Rhythm Nation 1814

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

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.

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!!!

58

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

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

Dröger swinging R&B.

It's far too long The production is of its time and not in a good way And whilst she can sing, her voice is also so light that it doesn't leave much of an impact An album I wish I could give 2.5 to but it's more of a 2 than a 3 so down it goes

Completely overproduced and just downright delicious.

Yet another album in the continuing series: “Is this released today or have issues sadly stayed the same for (insert year since release) years?” Rhythm Nation is overproduced in just the right ways, there’s a combination of absolute pop bangers and soulful love songs and many hip hop artists could learn from the lengths of these interludes. But I can’t get over the fact that this social commentary of a concept album has so many love songs on its track list. Even though some of them are among the strongest tracks, it keeps me from fully emerging myself into the idea of the album.

Dated and every song sounds kinda just sounds like “nasty boys” but about poverty.

Didn't expect to like this one, but damn!

Very good album with some classic tracks

esta bueno, aunque sí sentí que era como una canción re larga, al menos durante las primeras canciones.

Pretty great...have been sleeping on this album since it predated my music listening by a year or two. Would 100% come back to it. 4.5/5

This is gonna be a big no for me dawg. On the nose lyrics about the worlds problems over outdated 80s pop production is a recipe for disaster. I don’t care. Janet’s voice is…fine, but buried so far back in the mix that it just gets lost in the random percussion slams.

This took me back to the days of riding along with my mom without control over what played on the radio; which is to say, I didn’t like it.

Too many interludes for a 4

meh, not the worst but def crappy

Uninterested and wasn't looking forward to listening after scanning over the song list and painful running length of the album. Over produced, generically 80's, but not as commercially mainstream as I expected, so it was listenable. Jackson is no doubt a gifted performer and I prefer her music over her brother, well, all her brothers (which isn't saying much) and she has a fine voice. The concept and the songs are lost on me, but it's not surprising because this a genre and styling I usually avoid, not my taste in music. There are plenty of people that probably love this record and love Janet, but I'm not one of them.

Enjoyable front to back.

Don't hate it, just feel it has no personality of it's own at all. 2

It’s amazing how an unapologetic pop album can also find a way to make real comments about social justice issues and question the state of the world.

de unaaa 7/10

I’m not usually a fan of Pop albums. I think it works best as a singles genre, and that albums are too often marred by bad filler tracks and a lack of cohesion. Rhythm Nation 1814 is an attempt to create a cohesive artistic Pop album with both social and personal lyrical themes. I think as artistic statement it’s noble and for the most part works pretty well. I think the complaint that the album is overproduced is ridiculous, it sounds pretty similar to other late 80’s early 90’s pop records. The beats are tight, although the occasionally drown out Jackson’s vocals. Otherwise her voice is interesting, sharp and cutting but also sensual. I have a lot of thoughts about this album, and the way it seems to have been received, but I don’t think this is the right place to share them. Instead I’ll just say that I don’t think a lot of the critiques are justified, and that I would go to bat for Rhythm Nation 1814. It’s a good album.

Meh dated 80’s pop music trying to be edgy, not for me.

I was not in the right mood for this album today, so my impressions will be much more biased than the standard. It's a good album and a huge backstory that makes it even more significant. I do not like Janet Jackson, and her songs sound too plain. Still, considering the mentioned backstory and how she wanted to be more conscious and political during this recording, it deserves the standard 3-star rate.

Whoa! This was great. Of course it's of its time, but it definitely still holds up as a solid pop/R'n'B album with an interesting (and still relevant) concept, catchy melodies and variation. Janet killed it with this one.

just awful. Unless you are a 13 year old girl in the 80s and thank God they grow up and want more from music that a stage show. yuk.

Musically, I did not think was very good. Everything here sounds pretty dated. However, the album clearly is not just about the music.

She has a good voice, and you can tell effort was put in this album. But the sound of the samples and that 80s kind of style (?) sounds atrocious

This album was okay, but WAY too long. Got tired of it long before the end.

Just trying everything to sound like Michael. The outfits, the dancing, the beats, the random scream vocals - all just a rip off of Michael. The album did not need a single interlude. Yet it has so many.

Cat: reminds me of my mom big time. Dancing in the living room. Most of the songs are all time hits. Janet had a message. 4 stars.

Beetje futuristisch haast, je raakt afgeleid van alle gekke geluiden erdoorheen. Was voor die tijd vast vrij baanbrekend. Ik vind het moeilijk dat álle nummers politieke issues aankaarten terwijl de muziek er eigenlijk juist van afleid. Beetje funky voor zulke donkere themas. Muzikaal wel goed en ze heeft natuurlijk wel een goeie stem dus muzikaal wel goed.

The irony of a record about the plight of the poor in modern America created by label executives on behalf of a mega rich silver spoon artist who had her life managed from the age of 5.

i bet she touches kids too.

