Janet Jackson

[hellohello]

Is my Queen going to headline Glastonbury in June?

[Bojan]

[aaliyahman]

I dont like the new hair on janet and as biscuits said ill prefer the ponytail when shes performing

Same. You can’t beat the lion mane ponytail.

[hellohello]

She should add red highlights to her hair à la Velvet Rope.

[Bojan]

[JeremySpears]

The legendary ”Control“ album was released 33 years ago today!



•became Janet’s first #1 album
•has sold 10-14 million copies worldwide (everyone has a different figure for this album lol)
•spawned 7 singles; a #1 hit, 4 Top 5 hits and a Top 20
•has pretty much invented new jack swing
•was the sixth best selling album in the US in 1986 and the fifth best selling album in the US in 1987
•was the twentieth best selling album in the UK in 1987
•is certified 5x platinum in the US

[Bojan]

‘Control’: How Self-Assertion Made Janet Jackson An Icon

A highly person album that set her on a new creative path, ‘Control’ found Janet Jackson making leaps towards dominating the pop world.

To say that, back in 1985, Janet Jackson lived in her brother Michael’s shadow was something of an understatement. At that time Michael was at the height of his reign as the undisputed “King Of Pop” and was still basking in the success of his 1982 blockbuster album, Thriller. But that was before Control, the album that proved Janet Jackson had what it took to launch a formidable attack on the charts.

Though she had two albums to her name by that point, Janet Jackson appeared to have little credibility compared with her elder sibling. Initially marketed as a sweet-voiced ingénue, Janet had scored a couple of Top 10 R&B hits (‘Young Love’ in 1982, and, two years later, ‘Don’t Stand Another Chance’) in the US for A&M Records, but they didn’t reveal the outstanding natural talent that she possessed.

“I never ask for more than I deserve”

A shock was in store. In January 1986, Janet Jackson relaunched her singing career on A&M with the single ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’, a seismic slab of minimalist techno-funk driven by pounding a drum machine beat. It was both sassy and sexy, and dispelled the girl-next-door image that A&M had used to market her four years earlier. Helmed by ex-Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – then the hottest production team in R&B, and masterminds of substantial hits for SOS Band, Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal – the song quickly shot to the top of the US R&B singles chart.

The keenly-anticipated parent album, Control, followed on 4 February 1986 and, a month later, it topped the US R&B chart, where it spent a jaw-dropping 91 weeks. Control eventually hit the top of the US pop albums chart and the Billboard 200, and transformed Janet Jackson into a megastar whose fame would rival Michael’s.

“I wanted to express myself”

Despite its phenomenal international success, Control started out as a make or break album for Janet Jackson, who wanted a radical change of musical direction. “That was a point where it was like a crossroads for me in my career,” she told this writer in 2001. “If it wasn’t going to pan out, I was gonna go back to school. I was studying business law and I thought I would try music one more time.”
The album’s title stemmed from the fact that, before she hooked up with Jam and Lewis, Janet felt she had no control over what she was doing: she was like a producer’s puppet with little or no say in the direction of her music. “I wanted to do it differently than being handed a piece of music and told, ‘Here, sing this,’ which it was in the past,” she revealed. “I wanted to express myself, and Jimmy and Terry helped me to do that.”
Jam and Lewis took her under their wing, got to know her and familiarised themselves with her world. Then they wrote songs together, based on different aspects of Janet’s life. “Jimmy and I rode around Minneapolis and we talked about my life and what I had gone through,” she said. “We talked about everything and they made me feel open enough and comfortable enough to speak to them about everything, because I was kind of withdrawn. My family were not able to trust people so we grew up very sheltered and were very private. So Jimmy and Terry allowed me to open up to them and express myself.”

“If this is what she wants to do, let her do it”

Amazingly, Control yielded four more US R&B chart-toppers: the funked-up, attitude-heavy ‘Nasty’; the assertive title song, which was Janet’s declaration of independence; the sweet ballad ‘Let’s Wait Awhile’, which showed her sensuous side; and the electro-influenced dance groove ‘The Pleasure Principle’. Another single, the joyously upbeat ‘When I Think Of You’, surprisingly stalled at No.3 on the US R&B chart, but became her first mainstream chart-topper. Meanwhile, the slow ballad ‘Funny How Time Flies’ wasn’t released as a single but quickly became a fan favourite spawning a swathe of smooth jazz cover versions.

Reflecting on her timely collaboration with Jam and Lewis, Janet Jackson was grateful for their input and building her confidence as an artist. “They allowed me to grow, they allowed me to blossom,” she said. “There are producers that would say: wait a minute, this is way too much. But they were like, no, if this is what she wants to do and this is the way she wants to express herself, let her do it.”
With Control, Janet Jackson made an album that truly reflected her as a person. Despite its title, it was the album that finally set her free. Now her and Michael were equals.

