Customer Reviews

Design of a Decade 1986/1996

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Hey - I'm a Janet fan, and my favorite Janet album is 'Rhythm Nation 1814'. My favorite Janet video is "Alright". So that might clue you in to what I'm into since Janet has so many facets to her.

As far as this album goes, it's excellent. The best part, however is for those with the ear to notice that some of the 'Rhythm Nation' hits (which make up the majority of this album) are remixed single versions! That is, "Alright", "Black Cat", and "Come Back To Me" are all revised like they were on the radio...improvements on the ones you'll find on the album - especially "Come Back To Me".

But all the 'Control' hits are here (in their original form - get the remix album if you want the single versions) and there's "That's The Way Love Goes" from her 'Janet' campaign that makes you wanna pop that CD in to keep it going. "Twenty Foreplay" is an O.K. song but I absolutely love "Runaway" which seems to go back to her 'Rhythm Nation' days al la Escapade.

I just wish she included "On and On" - the B-side to "Throb", but other than that, this is a must own, especially since Janet is dropping her new album very soon, and her new single, "Never Fall In Love" is off the hook! (I guarantee this one will be a hit, or my name isn't Knyte.)

Trust me.

Back in 1986 Janet Jackson, with callaborators/producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, set a new standard in R&B, making music that was knee-shakingly funky and still managed to cross over to the pop genre. In hindsight her hits from the late 80's and early 90's isn't so much a dated exercise in nostalgia as it is a measure of how good contemporary soul music can be.

Ok, so she's adorable, sweet as can be, etc...but let's face it. Janet has never possessed the sort of pipes that would steal material away from Whitney Houston. But Jam & Lewis capitalized on the limits of her voice by placing them smack dab on top of the heaviest, thickest grooves you'll ever find in pop music, and the contrast between the two is striking. Her low moans on the likes of "Nasty" and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" opposite Jam & Lewis' pounding beats make for delicious ear candy; ditto for her energetic delivery on Prince-inspired dancefloor anthems like "Escapade" and the damn-near-perfect "Miss You Much." Janet even proves that she can flat-out rock on the guitar-heavy "Black Cat."

"Alright" is a brushed-up single remix, which serves the song well, considering it has minimal melody and no chord progression whatsoever. Why then, didn't they include the killer video version for "The Pleasure Principle" or the slick single remix for "Let's Wait Awhile"? The album versions of these two tracks sound a bit empty in comparison. Still, with new material at the level of the funky "Runaway" and the sultry "Twenty Foreplay," there's little to complain about. You're even treated to the best track from her "janet" release ("That's the Way Love Goes") without being subjected to the rest of that album's overheated, Madonna-wannabe sexuality. All in all this is as comprehensive and enjoyable a compilation as any casual fan of Janet or R&B in general could ask for.

I recently got around to finally updating my cd collection, by ordering a few CD's from some artists I use to listen to - on cassette, in the 80's and early 90's (when I was a little boy and in my pre-teens)...you know, back when pop music was still good, bearable, and even a little bit meaningful...? Since I obviously couldn't afford to order a whole boatload of cd's, I got the greatest hits versions from some that used to be my favorites from the time - Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Prince, Madonna, George Michael, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates.
When I popped in this cd (Design of a Decade 1986/1996), it was good to hear Janet Jackson's smooth, beatufiful, soothing voice again, because I'll admit, it had been a very long time since I've listened to anything at all from her. The thing that kind of pissed me off though, and that I really just don't understand is why in the bloody hell did she or whoever put this one together decide to include only ONE song from her "Janet" CD? That and I personally think that the one song, "That's The Way Love Goes" they did include is by far the lesser of the hits she had come off of that CD. My personal all-time favorite song by Janet Jackson is "Again", anybody who has ever heard that song knows it is just simply f'n breathtaking! "Where Are You Now" is another really good song that came off that CD. But yet they're both somehow missing from this CD. I just don't get why she or they would've left those off.
Aside from that, it's an excellent CD, but I simply cannot overlook my personal favorite song by her being flat-out missing from it! If anybody knows of any other Janet Jackson - !!COMPLETE!! Greatest Hits (or anything along those lines) types of CD's, by all means please hit me up, and let me know what it's called and where I can find it - [...]. Thank you.

In spite of the misleading title, this collection of pop singles spanning a mere 4 years, 1986-1990, is a far better buy than either of the two albums from which its songs were culled.

Janet Jackson is one of those frustrating performers who has had a succession of excellent pop singles, the majority of which are necessary to own if you want the hit versions versus the more readily available full length releases where these same tracks tend to drag on forever and are locked into their respective albums by pointless, overlapping interludes.

Fortunately this collection presents the seperated mixes and the songs included here are fantastic examples of mid-late 80s pop at its finest.

From 1986s Control: "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "Nasty", "When I Think Of You", "Control", "Let's Wait Awhile" (shamefully not the single remix), and "The Pleasure Principle" (curiously not the Shep Pettibone remix used in the video as well as on the international single release, but an edit of the painfully bland album version).