Brother's a nonce

"Miss Jackson if you're nasty" (not on this album) shows the talent, skill, and prowess of being the sister of the greatest pop legend of all time. In spite of that, this album left me feeling unfulfilled.

This may be the most dance 80's album ever. It'ss a little much for me, but I cannot deny the mastery.

Pues no me ha gustado mucho...

Super fun album. I think it would have made a bigger impact if it weren't quite so long. Everything blended together for me by the end but the first half was strong. 3.5

It sounds outrageously 80s, but it holds up well in my eyes because of all the lush and incricate rhythms and textures throughout

Tough listen, sounded like her brother

Generally catchy and swinging but very dated musically, certainly not timeless. Socially engaged themes, but their lyrical execution teeters on the corny.

Smá Minneapolis sound í þessu. Ekki leiðinlegt og vel unnið popp. En þetta er ekki mín tónlist.

There is so much talent in the Jackson family. However having talent doesn’t mean you’ll make a great album. Janet seems to have followed the pop structure of Michael but without any of the excitement that makes his music so enjoyable. This wasn’t really a chore to get through as it’s upbeat and poppy but none of the songs had me feeling intrigued. It felt like a spin-off of a Michael Jackson album that flopped. Nothing to revisit here. 5.0/10

Janet’s fourth studio album may be her most well-rounded, even if some of the songs work better than others, on a technical as well as thematic stance. Regardless, the production across this thing is great and the funky songs are funky as shit

Interminable

Prince en meuf si on me demande

It's ok, actually not as soppy baledy as I expected.

almost skipped it but i have to admit it’s not that bad

I have never really listened to Janet Jackson, but this was a surprisingly good pop album. I will definitely listen more of her in the future.

"Rhythm Nation 1814" by Janet Jackson comes close to earning a solid 4/5 rating. However, the production style, which might just be an acquired taste I've yet to develop, coupled with the album's length, unfortunately pulls it down a notch.

Oh hey it's that song that kills hard drives, or something like that. /s A really cool and funky pop and R&B album from the very end of the 80s. Sounds very 80s indeed with that huge, potentially OTT production. Some of the songs and beats feel a little samey after a while, there's a weird whiplash between songs commenting on social issues, and songs about romance and sex, and there's so many interludes for some reason. At least most of them are short so don't overstay their welcome. But god damnit it was funky and danceable and just pretty fun. A bit of a crazy and overproduced mess, but still very good. Favourite: Rhythm Nation

I see some complaints here and there in the album reviews, but I heard what I heard: good music. Not quite pushing into a 5 star for me. That's still pretty damn great.

1/5 Best: Rhythm Nation Worst: Livin' In a World (They Didn't Make)

Album 121 of 1001 Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : Rhythm Nation Good album. Isn't something I would go searching for, but it is a fine listen. She is hitting on lots of societal and relationship issues. Great voice. Great production. If I ever crave some Janet Jackson, I'll go to it again. Good early morning listen.

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.

Meh. Pretty much the same song stretched on a whole hour.

I always had difficulty to enjoy overproduced pop of the late 80s, especially when it's so samey for a complete hour. Rhythm Nation and Black Cat are great songs, tho.

There are good moments. Like Someday is Tonight or Escapade.

Was it a little dated, and heavy handed, and inconsistent? Yes. Was it a good deal of fun? Also yes.

I do understand why this is on the list, but it was missing something to pump it to the 5 for me. Good vocal performance, good writing, good production, and good album structure

Pas un gros fan de Hip Hop, mais Janet est là pour donner une twist au genre pis c’est cool

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.

When people around my age talk about how much they love 80s music, I’m convinced they are only thinking of like the nine 80s hits everybody’s heard, including the stuff by Janet’s brother. They have not listened to this in full. Was it bad? No, not by my definition. Were the drums cool sometimes? Sure. But it all just keeps going and going and going for an hour, and every song has even cornier synths and even bigger echoier drums than the last song, and over it all Janet squeaks like a ten year old doing her best Whitney Houston impression. Goodbye 1980s. Please don’t come back. Best song: State of the World

4.5 Fav track Black Cat!

Pretty surprised at how low the Spotify listens are for this, I thought this was one of her bigger records. The production is extremely dated...one of the unfortunate side effects of current, fresh, cutting-edge music is that it sounds extremely of its time 30 years down the road. It's also overlong, clocking in at over an hour, with a fair bit of filler. All that being said, it's a solid release, and at its best, it's as good as anything else from that decade.

I can't listen around the awful production. Hurts my ears. Least hated song: Come back to me

i finally get it, it is actually an awesome album, sort of worth the hype

3.5 Kinda sounds like if Michael Jackson had a sister. Very good in the begining but could have been trimmed towards the end I think.

