(Warner Bros.)
Yes, they were a Prince puppet band — he was rumored to have played all the instruments, and as a singer, Morris Day was a poor man's version of the Purple One — but The Time were so full of silly effervescence and deep funk that they were hard not to like. (Hey, who doesn't dig chanting "oh-we-oh-we-oh?") The two singles (and standout tracks) — "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" — bound along with dance-demanding backbeats. Even the slow songs aren't lame. Ice Cream Castles came out the same year as Purple Rain — the film features The Time as Prince's nemesis band — so there's a playful answer-song vibe, especially on the ballad "If the Kid Can't Make You Come."
