Rhythm Nation 1814

I don't think this is a bad album. Honestly, it's a pretty good one. But I didn't like it too much. The weird over production on an album that's sort of trying to display the hardships of the world. Just this whole, over the top rich celebrity singing about the woes of poor people. Just feels so fake and I sorta hate it for that. It's not bad. Just seems dated and out of touch even though it's supposed to be in touch. She can sing pretty damn well though.

I saw Janet Jackson at a grocery store in Charlotte yesterday. I told her how cool it was to meet her in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother her and ask her for photos or anything. She said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but she kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing her hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard her chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw her trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in her hands without paying. The guy at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Ma'am, you need to pay for those first.” At first she kept pretending to be tired and not hear him, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter. When he took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, she stopped him and told him to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After he scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, she kept interrupting him by yawning really loudly.

Fuck the low reviews i love this album and it’s incorporation of the real world.

I don’t really like this style of overproduced studio showcase, but it is so well done for what it is. Wavering between a 3 and a 4. I’ll go with the 4 because… my god did she ever get the short end of the stick after the Superb Owl.

New Jack swing is a genre that had a brief heyday in the late 80's and early 90's, arising partly from Prince's Minneapolis sound and increasing popularity of hip hop. Fusing these funk grooves and drum samples with r&b songwriting and sensibilities provided a new sound that can only be described as transitionary for African American music. While others would come before her, Janet Jackson would be the first big star to embrace this new genre. Rhythm Nation 1814 is bombastic. Drums are hard-hitting and synths are in your face. It's incredibly cool and also incredibly dated. Jackson is a great singer regardless, and I think she's a generally good fit, though she consistently needs backup vocals to help her stand out against the notably loud drums and synths. I can also do without the ballads. 80's ballads are especially bad, though this comes with the exception of the closing track Someday Is Tonight, which is a lush track that caps things off superbly. Writing is hit or miss. Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make) tried to appeal to youth culture and weaves in a news broadcast about children being shot, puts a real damper on the whole thing as we move into the next song that brings back the big drum samples. I don't think Jackson's socially-conscious lyrics are wholesale bad, just corny and not well-delivered. I think that Rhythm Nation 1814 is a well-developed album with some spotty moments. I appreciate it's purpose and it's place in the western popular music canon, but it's not a genre I see myself returning to anytime soon.

Bangers Galore, and I'm not just saying that because Bangers Galore is also my mom's stripper name.

An hour of Janet Jackson, are you serious? uggghhh. This is like pop music on steroids, which I guess is kinda cool? But it does get old. If it only went for half an hour it'd be a 3, but here we are. 2/5.

The production on this is so grating I couldn’t get through more than 4 songs. 80’s popular music, hands down, has the worst produced records of any decade. You know that shitty Yes song from the 80’s? What’s that? I’m not being specific enough? “Owner of a Lonely Heart”…that shitty 80’s Yes song. The one with the breakdown with synthesized orchestral stings and other shitty casio keyboard sound effects. Imagine a double album with that type of dreck comprising every song. That’s this record, pretty much. What are the sounds on this record even supposed to be? They’re not emulations of actual instruments in most cases, just weird amorphous approximations of an “instrument”. Call me close minded, if you must. 80’s synthesis and production sucks and it was detrimental to my enjoyment of this record.

Cool sounds, never realized Janet has such range

I feel like her music really only belongs in the time it was created. It sounds out of place now

Wow! So good. Thoughtful, powerful, well-produced. Loved listening to the whole thing.

Really enjoyed this! The interludes in between practically every song was something I hadn’t seen before, but I thought it fit the flow of the album. Really enjoyable!

Pop comercial.

Great!

Solid dance jams

Lots of singles, good concept album

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Rhythm nation, State of the world, Love will never do, Escapade

I don’t think I’d ever listened to Janet Jackson before this but it was a pleasant surprise. Most of the songs were catchy but it got verrrry preachy in parts

good album, much better than I remember, a lot of good songs.