Ms Janet if you're nasty kills it on this album

Yes there are many influences, but Bruno Mars wouldn't ever have dripped in Finesse if Janet hadn't dropped this album. In a similar vein, while she wasn't the first or only to do so, I also think Eminem was influenced by the theatrical thru lines of this album. That being said, upon revisiting this album, maybe I'm going crazy but I feel like her vocals are pretty muddled/hidden in the overall mix. It really distracted for me and made many songs feel repetitive. So I'm gonna rate my experience of the album specifically here and only go 3.

It’s crazy how much she sounds like Michael Jackson here. I enjoyed the first third of this album, got a little tired of it the middle third, and thought the last third was unnecessary and boring and kind of weird.

Fun late 80s pop sound. I honestly like the less popular songs that tackle social issues much more than the fluffier hits

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.

Excellent album with huge hits and catchy tunes. I think if they cut it by about 15 minutes it would be even better. Filler keeps it from being a 5.

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".

We had some conscious hip-hop on this list, now it's time for a conscious r&b/pop. It's surprisingly solid - honestly, I was probably born too late to listen to this album by Janet Jackson, I always associated her with some cheap and boring straight-out-of-mill songs. But not only she can sing - she can write some inspiring verses as well. This type of music grinds my gears just a little bit, but I could still see how good and probably important this album was at the time. Kudos to you Janet, you have my respect, but your record is probably one and done for me.

Long, repetitive, and bland - Jackson’s vocals are impressive, but the contortions she puts them through render the point moot. The usual 80s obstacle course arrangement style means the LP feels like a spastic mess that can’t pick a lane as each track bounces off the walls rhythmically. Just another listen that faded into the background rather than grabbing my attention.

Just ok

HL: "Escapade", title track, "State of the World", "Lonely", "Love Will Never Do Without You" Pretty good introduction to Janet Jackson's music (knew "Escapade" already tho) listening to this thing in one go, I started to tire of the loud processed drums but in small doses it gets the head bopping Definitely feels like a landmark album 3.5 June 24, 2023

Manufactured, repetitive and over-produced. These are the sorts of tracks that make me turn off the radio. Sadly fits in well with most current artificial producer pop.

can't believe i hadn't listened to this

I did not require 1hr of Janet but I wasn’t that upset

Another album I expected to be Meh on but I was totally grooving to this. A bit overlong (idk why but the second an album hits 60 minutes I’m DONE) but a great intro to Jan Jack

Solid and made statements

Seriously? ANOTHER 4th studio album? The middle part of this album is so incredibly strong. Not sure if this was produced by the same producer as Paula Abdul?

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.

I can appreciate Janet Jackson's concept album based around the social issues including tragedies and inequalities facing America of the late 80s and like so many albums I've listened to so far, many of these issues are still plaguing the USA today. Rhythm Nation 1814 is full of 80s synths and samples that manages to hit at the heart of what the people really wanted to hear at the time. Best: Rhythm Nation Worst: Someday is Tonight

Highlights: Escapade, Lonely Leave Em's: The Knowledge, Rhythm Nation Overall Thoughts: The album started out sounding like High School Music for social justice warriors. Despite some of the corny lyrics there are very danceable songs and Janet's intentions are seemingly pure. I attained more personal enjoyment out of the album throughout the middle portions where she transitioned to love song variations. Some of her songs did seem to drag on a little bit too long without much variation, however there are worse voices to be subject to listen to for an hour. She really showcased her vocal through the end of the album with the R&B songs which offset my negative feelings for the beginning of the album. I don't think this is one of her most popular albums and I hope to do one with a larger profile later on in the project but I doubt I'll be coming back to this one a whole lot. Score Breakdown: 3.375 & 3 -> 3.188

Loved it ! She doesn’t get the recognition she deserves.

Didn't expect to like it so quite surprised that I did enjoy it.

I have come to the horrifying realization that I really like Janet Jackson's music. This is what the manliest man in the gym is listening to on his headphones. Eat raw steak with your bare hands, chug the nastiest, bitterest beer and put on "Rhythm Nation" like a real man, pussy.

I'm a sucker for these cheesy late 80s funky beats. The lyrics are... Jackson really thought she was doing something here, huh. Kind of a weird mashup of social commentary and "let's boogie". But the boogieing is good! I simply can't deny the vibes here. Sidenote: The title track has been known to crash hard drives due to resonance frequencies, which puts it in the canon of essential cyberpunk media.

Cod-Jackson 80’s production. Dull, dull.

very 80s

day 18. I don't really understand why I see some people calling this album a concept album. I feel like this album tried to do a lot of different things, but didn't do any of them particularly well, so the flow just feels weird, despite the use of the interludes to attempt to make it feel cohesive. The top half has several songs built around social injustices/political themes, and while I wanted to applaud those songs for taking on big topics I instead felt like they often came across overdone and cheap. Then, intermixed with those songs but moving toward the middle of the album were several upbeat, more typically themed 80's pop songs which became a bit too much for me to listen to all together (and often sounded dated), though there were some catchy ones I enjoyed in this section (faves on the album - Escapade, Black Cat). closing with 3 romantic ballads in a row is a choice.... by that point the album was stretching my patience already and I found these really generic. I don't know how I finished tbh. I clearly just wasn't feeling this one, idk, sorry Janet. 1.5/5 rounded to 2.