From 1989s Rhythm Nation 1814: "Miss You Much", "Rhythm Nation" (the album version for which a special "pledge"-less intro has been mixed), "Escapade", "Alright" (fortunately the Shep Pettibone single remix and even more fortunately Heavy D's rap has been removed), "Come Back To Me" (the radio remix), "Black Cat" (ditto) and the edit of "Love Will Never Do (Without You)".

The rest of the album (a whopping 3 songs) is filled out by the lone Virgin Records offering "That's The Way Love Goes" and two at-the-time new cuts, "Runaway" and "Twenty Foreplay".

The US edition of Design Of A Decade is great for what you get. The international edition is even better, boasting two additional tracks ("Whoops Now" and "The Best Things In Life Are Free") and fewer album versions of tracks ("Nasty", "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "Miss You Much", "Control" and "Rhythm Nation" all appear in different versions...improved, concise edits originally found on their respective singles). The cover artwork also differs from country to country.

Coming back to the title for a moment (and I really don't mean to harp), it's a bit unfair for A&M Records to have titled this Design Of A Decade and worse still imply that it spans "1986/1996" when her 1991 to 1995 output is represented only by "That's The Way Love Goes". The omitted Virgin singles eligible for inclusion are among her biggest and most well known tracks, and at that time were what most consumers were anxious to hear alongside her 80s output, and probably what most (myself included) thought they were getting.

Furthermore, no attempt is made at including material from her first two A&M albums (1982s Janet Jackson and 1984s Dream Street). While this isn't technically a loss, with the limited resources A&M had for compiling a retrospective they could have thrown in a track or two to represent the first half of her time with them. At least then this could have been called Design Of A Decade with the subtitle 1982/1992, stopping just before the Virgin Records era.

Then there is the problem of how to follow up this release. With Fall 2005 (the tenth anniversary of Design's release) fast approaching and Janet Jackson's career in decline, it seems logical that Virgin would want to whip up their own 'Decade', which would have to stretch all the way back to the summer of 1993 to pick up what didn't appear on the first release, making then for an over-inflated thirteen year decade.

*ceases fire*

Though I definitely recommend opting for the better international edition, there is no denying that this is a fantastic collection of hit singles worthy of a place on anyones CD shelf.

This is a fantastic CD. I still like Miss J even after Nipplegate, and while the event was outrageous, the American public failed to realize they were hypocrites. Is it possible that while people really don't notice real issues like soldiers being blown to pieces in Iraq or the AIDS epidemic, they're seriously upset about a simple flash of nudity? And it wasn't even real nudity, considering Janet had a large pasty covering her nipple! And who told Justin Timberlake to rip the cover off anyway? His publicist? But, I guess some people aren't willing to forgive. I SUPPORT JANET, no matter what.

When Madonna released "The Immaculate Collection", she made the mistake of remixing most of the tracks, which seem to miss the freshness of the originals. With Michael Jackson's "HIStory" the classics got buried underneath the hype of lackluster new material. Seems like Janet is the only modern pop legend to get it right. She leaves the 14 original hits the way they were originally released, and gives them the finest remastering job the record industry has ever seen. These classics still sound as incredible as they did more then a decade ago. What makes the album even more impressive are the 2 new songs; "Runaway", the hit indian-themed dance single, and "Twenty Foreplay", a sexually explicit ballad explaining the joys of real love. They aren't merely just filler tacked on to make the album sell better, these tracks are so professionally made that they actually deserve to be on a "greatest hits album". "Design Of A Decade 1986/1996" shows why Janet is considered the talented artist she is. One-third well produced grooves, one-third deep lyrics, and one-third innocent voice equal the most exciting compilation of the nineties!

This CD is abslutely incredible. The one and only reason that I took one star off is because of the weird concept. It inclues all her hits from A&M records, as well as two new songs and "That's the Way Love Goes". I understand the reasoning, butit is still a bit akward.

Regardless, that doesn't take away from the fantastic music. It starts off with "Runaway" which is a classic Janet 'holiday' song in the vein of 'Escapade". The camera'click sound on each beat is very catchy and unique.

The next few tracks are from Janet's 1986 breakthrough "Control": "What Have you Done for me Lately", "Nasty" and "When I Think Of You". All classic singles that have the most seductive dance beats and attitude that makes Janet who she is.

It continues with four tracks from "Rhythm Nation 1814": "Escapade", "Miss You Much", "Love Will Never Do...", and "Alright" They all have futuristic, yet 80's pop beat to them which is the tone for the RN1814 album. Of course, they'll all extremely catchy. "Alight" appears in it's radio remix form, which is a nice little treat.

The album continues with two more "Control" tracks: The amazing "Control", and "The Pleasure Principle". Jimmy, Terry and Janet did great job on these. They are R&B classics that sound even better today. Next are "Black Cat" and "Rhythm Nation. The former is also in radio remix form which is a nice luxury. "Rhythm Nation" is basically the same as it's album verison, with the excusion of Janet's 'pledge speech' at the beginning.