Control can be bought here.

Listen to the best of Janet Jackson on Apple Music and Spotify.

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stori...jackson-album/

[beredy]

God I have such a weird relationship with Control, the album. It does sound a bit dated, but it has dem tunes, no doubt about that. And even though all my album faves Control, What Have You Done For Me Lately and The Pleasure Principle are amazing songs, they all run at least a minute too long for me. And that is my main problem with this album - the edits. All songs are more like club mixes than album songs. I really wish they made a punchier shorter album.

And that cover remains the best cover of her career. So simple, stylish and sexy. It's one of my favorite covers of all time TBH.

[Bojan]

Old music always sounds "dated" to me. Even songs that are only a few years old, but I like that. It's as it should be, like time travel.

I can't decide do I like "Control" or "Rhythm Nation 1814" cover more. There's something symbolic and artistic in "Rhythm Nation 1814" cover, her face partly hidden in the shadow is telling a story even before you start listening to the record. However, I have no doubt that my favorite overall artwork is "The Velvet Rope." That booklet is fantastic, but you have to have it in your hands for the complete experience because of the creative usage of relief printing.

I really like how her artworks are almost always minimal, simple and classy with great, timeless typography. I have some complaints, though. "Damita Jo" looks good but it is not very original. It reminds me of Sade's "Love Deluxe." "20 Y.O" has a great booklet, and everything looks good except the cover. "Discipline" was a good idea that wasn't executed very well. She looked good on "Unbreakable" but that's one of her weakest artworks, if not the weakest. All four were decent but not as good as her artworks from 1986 to 2001. I hope that her next album will have a great cover art, like in good old days.

[Westen]

I need this album remastered desperately. Lack of remaster is stopping me from listening to it more... Nasty is my 2nd favorite Janet song after If.

[Westen]

Old music always sounds "dated" to me. Even songs that are only a few years old, but I like that. It's as it should be, like time travel.

I can't decide do I like "Control" or "Rhythm Nation 1814" cover more. There's something symbolic and artistic in "Rhythm Nation 1814" cover, her face partly hidden in the shadow is telling a story even before you start listening to the record. However, I have no doubt that my favorite overall artwork is "The Velvet Rope." That booklet is fantastic, but you have to have it in your hands for the complete experience because of the creative usage of relief printing.

I really like how her artworks are almost always minimal, simple and classy with great, timeless typography. I have some complaints, though. "Damita Jo" looks good but it is not very original. It reminds me of Sade's "Love Deluxe." "20 Y.O" has a great booklet, and everything looks good except the cover. "Discipline" was a good idea that wasn't executed very well. She looked good on "Unbreakable" but that's one of her weakest artworks, if not the weakest. All four were decent but not as good as her artworks from 1986 to 2001. I hope that her next album will have a great cover art, like in good old days.

All of her album covers after AFY are tragic to me. I mean AFY is ok, it's just plain picture of her smiling, nothing memorable.

[beredy]

AFY, Damita and 20YO all look like they are from the same shoot. Nearly the same smile and face look, she's keeping her hand near her titties in various poses. Even the hair is similar (brunette with blond streaks). Those 3 are easily the blandest covers in her career and the worst ones for me - with Damita taking the title of worst cover (yes it's similar to Sade's, but Sade's is very artistic, while Janet's is a bit on the cheap side).

[Bojan]

Poetic Justice Blu-ray
Amazon

[hun]

So did y’all hear the Glastonbury rumours while we were offline?

[hellohello]

I did. I really hope it's true. I have been saying for the longest time that she should perform in major festivals like Coachella so that the younger generation can see how incredible her music is and how many hits she has.

[Erotica]

Well, she can do it, why not, even though I am not familiar with all these festivals and also don't know if they have a big influence.

[Gravity]

The first Janet meme I've ever seen

[hun]

Her cheeks look stupid in that pic

[hun]

I’m not sure about Glastonbury. A lot of people don’t know Janet or don’t respect her and British people can be so rude

[hellohello]

Who cares what the public think about Janet. Of course they will remember her. If they know Michael, I'm sure they will know her. Glastonbury is one of biggest festivals in the world so it would be very stupid not to perform there especially if you have so many hits.

[hun]

But the British crowds can be vile. They threw bottles at Daphne and Celeste

[Erotica]

I’m not sure about Glastonbury. A lot of people don’t know Janet or don’t respect her and British people can be so rude

Well, maybe she doesn't appear there anyway.

[hun]

[Pawlu84]

But the British crowds can be vile. They threw bottles at Daphne and Celeste

are you comparing Janet with Daphne and Celeste?

[hun]

I’m gonna be 3rd row on Sunday. But who cares when she has that stupid hairstyle