Control by Janet Jackson
My Love Janet!!!!
Free at last / Out here on my own, Janet Jackson sings on the title track of
her 1986 blockbuster, Control, an album about personal liberation,
romantic longing, and, of all things, sexual responsibility. After two albums
of middling dance-pop that were comfortably in the Jackson family mold,
Janet dropped in on the burgeoning Mi nneapolis funk factory of producers
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and came up with five top 10 hits, including
the opening triad of Control, Nasty, and What Have You Done for Me
Lately, as well as the yearning When I Think of You and Lets Wait Awhile,
that rare song (considering some of Janets hits to come) about not having
sex. In its own way, Control is the most convincing declaration of artistic
independence since Stevie Wonders Music of My Mind. --Daniel Durchholz
The legacy of this classic is often misunderstood by a lot of people. To
understand the concepts both musically and lyrically of this album is
because Janets first two albums,from her debut Janet Jackson to her
somewhat more powerful second release Dream Street were directed
completely by other sources,including his dad. The title of this album is
often questioned because Janet actually has very little participation
creatively in this project. The control she speaks of is being free to choose
the people who helped her to stardom and a greater musical place. And
her own personal choices couldnt have been better. Jimmy Jam and Terry
Lewis were two of the first people to take the then hugely successful
Minneapolis sound out of its home region with the SOS Band,Alexander
ONeal,etc.Also it was pretty clear Janet was very involved in the creative
process too.Her new confident persona clearly drove the music to where
Jam/Lewis took it and gave the lyrics and music a consistancy and
coherence that her first two releases sometimes had trouble maintaining.
One thing that really makes this a standout 80s classic is the music.
Theres more then a lot of catchy tunes here. Janet,Jam & Lewis all put
together a whole new type of dance-funk here. What that meant were
beats that came from the bottom up,quiet to loud rather than the other way
around.These were often puncuated by very punchy uses of synth bass
and melodic exchanges. The approch is not only very Minneapolis and
commercial but also arty and distinctive. The music is as tough as the
lyrics are.From the powerful title song to The Pleasure Principle Janet
explores various types of assertive behavior,from professional to romantic.
And the music keeps your feet moving AND your waist move in and out
while shes doing it. Much the same as with her brother Mikes huge
breakthrough Thriller even the non hit material on this album sound like
hits.You Can Be Mine and He Doesnt Even Know Im Alive are great
examples,exploring heavier pop elements than some of the
more....musical material.Another similar case is (Funny How Time Flies)
When Your Having Fun,a ballad tacked onto the end of the album with
such a strong,errie minor chorded feel that its become a popular cover
choice for a number of instrumentalists,especially in the jazz world. But the
Jam/Lewis production on the song,as on the rest of the album makes it a
sure fire standout. This albums goes far beyond the well known
Nasty,When I Think Of You,What Have You Done For Me Lately and Lets
Wait Awile and everyone who hears this will be more than happily
surprized how well everything,even if it wasnt all over the radio and
dancefloor will make a very strong impression.
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