Alright.

I've been on a big Janet Jackson kick all week. It all started when the Design of a Decade video collection came my way via Netflix. Many of the videos I hadn't seen in quite some time, and the full clip for "Control" was especially great to see (featuring not only Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but Jerome Benton too!). Curiously, the video for "Miss You Much" was cut short, which always bothered me when MTV or VH1 did the same thing. However, one clip that happily did not receive such edits was "Alright."

I have not seen this video in its entirety since it was still running high on the MTV Top 25 Countdown with Adam Curry.



Do they even have a weekly countdown on MTV anymore? Anytime I happen upon the channel it's always Room Raidersor that ridiculous sweet 16 show.

I digress. Watching the dvd also made me realize how much they milked pop albums for singles in those days. Rhythm Nation for example had 7 singles/videos. Control had 6. That just doesn't happen any more (although the Gwen Stefani solo records come close, clocking at 5 each).

I've also settled an ongoing internal debate. For a few years, I've toiled over which I like better - Control or Rhythm Nation. In asking like-minded friends, they scoffed as if it was even a question that Control wins every time. The conclusion I've come to on this is that Control is in fact a better album - it's the classic Flyte Tyme sound, it's more consistent and it has that breakout album energy. However, I think that I have more sentimental attachment to Rhythm Nation for whatever reason. Perhaps by that time I was a little more engulfed by pop music, taping things off of the radio and MTV (I so wish I still had those tapes), etc. They're both great though. I do love how each totally represents the two main sounds of Jam and Lewis (i.e. Control still sounds VERY Minneapolis sound, while Rhythm Nation sounds very much like The Time's Pandemonium album.

But again,
I digress. Enjoy Janet, Cab Calloway and Heavy D. getting down together.

Janet Jackson - Alright
Uploaded by jpdc11

PS-is it just me, or is YouTube being horribly slow/nonfunctional as of late?