Control

Janet Makes A Statement On Her Groundbreaking Control
Before "Control" Janet Jackson was a bubblegum artist. No one really expected her to be anything. Even her record label said she would fade away in a year or two. Thank God she met Jimmy and Terry who guided her in the right path. Janet was only in her early 20s but had already grown up and even went through a divorce. "Control" is all about how she broke away from her family, got married, and then divorced. "Control" was a huge hit. It had seven huge hits and sold millions of copies. The album has great singles. "What Have You Done For Me Lately" was her breakthough hit most likely directed towards her ex husband. "Nasty" is her signature song based on boys who sexually harassed her. "Control" is a story about how she stood up to her family and took control of her life and became an adult. It is probally the best and most exciting track on the album. "When I Think Of You" was her first #1 single and has a brilliant begining and interestingly shot video. "Lets Wait Awhile" is one of her best ballads that became a big hit during the AIDS controversy peak. "The Pleasure Principle" is what I consider to be the second best on the album and is about Janet's marriage falling apart. The video hinted that Janet would soon become Queen of Dance Videos. The downside to "Control" is it has some forgetable filler. "You Can Be Mine" would of fit perfectly on "Dreamstreet" or her debut. "He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive" is probally the best piece of filler on the album. A cute song that doesn't really fit the theme of the album but I still love it. "Time Flies Fast (While Your Having Fun)" is a slightly forgetable flop single. In conclusion, "Control" is a groundbreaking album that proves Janet was the smartest in the Jackson family. I'd highly reccomend this to anyone doubting that Janet could of gotten famous without her family. 4.5 / 5 Stars

Simply the best Janet album!!
After the low record sales from her first two albums and a failing brief marriage with James DeBarge, Janet got back in the studio with this time recruiting star producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (who were ex-members of The Time and previously successfully produced music for SOS Band, Cheryl Lynn, Alexander O'Neal, and Klymaxx). Being that some of their produced songs were geared more on the R&B side, their goal was to make Janet's music geared equally for the mainstream and black community and it worked out. Janet also had some "Control" in co-writing most of her hit singles with the famous duo. In a year and a half, six singles from Control were released with 5 of them topping the R&B charts and 5 of them reaching the top 5 on the pop charts. I don't have to talk much about the title cut, "What Have You Done For Me Lately, Nasty, When I Think Of You, The Pleasure Principle, and Let's Wait Awhile" because these 6 selections were very good reasons why they were released, why their music videos became so popular, and why each of them earned superior slots on the pop and R&B charts. "When I Think Of You" was Janet's first number 1 pop hit (and only pop hit on Control, but all that will change when Rhythm Nation comes out in 1989). The album track "Funny How Time Flies When You're Having Fun" is a good song due to the fact that it displays Janet's sexual side of which foreshadows her hit singles on her 1993, Janet cd and beyond....but shes still young so its not there yet. I also love "He Does'nt Know I'm Alive" of which may not have the potential of becoming a single, but was a funky Alexander O'Neal-like tune and radio friendly. "You Can Be Mine" was good too. So far, this is my favorite Janet Jackson album that was performed well with the help of my favorite producers in the music business. Anything the duo touches turns into a hit!

AMAZON.COM AND THEIR CARELESS WAYS...BEWAAARE
LOOK PPL, MY CD JUST ARRIVED AT MY FRONT DOOR TODAY. SO I DID WHAT ANY MUSIC LOVER WOULD DO, I RUSHED UP STAIRS TO OPEN MY PACKAGE TO SIMPLY LISTEN TO THE GOOD SOUNDS OF MS. JANET JACKSON! AND TO MY SURPRISE, I OPENED THE CD CASE TO FIND NOOOOOOO CD!..THAT'S RIGHT..N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O C-D! AMAZON HAS DONE IT NOW! THEY HAVE FINALLY CROSSED THE FINE LINE BETWEEN CUSTOMER AND PROVIDER! I WAS AND STILL AM DISGUSTED. I FEEL ANGRY, SAD, AND NOT TO MENTION ROBBED! THEY BASICLLY ROBBED MY VISA CC OF MONEY FOR THIS CD. I AM A HIGHLY AVID, I REPEAT AVID AVID AVID CUSTOMER OF AMAZON AND THEY TURN RIGHT AROUND AND THROW A CD-LESS CD CASE IN THE MAIL W/ OUT THINKING TWICE. I HAVE BEEN ORDERING FROM THESE PPL FOR YRS AND YRS, BUT I TELL YA, I'M STARTING TO THINK TWICE ON CONTINUING ON W/ THEM! LOOK PPL, ALL I'M SAYING IS TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T PUT ALL YOUR TRUST IN AMAZON.COM LIKE I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR YRS AND YRS BECAUSE WHEN SOMETHING LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME OCCURS, YOU REALLY START TO SEE WHO'S THERE FOR YOU AND WHO'S NOT THERE FOR YOU - CASE IN POINT: WHEN I CALLED THE LIVE PHONE LINE AT AMAZON FOR HELP THEY THREW A MAN WHO HARDLY SPOKE ENGLISH ON THE PHONE WHICH MADE ME EVEN MORE AGGERVATED. AND HE HAD ZERO REMORSE EVEN THOUGH I AM A AVID CUSTOMER! THE HOLLIDAYS ARE AROUND THE CORNER, WHAT PERSON IN THEIR RIGHT MIND CAN AFFORD TO SIT AROUND AND LOOSE MONEY OVER QUESTIONABLE MERCHANDISE..NOT ME AND NOT EVA AGAIN!..TALK ABOUT LOYALITY HUUH? BE CAREFUL PPL!

This Is A Story About Control
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 Janet's 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 could'nt have been better. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were two of the first people to take the then hugely successful Minneapolis sound out of it's home region with the SOS Band,Alexander O'Neal,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 80's classic is the music. There's 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 she's doing it. Much the same as with her brother Mike's huge breakthrough Thriller even the non hit material on this album sound like hits."You Can Be Mine" and "He Doesn't Even Know I'm 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 it's 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 "Let's Wait Awile" and everyone who hears this will be more than happily surprized how well everything,even if it wasn't all over the radio and dancefloor will make a very strong impression.

My love Janet!!!!
From day one of being a young man, I have always been in love with this woman. She is exceptionally together,especially when her second venture came out..."Control". I have everything she's ever done..and Im not going to stop! For those who doesn't know anything about "Control", I dare you to find out. I love you Miss Jackson