to be honest this was a really boring album. nothing really special about it and pretty dated sounding for only coming out in 1998

This is an amazing album, I've never really listened to Janet Jackson and Whoa... the king of pop definitely has a sister

Oh, well, some eighties r'n'b / commercial pop now. Michael's little sister... Those stylistic acrobacies this app makes us all go through... Hmmm, actually, this doesn't sound so bad, at least on the first proper song, the title-track "Rhythm Nation". There are some cold undertones to this hard funk instrumentation that, indeed, could almost be labelled as "industrial", as Wikipedia points out. And interestingly, the end result is closer to Michael Jackson's archenemy Prince than what the "king of pop" was doing around those years. On that note, I've just read that Janet recorded this thing in Minneapolis... Coincidence? And there are also P-funk overtones in that chorus that are pretty effective. Nice opener, at least in that overall genre... OK, more of the same with "State Of the World". I try to pay more attention to the vocal hooks this time, and I have to say I can't memorize anything. Which, basically, goes against the very definition of what a 'hook' is. I still like some of the instrumentation tough, as dated as it is... "The Knowledge" 's introduction is copied and pasted from the previous track, right? And that song then quickly explores Prince's turf, once again. But I have to say that in the realm of spoken-word shenanigans over funk, I've heard much more impressive elsewhere. Horrible gated drums at the very start of "Miss You Much". Trying to repeat to myself: "This comes from the eighties, put all that back into context... This comes from the eighties, put all that back into context... ". But it's not really working. And as much as I can appreciate the Prince influence (blatantly felt through the rhythms and the "Kiss"-like vocals inflexions), I think I'd rather listen to the real thing, instead of this second-tier version. Trying to focus on those atmospheric synth lines in the background (a trick the production team already used on other tracks). I like that sort of thing at least... "Love Will Never Do (Without You)". This is the point where the Prince imitation becomes grating and hackneyed. Layers and layers of cheese. And gosh, this track goes on and on... Hard pass. I can appreciate the good intentions behind "Livin' In The World (They Didn't Make) and its overall message, as naive as the latter is. But the music here looms closer to brother Michael than to Prince. And unfortunately, it also looms closer to Micheal's *worst* musical habits. I thought "Heal the World" was the most insufferable ballad-with-a-message of all time. I was wrong: Michael's sister did even worse than her brother. So I've changed my mind, Janet: could you go back to your previous stride and imitate Prince again? Thanks in advance. "Alright" proves that Janet can't hear me. I thought "Black Or White" was the most insufferable family-friendly-funk-dance-rock-number of all time. I was wrong: Michael's sister did even worse than her brother in this realm as well. Finally, Janet heard my previous request. "Escapade" has the same synth shenanigans Prince loved to sprinkle on his own hits. As a matter of fact, I think I've heard this Janet Jackson hit before. Is it because of this that I find it less obnoxious than the rest? And this even if the major chords of the short bridge section are STILL very obnoxious in my book? About "Black Cat": I thought "Billie Jean" and "Dirty Diana" were stellar examples of the way hard rock could be mixed with eighties funk/r'n'b, and that nothing could beat those legendary tracks. And this time I was right. Janet's attempt to copy that formula is just plain silly. "Lonely" and "Come Back To Me"= fillers. I mean that in the sense that a lot of stuff from this album is pretty bad, but I can still recognize some sort of ambition was displayed for those other cuts, as misplaced as said ambition is. Here, you don't even have that. I thought Micheal Jackson wrote the most insufferable "romantic ballads" of all time. I was wrong: Janet did. For a second, I was under the impression that something different would happen at the start of closer "Someday Is Tonight". Nope: it's more of the same, at least as far as the mood of the two previous tracks is concerned. Nice muted trumpet at the end of this one, along with a few interesting chords. But apart from that, layers and layers of cheese. Can't believe I managed to get through this album. Forgive me for the copied-and-pasted sections in this review. But given how much this record uses the same trick, whether "externally" (with all those Prince and/or Michael Jackson influences) or "internally" (all those songs sounding the same), blaming me for this would take the cake, I believe. Besides, browsing through *Janet* and *The Velvet Rope*, it seems to me that those later albums hold their own a little better than *Rhythm Nation 1814* anyway. At least they're the ones that are still remembered today if you take streaming numbers into account. When it comes to older "commercial" pop artists such as this one here, I generally tend to follow today's target audience, and not the "critics" who gave their opinions long ago, influenced by the trends of their time and/or PR shenanigans. 1.5/5. Number of albums left to review: 549 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 217 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 105 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 131 (including this one)

Not a huge fan of pop and this is not a bad album at all. It took me a while to get into it and overall I think the second half is more enjoyable Saved tracks: Rhythm Nation, Miss You Much, Escapade, Black Cat

Core memory unlocked: Being 9 years old, jamming Miss You Much in the back of older cousin's car, summer night, windows down, volume on max. This album is full of jams, nice vocals, and great production. Janet is the Queen of Pop, left an indelible mark on pop music and that's while standing in her brother's shadow.

