With this blockbuster reunion album, the real Rhythm Nation declares its independence. No longer should the Time be considered a mere protégé of Prince's, a star vehicle for Morris Day or the band that bequeathed Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to Janet Jackson. Its separate musical parts are formidable, but the Time as a whole marshals a power that is all its own.

Pandemonium sounds more like a supercharged successor to 1982's What Time Is It? (the last Time album before Prince sacked Jam and Lewis) than the comparatively fluffy follow-up Ice Cream Castles. While Pandemonium's self-congratulatory introduction lasts way too long, the band proceeds to cook masterfully through the essential funk of the title cut and "Jerk Out," the hard-rock sizzle of "Skillet" and "Blondie," and the slow-simmer balladry of "Donald Trump (Black Version)."

Day's gigolo shtick occasionally wears thin, but the musicianship of guitarist Jesse Johnson and keyboardist Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir supplies relentless dance-rock grooves. Most reunion bands sound as if time has passed them by, but the Time itself has returned stronger than ever. (RS 586)

DON MCLEESE