Good fun, positive vibes. Makes really nice Cities: Skylines background music if anyone was curious

Good album 💿

Knew a couple of the singles but this is immense. Seriously impressive pop, the production is next level (give or take a few of those late 80s synth sounds). Can I become a Janet Jackson fan at my age?

Rhythm Nation 1814 manages, somehow, to be a satisfying and frustrating listen at the same time. I swear it's all down to the sequencing. The top of the album is loaded with squelchy bass-heavy stompers; the tail consists of twinkly dream-pop, its influence palpable in acts like We Are King. Somehow, the two dullest songs - 'Love Will Never Do' and 'Livin' in a World' - find themselves sandwiched back-to-back. Somewhere amidst all this is 'Black Cat', one of my favourite songs by any of the Jackson clan. Despite some individual clunkers, RN1814 is not boring as a listening experience. It's lopsided for sure but this gives it a mildly eccentric character. And hey, it contains some excellent pop.

Pop production at its most '80's, upbeat dance tracks with great hooks, hard-hitting lyrics. Not a perfect album but close.

I like it when major artists figures their shit out in public, especially when they rationalise it with--like the title says--rhythm. Also, when they show the decency to just *feel* something about it ('Livin' In A World'). I don't expect Janet had much to add around homelessness or literacy, but if every time we opened our mouths we had to drop something groundbreaking, we'd all be fucked. Also, for an hour run time, it flies by.

Classic 90s sound, very prince. Some cool off beat drum patterns, interesting high end synth hits. Can see the influence on subsequent pop sounds like nsync, bruno, kimbra even

Ei uppoa tämä genre, eikä tämä Janetin levy ollut mitenkään poikkeus. Miksiköhän tässä oli niin paljon noita interludeja joka välissä? Tuli mieleen Missy Elliotin levy, jossa kanssa oli paljon välihöpinöitä. Kai se on joku mustien naisten juttu, että kun on kerran päässyt studioon niin on kiva purkittaa omaa ääntään. Levyn biisit olivat sellaista Jackson-kamaa, että hyvin pystyin kuvittelemaan siihen laulajan tanssiesityksen mukaan. Ei ihan pahinta kuraa, mutta en minä tätä enää jatkossa tule kuuntelemaan.

Do I really need Janet Jackson lecturing me for an hour about all that's wrong with the world? No. Having said that, did I enjoy listening to this? Also no, not really. No disrespect to Miss Janet, but this is just not my thing. 2 stars.

A bunch of interludes thrown in between songs that are so samey you'll be thinking about what's for dinner before the 5th track begins.

Liked it more when I was a kid and lacked awareness for quality.

I don't remember any of these songs but I do remember when she flashed her breast at the Superbowl. That probably says more about me than it does about this album.

What's not to like when a giant pop star gains a conscience and then decides to tell you all about it? Everything. It sounds like a hot mess. Parts of it are like people have got the button on their sampler stuck. Best Tracks: Rhythm Nation; Miss You Much; Escapade

Girl.

Great, fun album.

Great album

So I usually joke about how I hate production from around this year for sounding too cheap and fake but maaaaaan. What a fucking record. The production sounds of-its-time but it only makes the record stronger. Pretty much every song is a bop. Also, I'm not usually one for slow, sex jams, but "Someday Is Tonight" is making me feel some sort of way. Shout out to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Holy shit. Favorite tracks: "Rhythm Nation", "Someday Is Tonight", "Black Cat", "Love Will Never Do"

Makes sense that it sounds a lot like Michael's stuff. I'd have to listen to her more than just this to see if I actually liked /her/ stuff. But it's on a good track.

Legendary badass!

Soft spot for this one. Every song is great, even the moody romantic ones. I used to think it is badly paced with all that slow burn at the end, but I like it now. This can pep up any doldrum day.

Amazing! One of my favourites of all time.