I'm sure this is a well-constructed album, but the harsh synth percussions, etc. are so grating to me that I cannot hear anything beyond them. It was a real struggle to get through this.

This is a vibe. Fantastic album, maybe because I've listened to it quite a bit, but I really enjoyed it.

I read the notes and an hour long concept album about poverty slightly terrified me. The resulting album wasn't terrifying at all, a gentle pop album with a smattering of songs and plenty of 80s dance. Obviously the lyrics are ludicrous, but lyrics often are.

Strong 9 this is straight bangers

Amazing! One of my favourites of all time.

Just not my flavor. To me, sounds like a cheaper version of her brother’s music.

Good

I kind of like the Princesque clunky swing of the production. I’ve no problem with her pointing out the inequities of the world - sounds like she did a lot of charity work to back it up. But over all, like it don’t love it. I’m not sure I did the full hour, even over the course of a weekend.

Much to like. Pretty dark and relevant today (thinking especially of “Living in a World They Didn’t Make” and it’s ending).

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.

El disc és una de les causes que es posés tan de moda a finals dels '80 i començaments dels '90 aquest r&b ballable, sense cap gust ni mèrit estètic i estèril en quant a sensacions. Ritmes sincopats que provoquen més mal de cap que una altra cosa, l'únic que se li pot valorar a la germana petita de MIchael és la seva ambició per crear un 'What's Going On' dels '80, amb lletres suposadament saberudes i socials. Va vendre tot el que va voler, engendrant després del seu éxit incontables abortaments igual o pitjors a aquest

It's not terrible but it quickly becomes very boring. I just can't give this 3 stars as it's too boring and unoriginal to take seriously.

Fun but not that interesting

Alright as far as 1980s R&B albums go. They've squeezed everything they can put of that one 80s drumbeat though. 2.5

Work it out somehow.

I did not expect to find anything much to appreciate here so I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. It's hella dated, of course but that can't detract from how good the production and songwriting are. Janet stepped up her game here and it shows. I can't give it full marks on account of how dated it is and how terrible and pointless the interlude tracks are. But it earns every one of the 4 stars that I can give it.

Legendary badass!

Minneapolis sound isn't my thing idk

Really good album. Standouts: Rhythm Nation, State of the World, Miss You Much, Love Will Never Do Without You, Alright, Escapade, Black Cat, Come Back to Me Favorite Track: Black Cat Rating: 4.5

Highlights: Rhytm Nation, State Of The World 3,5/5

Tylko tytułowy utwór jest spoko, reszta takie średnie plumkanie w tle

This booped right from the start

This album delivered 7 top 5 hit singles in the US. It is a good indication that chart success is not a good indicator of high quality music. The record sounds like a cross between Michael Jackson's unsuccessful late-career 'Invincible' album and Stomp (the musical where they hit bins). Generic and instantly forgettable, although increasingly irritating the longer it went on. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: State of the World Date listened: 11/04/23

These songs all sound really similar. Interesting to have such deep themes with a light and dance-inducing beat.

A fun album, but not quite my style.

Decent album overall with some very strong early 90's sounds.

There's a vibe, an attractive rhythm a overall vision. However thus is the 80s so is has that GODDAMN AWFUL PRODUCTION. AGGGHHHH...Take those drums away now.

It was fine, but it has a very 80s style and the production sounds very dated.

Tämä on kovin kiva levy, meneviä rock-kasaripopbiisejä ja ysärimäisempiä balladeja

Tämän kuuntelu on kivaa. Mitä muuta voi toivoa? No, että musiikki olisi sen tyyppistä, että tekisi aidosti mieli kuunnella uudelleen (lue: vähemmän kasarin lopun kaaosbiittejä ja täyteen ahdettua soundia tukemassa ohutta lauluääntä). Mutta joo, ihan kivaa oli.

Helemaal fan van Miss You Much en Rhythm Nation toen ze als single uitkwamen, maartoch angstig aan dit plaatje begonnen. De jaren 80 kent alleen maar hoge pieken of diepe dalen muzikaal, maar dit zat voor juist net boven het midden. Eigenlijk helemaal niet slecht dus.

Ik bleek nog best een aantal van de singles van dit album woordelijk mee te kunnen zingen. Ik luisterde veel top 40 radio in mijn vroege jeugd en Janet kon ik toen best waarderen. Inmiddels doet het me niet zoveel meer. Leuk om weer eens te horen maar meer ook niet. Ik rond het naar boven af.

Ik werd hier steeds akeliger van. Het was ook zoveel van hetzelfde!

