PRIME TIME-FLYING HIGH.

dereksmusicblog ♦ October 24, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

PRIME TIME-FLYING HIGH.

During the early to mid eighties, the production team of Jimmy “Jam” Harris and Terry Lewis seemed to have the Midas touch. Every group or artist they seemed to work with, enjoyed commercial success. Whether it was the Change, The S.O.S. Band, Cheryl Lynn or Thelma Houston, it seemed Jimmy and Terry could do no wrong. Their productions featured in the US R&B and Dance Charts and were a staple of America’s radio playlists. Other producers watching their success looked on enviously, wishing they too, could enjoy some of their success. One producer who’d studied their template for commercial success in the fast-changing world of R&B was Lonnie Simmons, whose track record was almost as enviable. Lonnie had signed The Gap Band to Total Experience Records and worked with Yarborough and Peoples. By 1983, Total Experience Records split from parent company Mercury Records. After the split from Mercury, Lonnie continued to oversee his old signings, while adding new names to Total Experience’s roster. This included Pennye Ford, Goodie and Prime Time, whose 1984 album Flying High was recently released by BBR Records. 

Prime Time weren’t a new group, having been together since 1972, when Texas born keyboardist and singer Jimmy Hamilton and drummer Frankie “Babe” Moore decided to form a band. At Los Angeles’ nightclub Mr. Woodley’s, Frankie a drummer and writer was drafted into Jimmy’s band, The Jimmy Hamilton Trio, which needed a drummer. Later, and now calling themselves The Sai Whatt Band, Frankie became the group’s singer. Two years later, the trio became a quartet. Bassist and singer Maurice Hayes and percussionist Dale Hightower joined the band. Another change of name to Prime Time took place when they signed to Total Experience Records in 1983. How they came to sign to Total Experience was just the case of being in the right place at the right time.

When The Sai Whatt Band were playing in Long Beach, California it just so happened that John Swanson was in the audience. His wife just happened to be Lonnie Simmons’ cousin. John had come to hear Barbara Morrison who was singing with The Sai Whatt Band. Having liked what he heard, John introduced himself to the band, and then contacted Lonnie Simmons at Total Experience. 

When Lonnie met The Sai Whatt Band, he initially signed Jimmy Hamilton and Maurice Hayes as songwriters. Soon, not only a recording contract followed for The Sai Whatt Band, but a change of name to Prime Time. Another thing that followed were hits, albeit not for Prime Time. Jimmy and Maurice cowrote Yarborough and Peoples’ Guilty and The Gap Band’s Jammin.’ However, could Jimmy and Maurice pen hits for their own band Prime Time?

For their debut album Flying High, Jimmy and Maurice played their part in nine of the ten tracks on Flying High. They cowrote I Want Somebody Tonight (Shoo Be Do Bop) and Talk It Over, while Jimmy wrote Spinning and Anytime Is Prime Time(Theme Song). With backing vocalist Rick Adams Jimmy and Maurice cowrote Make Up Your Mind (Indecisions), Flying High and I Can’t Get You Off My Mind. Rick and Victor Hill also cowrote Give It To the Beat with Maurice. Once the ten tracks that became Prime Time were penned, they were recorded at two studios.

Recording of Prime Time’s debut album Flying High took place at Total Experience Recording Studios and Sound Lab Recording Studios. Joining Prime Time were guest artists that included Victor Hill on synths, keyboards and drums, guitarists Johah Eliis and Glenn Nightingale and drummers Raymond Calhoun and Charles Morris. Adding backing vocals were Victor Hill, Rick Adams and Robert “Goodie” Whitfield. Once the recording of Flying High was completed, the album was set for release in summer 1984.

Before the release of Flying High, Love Talk was released as a single in May 1984. It gave Prime Time a minor US R&B hit, reaching number eighty-eight. On the release of Flying High in July 1984, it failed to chart. I Owe It To Myself proved the most successful single, reaching number twenty-one in the US R&B Charts in August 1984. Give It To the Beat was released as a single in October 1984, but failed to chart. After waiting twelve years to record and release their debut album Flying High, Prime Time hadn’t enjoyed the success they’d hoped for. Why was that? That’s what i’ll now tell, after I’ve told you about the music on Flying High.

Opening Flying High is I Owe It To Myself, a track where eighties electronic music, R&B, jazz and soul combine. Synths, keyboards and the crispy drums produce an arrangement where the new eighties technology plays its part in creating the new R&B sound. They give way to Jimmy’s scatted vocal, before his vocal becomes tender, heartfelt and soulful. The beats are spacious, keyboards produce a jazz-tinged sound and occasional bursts of cascading backing vocals accompany Jimmy’s vocal. Later, tight and tender harmonies add the finishing touch to this mellow and quite beautiful track.

It’s all change Make Up Your Mind (Indecision). Gone is the soulful side of Prime Time, with a choppy fusion of electronica and funk fused. Synths reverberate before a vocoder and crispy drums accompany Jimmy’s urgent vocal. Soon, there’s a Euro Pop sound developing. There’s even a nod to Kraftwerk and eighties synth pop pioneers. Later, stabs of keyboards join crispy beats, while the vocoder adds a space-age vocal that groups like Daft Punk would later copy. For 1984, this is quite an innovative track, with musical genres and influences melting into one.