Strong 9 this is straight bangers

This album is pretty amazing for how many great song/hits it contains. Though the interludes and theme don't make the package better, there's at least 5 great songs, catchy, melodic and enjoyable.

can't believe i hadn't listened to this

This one was a lot of fun and features a totally distinct production style from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (distinct from others, not anything else they made bc it all sounds like this from what I’ve heard). A classic 80s, over the top pop album is both the best and worst ways. This album clearly took a lot of work to make and it shows in the number of tracks stacked on top of each other here. I can also hear the influence on Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and maybe even Prince? I do however think it suffers from including some of the same surface level political commentary that her brother utilized on some of his later albums. I think it’s great that Janet Jackson had something to say and was willing to use her platform to do so, but there’s a way to do political commentary that’s not so simple and (in my opinion) clumsy. My favorite tracks were “Miss You Much” , "Lonely", and “Alright".

There is a lot going on behind the beats on this one. I forgot how young Janey Jackson was (23) and that this is overtly message driven (compared to Control). The artistic maturity since Control is noteworthy and the production by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis could be their best. This album was huge and unlike many releases of the time, one spin makes it obvious why that was the case. A masterclass in popular dance, hip-hop, pop.

I emigrated to the Rhythm Nation shortly after its release and have remained a happy citizen ever since. What an impressive accomplishment. Scads of hit songs that sound as great as ever today. Phenomenal!!!

Listening to this today was a real treat. I'd forgotten how much it defined the late 80s for me. Apart from a couple of songs, every track is a winner. This album needs to be in my regular rotation.

Yes, I am a part of the Rhythm Nation!!

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this one, but I loved it beginning to end. I was surprised how many of the songs I'd known although I'd never listened to them in album form. I enjoyed the flow from song to song and even the bits between. The title track is such a good funky intro to the album. "Escapade" remains one of my all-time favorite songs. I drove a few extra miles to keep listening to it while driving. Perfection. "Black Cat" was a song I didn't remember much, but I really enjoyed the heavy metal feel. That was unexpected. I could listen to it all over again today.

Fun album. The social commentary was a bit heavy handed at the beginning but after the first 3 tracks she said, "Get the point? Good. Let's dance." Afterwards followed more typical songs

Damn fine album. Fuck Justin Timerlake. 5 stars.

Awesome.

I miss listening to this album!

Jackson's immaculate vocals contrast with crunchy, aggressive electronic pop to amazing effect. The complete opposite of the rather bland and unchallenging pop of the 70s and 80s. And you can just feel how this was produced from the ground up to sound great on a CD hifi.

This is probably one of the albums when people ask what surprised me from the list that I will use as an example. I always wrote this off as it came out when I was quite young and as it wasn’t in my typical genre I summarily wrote it off. Turns out I really like the theme and execution. This is the type of record that I was hoping to find in this 1001 journey.

•Owned •An album that frantically (often coldly) jumps between social commentary/breaking news and ballads/dance pop, Rhythm Nation expects you to dance to the hits but demands that you hear the message it's brought along. All with love and no cynicism. The New Jack Swing palate may feel dated, but hey, these goosebumps are still happening. •5/5

80-90s pop vibes here other than her brother is some of the best of it too. I maybe could’ve only done without one track and definitely had some 👍s.

love this album!!!!!!! Janet is a queen and there are so many classic bops on this record!!!!!!!

No Notes!

Loved it. “Is that the end”!!!

Quintessential Janet! So many great songs here. My only real gripe is how unnecessarily long some of the songs are. But overall a spectacular album!

the musical talents run through the jackson blood. not just michael, but her sister too. my god. imaginative catchy new jack swing, but don't get too distracted by the amazing beats, plenty of lyrics about the human condition and the issues of the world today, the good, bad, and ugly. ah who am i kidding the music itselfffff it's so good not to ignore. few artists actually know how to do the new jack stuff right.