This album is very fun & poppy, with some legitimately interesting musical elements in the later tracks. I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I thought I would. Favorite track: Someday is Tonight

Lots of inspiration for other albums, but I have yet to discover what made it innovative. To me it was 80s processed overload and hubristic. Talking about world problems and all… idk 3/5

I was expecting so much more from a Janet Jackson album. This was just boring and generic.

Did we generalize all of the late 80s/early 90s female pop music into a single album but remove all the exciting parts? Yes, yes we did with this snoozefest. Nothing worth listening to on this.

I don’t get the hype and love of Janet Jackson. She’s not nearly as talented as her brother. All the interludes in the music are distracting from music in general, and when I listen to a music record I want to listen to music, not random sound bytes.

Plenty of cringy moments with those interludes. Lots of repetitive industrial percussion and a couple of R'n'B songs (I hate that wimpy genre.). Despite all that there are lots of enjoyable moments and I find myself dancing along to Rhythm Nation et al. Black Cat almost makes it a 4-star.

Meh

Peado pop.

Super solid. Didn't destroy my laptop which was nice.

One of the most interesting things about this album is the fact that Jackson sings about issues that seemingly have not changed in over 30 years. The audio of gunshots at a playground were especially and most tragically all too familiar. Other reviewers have criticized this album for being too preachy, but I think everyone no matter what their income level, especially those with a platform, have every right to confront injustice where they see it. Furthermore, Jackson went against the wishes of her label to make the album she wanted. Musically, this album is an absolute clinic in well crafted pop music. It is a bit dated, but it expertly weaves late 80s pop with synth and new Jack swing to create something unique that doesn’t feel as long as it is.

The interludes are ridiculous and bad, stopping any flow. There is no rhythm. Rough late 80s pop mess! 2 stars is a gift.

Okay, I guess. An album that's been part of my consciousness since it came out and was all over the radio. This came out in the summer between 6th and 7th grade and through no fault of its own, corresponded with the age kids stopped being kids and started being mean. Some lingering PTSD for sure going on there, but these songs (and many others) associate with that time. Now that I've got that out. This is the kind of music I listened to and "liked" because it's what was accessible. Needless to say, grunge could not have come too soon. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

I was looking forward to revisiting it, but it wasn't my cup of tea in 89 & it still isn’t.

escapade makes this at least three stars

Janet Jackson was a force to be reckoned with in the 80's and 90's. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing her stuff on the radio. If it wasn't her, it was her brother, Michael. Admittedly, I've never really been a fan of Janet. I understand that her music was very important in shaping what pop is today, but to me, 80's - 90's pop all sounds the same. Especially the slow ballads (the last 3 songs on this record). If you played one of those for me, I would be hard pressed to tell you if it was Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, or Mariah Carey. I was unfamiliar with anything on this record from the outset, so couldn't really judge how it was going to be. The first 3/4 of the album is pretty good, it just falls flat at the end with all of the ballads. Black Cat is a rockin' tune!! This album is apparently a departure from Janet's regular musical works, and it is a concept album which focuses on themes of poverty, racism, love, and creating a better future for the next generation (amusingly, something Michael focused on heavily as well in his music (think of the children!! )). I think that because it isn't Janet's standard fare, it resonated better with me as a whole. Overall, not a bad record. Not something I would put in regular rotation, but also not bad. It shows real musical talent on Janet's part with her flawless vocal range. It may be a tad overproduced, but that seems to have been a trend of that era. Favourite songs: Black Cat, Alright, Rhythm Nation, Love Will Never Do (Without You), Miss You Much, State of the World Least favourite songs: Lonely, Come Back to Me, Someday is Tonight, and all of the interludes. It just distracts from the rest of the album while adding nothing of its own. This 80's - 90's fad has thankfully fallen to the wayside for the most part. 3/5

Albums like this take me back to the days when albums were on cassettes or vinyl, and you pretty much had to listen to all songs in sequential order, with a break in the middle to turn over the medium. There would also be excitement over new albums released, new music wasn’t as readily available then as it is now. I started off thinking, who would listen to this album and still be excited about it? Wouldn’t it be a massive disappointment? So I researched to get more perspective and it worked. JJ broke boundaries and was a political woman of colour that was even more rare than now. She had a platform and she used it well. The music isn’t for me, but then that’s the point, the music wasn’t made for me. I have full respect though.

New jack swing and post industrial is not a combination I thought was even possible but man. Janet is awesome

An album that really feels like it ushers in the sound of 90's pop and R&B music. The issue is that isn't really a good thing. The cheesy synths and the "we need to make the world a better place" lyrics really don't do much for me.

Very pop, but pretty good. classic 80's vibe

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.

Like :)

Production and vocals are great, but there are a lot of slow jams. I don't think Janet Jackson gets enough credit or respect.

Definitely way more purposeful and sharp than I expected.

Por lo visto en su momento lo petó, pero yo no le veo la gracia a este disco.

