The Time: Ice Cream Castle (Rhino Reserve series) [RHINO]

Why you'll love it

This Rhino Reserve series pressing is on 180g vinyl, made in the USA. Ice Cream Castle went platinum, spent 57 weeks on the Billboard album chart and peaked at No. 3 on the soul albums chart.

This edition

• Rhino Reserve series
• 180g vinyl
• Pressed in the USA

About the album

The producer credit on Ice Cream Castle reads "The Starr Company," which is a polite way of saying Prince. He started the sessions at Sunset Sound in Hollywood in March 1983, while he and The Time were still out on the 1999 Tour, and he ended up playing most of the instruments himself, with Morris Day steering the songs and Jesse Johnson adding guitar.

"Jungle Love" was the first song cut and became the band's signature, all strutting guitar and Day's peerless cool. "The Bird" was recorded live at First Avenue in Minneapolis in October 1983 after a studio take was shelved, and you can hear the club bouncing. The title track is a lovely, swaying groove, "My Drawers" is classic Minneapolis funk, and on "Chili Sauce" Prince turns up as the waiter, which is a fine way to sneak onto your own album.

Both "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" featured in the film Purple Rain, and Day's scene-stealing turn as Prince's rival sent the record over to a whole new audience. It became the group's best-selling album, though by the time the film reached cinemas the band had split up, which is commitment to leaving them wanting more.

Also at Kops: more The Time on vinyl · browse 70s Soul On Up

Tracklist

Listen

On Warner Records / Rhino (cat# RES1 25109), a reissue of the 1984 album.