We really are all part of the Rhythm Nation

Me gustó mucho el disco. Nunca escucho Janet Jackson. Es uno de esos artistas que tenes abajo del todo en la lista de "gente que algun dia voy a escuchar". Es muy notorio la influencia de este disco en artistas de pop-comercial que existen hoy en dia. Como una Madonna negra. El apartado tecnico es bastante elaborado para ser un disco de pop de finales de los 80's cuando los artistas descubrieron que todo se podia hacer "apretando unos botoncitos de mierda" y sacar un exito del otro lado. No le quita credito siendo que no todos saben QUE botones y CUANDO apretarlos. Salta a la vista enseguida con el primer tema que no querian hacer algo parecido a MJ pero lo suficientemente distanciado como para que se pueda parar por si mismo... Excepto en Rythm Nation que parece sacado de Dangerous. Lo voy a poner en rotation en mis playlist porque es un buen departure del overly-produced pop que se escucha hoy en dia.

A little overproduced in some areas, but Janet has an amazing voice and some poignant lyrics that make this a catchy and enjoyable listen.

This is a really good album. Not really my thing but the songs are catchy and danceable all while providing a social commentary (although sometimes a little corny). That was probably the whole point so mission accomplished. Unlikely that I'll listen to it again though.

I admittedly didn’t ACTIVELY listen to this album but it made decent “feel good” background music. Overall I’d say it was a neutral to positive experience but nothing really stood out to me

Interesting album with many interludes

It's a good record, I think if it was half as long I would have given it 5 without blinking.

This one really brings me back in a good way to when I was starting to become more aware of music outside of my parent's collection. I remember alot of these songs quite well. Makes sense as there were so many singles from it. They are really having fun with the new capabilities of the sampler all over this record. I think it was really brave of her to go for a concept album that doesn't avert it's eyes from some harsh realities immediately after her first breakout success. And the fact that this became even more successful makes it all the sweeter. I love when artists are rewarded for brave choices and it proves pop audiences don't always want formulaic pap.

Finally something more comfortable after a series of weird stuff. Music-wise it's pretty catchy and rhythmic, full of energy. And of course... who can reject dancing beats! Love Will Never Do -- a yay Livin' in a World -- even better Come Back to Me -- a big yay

A near perfect example of the r and b genre, Rhythm Nation 1814 spawned hit after hit and solidified Jam and Lewis’ reputation for producing high quality, radio friendly tracks. And Janet Jackson is such a powerful presence - bold vocals and charisma to spare . Although the social consciousness of her album is over stated, at least there is an attempt at something to say. An album that spawned many imitators and flipped urban music to the mainstream. Really massive record.

My second listen in the last few years after scoring this album at a Yankee Swap. Has inspired me to check out a few others from this era: Control (1986) and Janet (1993).

Guilty pleasure and some great tracks (always liked "Miss you much"), albeit a tad overproduced. Hadn't ever listened all the way through.

Har lyssnat om några gånger nu och jag tycker att detta är bra. Lagom mix av pop och synth. Blev förvånad, då jag egentligen inte haft några tankar kring Janet alls.

Good pop album. Really borrows from mj, but still a really enjoyable listen.

I was actually fearing this one for being 80’s and 1 hour long, but I was already 12 songs into it when I realized all those fears were quite uncalled for. Good record.

Fantastic album. If you weren't there when this came out in 1989, it was such a huge deal. People lost their minds over this music, it was so fresh and powerful. It's not as fun as Control, but I think that's intentional. The album has its share of bubbly love songs, but Janet also wants to make a statement here. And she is in perfect voice. As a concept album, it's a bit of a fail, with less than half the songs addressing social issues, the only connecting thread being that series of vague interludes. I don't know if this album is specifically to blame for the trend of putting interludes on albums, but I suspect it. I'll give Janet a pass because it's kind of wrapped up in her style, but the interludes don't add a thing to this album, with the exception of the final one ("Livin'...In Complete Darkness" - minor quibble as well, it's not an interlude if nothing comes after it). Thankfully, she kept them brief. I feel like the album would have been tighter and more effective if they had limited the number of ballads, but it's a small complaint. I really enjoyed listening to this. Fave Songs: Alright, Rhythm Nation, The Knowledge, Lonely, State of the World

Never listened to the album all the way through. The singles from it were monster hits and were everywhere, so I knew coming into this album that it would be good. Layering the concept on top bumped it up a few notches for me. 4/5.

