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Design of a Decade: 1986-1996

Janet Jackson - Design of a Decade: 1986-1996 Audio CD

A fair review of the Janet Jackson "Design of a Decade: 1986-1996" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Janet Jackson reviews here, or go back to the Janet Jackson tabs.

Band: Janet Jackson
Title: Design of a Decade: 1986-1996
Rating:

Release Date: 1995-10-09
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Runaway 2: What Have You Done for Me Lately 3: Nasty 4: When I Think of You 5: Escapade 6: Miss You Much 7: Whoops Now 8: Love Will Never Do (Without You) 9: Alright 10: Best Things in Life Are Free 11: Control 12: Pleasure Principle 13: Black Cat 14: Rhythm Nation 15: That's the Way Love Goes 16: Come Back to Me 17: Let's Wait Awhile 18: Twenty Foreplay

her best stuff overall
tight dance Jams and some smooth slow jams. i use to dig Janet Jackson's stuff well especially her peak/prime era stuff from 86-95 and this hits package for me best captures Janet Jackson during her best days. the singles still hold up for the most part. this collection was the fun and feel Good Janet Jackson and all the hits just rolled off with ease. .

Design of a Decade...
But they could have done more! Four stars!!. A good disc, as it contains most of her hits.

Perfection before "Nipplegate"

Back in the day before Mariah and Mary J. This album's bangin', pure and simple! If you don't know why, you need to buy this album. , an iconic performer and entertainer rivaled Whitney Houston and MaDonna for pop music supremacy.

I grew up listening to Janet through the 80s and 90s. This album perfectly captures her better days.

This album is a compilation throwback to a day when artists only put the finest tracks on their album (no filler) and if you had a blockbuster LP -- like Control & Rhythm Nation were -- it meant you put out 5+ singles from your album (so they all had to be fire).

Hard to pick a favorite Janet song -- it's like picking your favorite child.

*Come Back to Me -- Favorite slow jam
*24Play -- Favorite sex jam
*When I Think of You -- Best radio-friendly jam
*Pleasure Principle -- Best Janet song that was made into video
*Control -- Favorite anthem song
*Nasty Girl -- Favorite dance track

This is an album you can listen to all the way through with high energy and an urge to replay each song.

Very highly recommended LP to add to your collection whether you're a pop/R&B fan or not.

Music from the Rhythm nation
A US #3 and UK #2. `Design of a decade' is Janet's career retrospective of the previous ten hit filled years. An amazing collection released when she was 29 and had amassed a staggering 19 US top 10 singles, most co penned by her. The songs are however not arranged chronologically. Released in 4 different versions with slightly different track lists, this is the UK/Europe version.

Unlike quite a number of other female (especially dance) artists, Janet does not have a powerful voice. Her forte is finding catchy, funky, incredibly danceable tracks to suit her very pretty but wisp like vocals to perfection, and this collection shows just how clever that pairing is.

Opening up with the brand new track, the oriental tinged pop/R&B of `Runaway', with lyrics taking the listener on a trip around the world, and an amazing video. A US #3 and UK top 5 hit.

Next up is the razor sharp dance track `What have you done for me lately', her first US or UK top 10 (US #4 UK #3), and the lead off single from her ground breaking `Control' album. Featuring man bashing lyrics, this track inspired acts like Jody Watley (`Lookin' for a new love') and Pebbles to name a few.

`Nasty', the Prince like funk track calling for respect. `My middle name aint baby/it's Janet/Ms Jackson if you're nasty'. US#3 UK#19. Taken from `Control'.

The upbeat pop/dance number `When I think of you' was her first US #1, and a UK #10. From `Control'.

The catchy, fun filled `Escapade' which is faintly similar to `Runaway' was from the ambitious concept album `Rhythm Nation 1814', and was a US #1 and UK #17.

The sparse Prince sounding but hard hitting `Miss you much' was a US #1 and UK #22. From `Rhythm nation'.

`Whoops now' is a sunny sounding, bouncy pop number, released in the UK, it hit #10. It was a hidden track on some copies of the `Janet' CD.

The slowed down dance/funk of `Love will never do without you' with its chunky beats was a US #1. Featuring Janet sinking is a smoky lower register in the opening verses before launching into her familiar range. This was the 7th single off the `Rhythm nation' album, a record setting 7 top 5 singles off an album, a record that still stands today.

`Alright' with its epic video featuring cameos from Cab Calloway and Heavy D was a US #4. Also from `Rhythm nation' and featured here in a remix.

Next up was `The best things in life are free', a duet with Luther Vandross from the soundtrack to the movie `Mo money'. An upbeat house number, it hit #10 in the US and #2 in the UK.

`Control' was a US #5. A funk/pop song with hip hop beats and lyrics like `When I was 17/I did what people told me/Did what my father said and let my mother mould me/but that was long ago/I'm in Control'. Janet was telling us she was all grown up and taking control of her life.

`The pleasure principle' is an upbeat synth driven dance song, US #14. Taken from `Control'.

`Black cat' penned solely by Janet is head banging rock, a surprise lone change in musical direction from the `Rhythm nation' album. Another US #1 and UK #20, and featured here in a remix.

Title track `Rhythm nation' is a clunky industrial sounding funk number. US #2.

`That's the way love goes', due to contractual issues, is the sole representation from her uber sexy `Janet' album. A mellow R&B song, it was a US #1 and UK #2.

`Come back to me' (remixed here) is a ballad off the `Rhythm nation' album, a US #2. The tender ballad `Let's wait awhile' (about taking things slow in a relationship) was the 5th top 5 single off the `Control' album (US #2, UK #3), a feat that was achieved for the first time by a female, and which she surpassed on her next album.

The brand new smoldering ballad `Twenty fore play' (with a nice change in tempo midway through) closes out this superb collection from one of dance music's premier songstresses.

Full of fabulous photos of Janet from 86 to 95 (including stills from videos), a very lengthy write up (including snippets from interviews with Janet and Jam & Lewis) on the evolution of her music from 86 to 95, as well as chart statistics and numerous awards received by Janet.

Superb!

P. S. The CD cover photo is different from what is displayed here on amazon; it is a black & white shot of Janet from the bust up, smiling and looking slightly to the left.
.

design of a decade
and The Best Things In Life Are Free, a B- side single note that most tracks from the 1993 release janet are neglected due to contractual reasons because the album was released under virgin while DOAD was released under her former label A&M who have no rights to her music from virggin due to the kindness of the virgin record company and janet herself that's the way love goes and whoops now are feautred great buy and alittle bit better than the u. A great review album of all of janet top 10 hits feauturing a hidden track from janet's 1993 releaase JANET. s release due to the extra tracks 99. 9/100.

You can see a complete list of all Janet Jackson discography, or go back to the Janet Jackson tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.