Flying High has much more in common with I Owe It To Myself than the previous track. Slow deliberate beats and buzzing synths join keyboards as Jimmy gently and tenderly scats. Against this slow backdrop his vocal grows. Soon, it’s full of emotion. Keyboards and heartfelt harmonies accompany him, as he delivers another vocal where drama and emotion are combined, bringing life and meaning into the lyrics.

The tempo quickens as I Want Somebody Tonight (Shoo Be Do Bop) unfolds. Percussion, guitars and keyboards combine with the crispy drums and Jimmy revisits his jazzy roots. He scats, before his vocal grows in power, as he makes the song swing. Punchy harmonies accompany him as the rhythm section, keyboards and percussion combine to create a tracks that’s not just infectiously catchy, but dance-floor friendly.

As Spinning unfolds you’ve no idea of the direction the track is heading. Bursts of short, sharp bursts of harmonies open the track. Then Prime Time throw a curveball. Synths join the rhythm section to drive the track along. They’re joined by while Jimmy’s joyous vocal. It’s delivered quickly and with feeling. Urgent harmonies augmenting his vocal, while synths, keyboards and the rhythm section create a dance-floor friendly backdrop.  The track’s success and charm is down to its simplicity and of course, its plentiful supply of poppy hooks.

Give It To the Beat was the third and final single from Flying High. It has a dramatic, space-age sound. This builds and builds before washes of synths, punchy harmonies and crispy drum beats combine. There are slight similarities with Make Up Your Mind (Indecision), especially the combination of instruments used and the inclusion of the vocoder. With a vocoder, it should be used sparingly or not at all. Thankfully, Prime Time don’t overuse it..just. Influences are combined, with hip hop, eighties electronica, funk and synth pop fused. Synths beep and buzz, drums crack and later, Jimmy’s chanted vocal is drenched in echo, as Prime Time mix drama and melodrama. 

Love Talk is a track where you wonder what’s about to unfold. Washes of synths subtly sweep in, before crunchy, galloping drums and stabs of keyboards combine with a chanted vocoder. It’s a compelling combination. As Jimmy’s vocal enters, it has a sense of urgency. Buzzing synths and stabs of keyboards join the rhythm section and vocoder. They accompany Jimmy as Prime Time’s create their unique and cutting-edge brand of sci-fi sounds, funk and eighties electronica. 

I Can’t Get You Off My Mind sees Prime Time’s soulful side return. This is a track penned by Jimmy, Maurice and Rick Adams. The rhythm section, keyboards and guitars combine with heartfelt harmonies before Jimmy’s vocal enters. It’s full of sadness and regret, while tight, soulful and soaring harmonies prove the perfect accompaniment. They match Jimmy’s vocal every step of the way for emotion and drama. Together, the harmonies and Jimmy’s vocal make this one of the highlights of Flying High.

Talk It Over sees Prime Time turn back the clock and add some doo wop harmonies to Jimmy’s vocal. From the opening bars, when the choppy keyboards and rhythm section combine with the tight doo wop harmonies you realize this something special is unfolding. You’re certainly not disappointed. Jimmy’s vocal is mixture of sadness and hope, as harmonies soar soulfully above the arrangement. Keyboards, rhythm section and synths provide the arrangement, but it’s the harmonies and vocals that hold your attention, as Prime Time show another side to their music.

There aren’t many time with their own them song, but Prime Time close Flying High with theirs. Anytime Is Prime Time (Theme Song) sees a swaggering burst of vocal delivered hip hop style before Prime Time get down to business. With crunchy beats, meandering synths and chiming guitars for company Jimmy delivers his vocal. He does this with emotion and power. The harmonies that augment Jimmy’s vocal, add vocal hooks, and with percussion, synths and drums for company, remind you that Anytime Is Prime Time.

On the release of Prime Time’s debut album Flying High, it wasn’t a commercial success. This must have been a huge disappointment for the five members of Prime Time, especially Jimmy Hamilton who’d founded the band. Along with Frankie “Babe” Moore Moore, another founding member of Prime Time, they’d waited twelve long years before recording and releasing Flying High. In many ways, Flying High was a cumulation of all their ideas, plus the influences that had shaped their music during that time. The ten tracks saw Prime Time fuse everything from eighties electronica through soul, funk, R&B, doo wop and jazz. Maybe why Flying High wasn’t a commercial success, was the sheer variety of music on the album. Unlike many bands who release a focused album of songs, Prime Time were talented musicians capable of producing a genre hopping album like Flying High seamlessly. This meant that when Total Experience Records came to market Flying High, how did they market the album? Was it an R&B album or was it an eighties electronics album. Regardless of what genre the music Prime Time’s music is labelled as, it’s undeniable that Prime Time set about to record and release an innovative debut album, Flying High. While Flying High, which was recently released by BBR Records, wasn’t a commercial success, it was a statement of intent, from Prime Time. It showed they lacked neither talent nor determination. After all, Prime Time had waited twelve years before releasing their debut album Flying High. Many bands would’ve have given up long ago. Not Prime Time though. While Flying High failed commercially, it did feature two minor US R&B singles. This proved that Prime Time were traveling down the right road, and unless they made a wrong turning, then success might not be so far away. Standout Tracks: I Owe It To Myself, Flying High, I Can’t Get You Off My Mind and Talk It Over.

PRIME TIME-FLYING HIGH.