Everything up to Miss You Much is five stars, funky and powerful and just brilliant. Everything after that is good - kind of Prince on a budget good. For shame, I'd never taken Janet Jackson seriously - on the strength of this album, I do now!

The music is very much of its era, and the political lyrics are a little on the nose, but this has aged surprisingly well for all that.

i genuinely don’t understand why this has such low reviews?? this is an album that deals with huge issues so beautifully. janet did so well with this album, it is perfect. highlights: rhythm nation, state of the world, love will never do (without you), black cat

Absolutely amazing production on this album. Couple that with a killer set of pipes and you get a very solid pop album. Rhythm Nation and Escapade are timeless jams. Rest of the album is more than solid. It’s not the type of music I listen to daily but I recognize excellent pop when I hear it.

Tough one to rate, this album. Overall, I quite liked this record, though nothing really stood out after two listens. It also took some readjusting to the 80s production style, with the pretty harsh drum machine and synth sounds, but it did sound funky in the right places, and the slower parts were done tastefully. So it may have sounded a little dated listening to this in 2022, but it kind of worked for me.

Had high expectations in 1989, as JJ's previous album of a few years was simply perfect, with classic singles (Nasty, What Have You Done For Me Lately, The Pleasure Principle, When I Think Of You etc) and OK perhaps a little filler... But was quiet a bit disappointed when RN1814 came out - in particular the singles of RN18 were merely ok-ish and less catchy. Overall the album turned out to be quite decent though. The signature sound of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Now listening to it again, I still think it is a very solid album, on the high 3 star / low 4 star end. Final vote: 3.5 -> 4, due to great 80s production.

Not heard this in years. Still pretty great, although goes a bit downhill at the end.

Outstanding! 4.5/5

Janet’s masterpiece (and perhaps Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s as well), a sprawling exploration of societal problems set to a mix of new jack swing, industrial rock and hip hop. Only the over abundance of interludes and a slightly dragging back half keep Rhythm Nation from 5 stars.

8/10 pretty good, not my favorite tho of this type of genre of music, I prefer the bigger guys like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Anita Baker still this is pretty fun and I do appreciate it

One of the greatest pop stars of the 80s and 90s, but I always placed her beneath Whitney. However, I was really impressed by her performance here. Hugely influenced by Madonna, she's loud and energetic carried by a strong old school hip-hop production style that would characterize the short-lived New Jack Swing movement (most of it would just be generic pop trash). Still very 80s with the punchy beats, spontaneous synths, and the use of samples almost like another instrument (biggest example in mind is the female shrieking sample used in a few songs). In fact, the whole album gives off 80s TV guide and workout video feels. The interludes really enforce these images, and they're so short-lived they serve to both provide breaks between these spacious and energetic tracks without dragging on to be annoying. I really enjoyed all the songs, although I do admit I got a bit exhausted by the time we got to the last few ethereal nostalgic tracks (which I did still really like, gave off vaporwave vibes). No bad tracks though. The only track I would cut is "Alright", but I did wish the record could further be slightly shorter somehow.

Unrepentant 80s dance pop cheese platter.

A little dated, but still a bop.

She delivers a pop dance album with a message. Prince's fingerprints are all over this too. I don't care what anyone says, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are not the only ones behind Escapade. Jackson has an iconic sound just like her brother. The sound bites are annoying, but that's part of the style of the times. The album is a party. It's over an hour, but hardly feels like it. I can see why she's so popular. I can also see why Michael emulated her sound later in his career.

Incredible vibes. Please can we go back to bops about the importance of education for our children!

Destroyed my laptop

7/10. I enjoyed most every song, but I never want to sit down and listen to the whole album straight through again.

This must be the basis for that classic 90s r&b sound. Wow.

Bought when first came out, brilliant album

It's pop music: That things are on the nose should be a given. The material stretches a little thinly over the hour, but the energy of the music more than makes up for any of those flaws. Rhythm Nation 1814 is undeniably and hugely a pop record, but it buries that fact under dark variety.

Whole lotta bangers.