bring a kickass cd without Prince and they did it.

No amount of trash talking can take that away.