Beat generator machine got stuck on repeat

The 80's always feels like it's dated the worst out of any decade by far. A lot of this just doesn't work for me at all because it feels like it's from a different world. The music itself just feels so soulless. Maybe if I were wearing some mad, garish shellsuit or something then it would help me tap into this energy. I got about halfway through - I'm very certain it wasn't going to change direction. 2/5 because it was inoffensive enough and didn't actively irritate me. What a recommendation!!

An okay album that deserves 3.5 because the good tracks are really good.

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.

Listened all through which surprised me as not a huge fan. Didn't think I'd listen again. Prefer some of her other stuff.

I had no expectations as it's completely out of my usual genre and absolutely loved it! From the new jack swing snare to heavy guitars on Black Cat, the production and instrumentals are just a perfect representation of the era. The tracklist consists primarily of solid dance tunes with sociopolitical message, which sometimes may sound naive but it seems like the author was completely aware of that and had all the best intentions. There are some weaker points, sure, especially towards the end which is unnecessarily packed with ballads, but its still a very good album overall. I will be definitely coming back to this and I'll try some other albums from Janet. 4/5

Whole lotta bangers.

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.

This felt like a serious throwback to the 90s pop style. Not bad

Never listened - 3 stars

She's a good singer and the album is well produced, but it's not really my taste. 2,5/5

6.5/10 depressing simply because Janet really thought the world would become a better place, knowledge feels a little like 'knock it off'- tmg

Bought when first came out, brilliant album

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

6/10 definitely got samey, but janet's performance is really good.

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

Weird and long but somewhat enjoyable. 6/10

I struggle with 80s songs that say “Bad thing bad” in upbeat pop songs (Looking at you, “Do they know it’s Christmas?”). The first half of this album falls under a similar umbrella for me. “Illiteracy, No!” Is quite possibly the worst lyric I’ve ever heard. Maybe that rhetoric is poignant for a certain demographic, but it reads as trite for me. I acknowledge that Janet did not make this album to appeal to my then-unborn white boy sensibilities. The album takes a decent upturn with “miss you much” but disappoints in the later songs. The one piece of praise I’ll give is for the flow of album which is very well sequenced.

🤮 too many interludes

Kind of boring. But as pop albums go, this isn't the worst.

Destroyed my laptop

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

Some nice pop bops. Not a big fan of the interludes

It’s like someone took all of Michael’s B-Sides and crammed them onto an album with too many interludes. Feels like the song Rhythm Nation was just played in the background on repeat while they wrote the rest of the album.

Eh.

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.

Unremarkable

This was another fun album, I found a few songs I hadn't heard before but felt like I had, not sure where. But I really liked Escapade and Black Cat. It was cool to hear her bits like "4,3,2,1" and "edit". The only Janet song I ever knew was All For You from Now 7 so this broadened my horizons, but also too many interludes.

Was very worried at first, I thought this would be "club music, but make it about current affairs." A couple tracks of that to kick things off was weird to me, even though I kind of liked "State of the World" for how goofy it is. It's like proto-Lizzo or Meghan Trainer, pop music that's very smugly pretending to have a brain. I honestly couldn't tell you if those messages resurfaced, but I didn't catch anymore after that. A couple other good songs on here, "Escapade" was the big hitter for me. I think this is my first time listening to Janet and I can't say I really understand the hype. It's pop/R&B from an era that isn't all that engaging to me personally. HOWEVER, I will give her some credit for doing this in the late '80s, I can hear this had considerable influence going into the '90s. Also shoot, I just saw that she wrote and produced the ENTIRE album, that kind of effort deserves a half-star bump. Favorite tracks: Escapade, State of the World, Come Back to Me. Album art: Black and white portrait, where have I seen that done before? Oh yeah, on probably hundreds of albums. What I can see of the fit goes hard though. 3.5/5

Over produced, to slick. Not for me

idag var det lätt

A little dated, but still a bop.

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

Unrepentant 80s dance pop cheese platter.

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"

Expertly produced, dancy album, that was a mega-seller in its day. For me it falls a bit flat, as there are hardly any songs that I would like to re-listen to. Also, the first half is very repetitive. 2.5/5

Such an average and boring album of recycled 80s pop and hip hop sounds.

Just a very boring album. Every song sounded the same, nothing had any standout potential, and way too long

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.

It's OK. But not my kind of music.

Is it just me being a grumpy middle aged man or is this utterly annoying?! The kind of music that quite rightly gave the 80s a bad name.

Like old socks in space

Totally shit.

Number one pop hit you like very much. Coca cola chic, yes? Make good and very enjoy. Have you ever want to visit? Click here for discount. All your needs!

Did you know that Rhythm Nation used to crash Windows on old laptops? https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20220816-00/?p=106994

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.

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

Coincidentally a couple days ago I watched Adam Neely talking about how this song literally broke laptops back in the day, and why. Completely interesting worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y3RGeaxksY Overall I found the contrast between the lyrical content and the cold but bouncy vibe to be, well, weird. I think the songs generally succeed as dance music but are less successful as social commentary. I don't fault the attempt, it just didn't really work for me. Honestly this is what I expect AI generated music to sound like in the future when we have AI generated music. 2.5 stars.