The last four songs are slow jams, each from a different album. "That's the Way Lvoe Goes" from 'janet.' is J's biggest hit, and with good reason. The beat is so sexy, as are Janet's vocals. The groove is absolutely blissful. Next is "Come Back to Me" (RN1814), a fantastic soothing R&B ballad that sounds ahead of it's time. "Let's Wait A while" is Janet's first hit ballad (from "Control"), and it's a very sweet song about waiting to have sex. Last but not least is anoher new track "Twenty Foreplay" which starts off as a sweet slow ballad, and then changes it's tone to a straight-up funky, love-making jam.

All-in-all,this CD demonstrates what an amazing talent Janet Jackson is, and what pleasure it is to have her as part of he music industry.

"Design of a Decade 1986-1996" is a compilation of most of Janet Jackson's hits within that time span. Every song plays a great role in music history. This presents listeners how she evolved as an artist within that time. Through strong independence, fighting against discrimination, and sex, she became more than a musician and a dancer. She's influenced a generation of pop musicians that came after her. The variety of music genres give listeners the added pleasure: pop, R&B, rock, and funk. Her great talents prove that she greatly deserves the recognition she's received.

Janet Jackson took her tracks from her previous three albums: "Control" (1986), "Rhythm Nation 1814" (1989), and "Janet" (1993). All three albums reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts. Despite the long time span between albums, the quality proves worth the wait. Every track through her career tells a story and gives listeners the amazing emotional pleasure. Therefore, they take them on a musical journey through her life, trials, and beliefs. Through every release, she amazed fans with her changed style, attitude, and looks. Within 1986-1996, she won four Grammys and several other awards.

Before 1986, she starred in two sitcoms briefly: "Good Times" (1978-1980) and "Diff'rent Strokes" (1981-1982). She also released two albums: self-titled (1982) and "Dream Street" (1984). Unfortunately, both albums flopped. "Control" is when her career lauched to enormous levels. She released six hit singles from this album, starting with "What Have You Done For Me Lately", all which are featured on "Design of a Decade". These tracks define her strong-willed independence. She fired her father manager before recording began. Her lyrics are accompanied by wonderful funky pop backgrounds. With the help of longtime producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the dance beats give listeners great dancing pleasure. Through the dancing, she expresses her more sensative side on the ballad "Let's Wait a While". Such quality proves that her success is only the beginning.

Her album "Rhythm Nation 1814" expresses her strong political beliefs, namely racism. This launched seven hit singles, all which are featured on "Design of a Decade". Musically, she explores more pop/dance rather than pop/funk. The occasional various genres keep listeners interested. The dance beats continue to attract audiences. She performs every track expressively and beautiful, offering a deeper look through her words. Through the signature dance music, she manages to record a rock song "Black Cat". Her final single from this album "Love Will Never Do Without You" readies listeners for her next album.

Janet Jackson's biggest selling album "Janet" surprises listeners most. Her previous well-known conservative look transforms to a sexually charged image. She launched six hit singles from this album. Due to record company contracts, "That's the Way Love Goes" is the only one featured on "Design of a Decade". This calm, groovy R&B song partially introduces listeners to the album's theme. This remains her most successful single to date. This was written and performed beautifully. Her voice perfectly matched with the intimate theme.

Through the career journey on "Design of a Decade", Janet Jackson rooms two new singles: "Runaway" and "Twenty Foreplay". The musical quality proves that she continues to evolve as an artist with this album release. "Runaway" is a great pop single that explores her career times. She quotes that through all of her success, her then-husband (in secret) was missing. The ballad "Twenty Foreplay" is a great song to relax to.

"Design of a Decade 1986-1996" is a great album for all Janet Jackson fans. This is sure to please listeners for a long time. Every song featured will become classics in the following years. Her successes after this prove that "part two" will come shortly. Go Janet!

Janet Jackson's albums after "Design of a Decade" (all recommended):
---"The Velvet Rope" (1997)
---"All For You" (2001)
---"Damita Jo" (2004)

Ever since Janet Jackson teamed up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis they have made the perfect r & b pop force.

With songs like "Nasty", "The Pleasure Principle", "Control", "Lets Wait Awhile", "Love Will Never Do", and the list goes on.....

A great compilation of Jacksons hits....the only thing now is she needs to up date this with her latest hits, "If", "Again", etc.....

Janet Jackson will always have a place in my heart with her beauty, voice, music and most of all her ever presence as a down to earth human being.

Janet! You are truly an artist with many years ahead of you may it be musically or some other venture in the arts.

A definite for the CD collection.

I got this CD, not really knowing what to expect. I was familiar with Nasty, and Runaway and Thats The Way Love Goes were favourites of mine before hand. So when I got this album I took comfort in knowing those three.

Although I love Design Of A Decade now I did find her early stuff on the album to be a little repetitive. It all seemed to have the same beat incorperated into it. But anyway, I got over it and fell madly in love with Rythmn Nation and Alright. Her slow songs are also excellent. Come Back To Me is a wonderful track with a lot of emotion in it.

If I wasnt a Janet fan I am now after listening to Design of the Decade.