No, I don't get why this album is here. Unless it's for "extreme over-production", which rendered the album unlistenable to these ears.

Miss You Much and Love Will Never Do (Without You) are pop perfection. The rest of the album I could take or leave. Can't stand all of these annoying interludes, I don't like being preached at when I'm just trying to listen to some music. It's just really bloated too, this could have been trimmed down to half the tracks. Keep the pop hits and ditch the highfalutin bullshit. I love Janet, respect to her for insisting on making the kind of music she wants, this just isn't her best album. Iconic moment in time for her? Absolutely. Did it age well? No, not really.

Not my thing

Reminded me a lot of Michael. But I was probably subconsciously comparing the two. Had the same fun energy as Michael

Michael's little sister basically portrayed the world in the '80s, particularly the crimes, wars, drugs, poverty, and the weird pop obsession to synthetic drums. Only the last one is portrayed well.

80s Pop wie er im Buche steht. Klingt für mich teilweise von track zu track sehr ähnlich. Produktionsweise war in den 80ern glaube genau auf diesen Standard ausgerichtet. Siehe Michael.

Typical album of the late 80s with some good tracks and some fillers. Not bad in the end.

Non male, bella voce bell'atmosfera, peccato perche' sono un po simili

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.

Outstanding! 4.5/5

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

High production value pop which doesn't sound quite bad but it's supposed to be a concept album and it fails on that level. The style doesn't fit the message and all and the lyrics are just so meh. Basically a rich celebrity just saying "The world is bad, bad things are happening, it's so sad, why is world like this".

10/11/22 Couple solid songs … I liked the energy and how aggressively 80s it was lol.

Not music I typically resonate with so hard for me to judge.

Janet dropping those sick beats. Then other not so super stuff. It’s all about the dancing.

All I could think about during the album is the running man and parachute pants. She was saying some stuff of substance for sure. Would like to go 2.5.

Great album

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.

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.

Weird tired vibes on sunday, lost on run in mt pleasant, shoe sizing in the rain, pink clouds, decent, dinner

Bloated, dated and self important.

Really enjoyed this!

Not my favorite but didn't hate.

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.

This was entirely disappointing. Glimpses of talent towards the end of the very loooong album, but they’re not worth waiting for, and cliché statements made about love, racism and such. She should leave those to her brother.

Buen Pop 80ero, pero el mismo sonido en todo el album

Nothing in this was particularly interesting, but nothing was overly offensive either.

Get ta fuck!

Sorry Janet, didn’t enjoy this at all.

Janet I’m sure you’re lovely, but just leave it to Micheal, i didn’t really enjoy that! 2 stars because she was singing about pressing issues in the states at that time! Bumped her up from a 1

It's all right

A nice album, good rhythm. I could see myself listening to this again, although the lyrics are a little pedantic at times. This was before my time, so I also didn't recognize the hits unfortunately.

Great, fun album.

Not a JJ fan at all. Banned from my spotify in 2020 and zero desire to unlock or revisit.

orka ikkje meir enn 2 songar

This album actually ended pretty well, but the first half was overly layered and busy with lyrics that were way too on the nose. Trying to be altruistic through cheesy 80's pop doesn't really work in my opinion. This album just felt like it was trying too hard.

It's about as 1 dimensional as pop gets.

Not good, not terrible, but surely more terrible than good.

Drum machines that slap

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

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.

So, so boring.

Decent pop album

Very dated, classic 'Orchestral Hit' midi sample littered throughout. Interludes are just plain annoying.

Cet album a conclu de manière positive une très belle sortie à vélo au cœur d'une région située à quelques pas seulement du domicile d'eltrapeze, mon ennemi juré et rival de toujours.

Janet aura beau tenté de copier son frère, la prestation n'en demeure pas moins lamentable. On se met à regretter tout l'album de ne pas avoir le vrai Jackson en chair et en os, en lieu et place de cette pâle imitation familiale.

I associate this sound with most late 80s pop and yet I think maybe all of that sound was in this album. Maybe a little bit in 'Control'. But anyway, there is some filler here, for sure, but for an album that was intentionally going for socially conscious subject matter, this is pretty strong. Rhythm Nation, Miss You Much, Escapade, and Black Cat all work for me. Come Back to Me has some sort of comforting '89 dentist office feel to it. I don't know - mostly this works.

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.

False and artificial-sounding from the first note. Yes, there are some likable (even infectious) grooves (e.g., “Rhythm Nation,” “Alright”) and some sweetness here and there (“Love Will Never Do,” “Livin in a World,” “Someday is Tonight”). But the heavy-handed (to put it mildly) production and canned beats mostly overwhelm the musicality such that there’s a distinct lack of soul that makes this feel utterly disposable and mostly forgettable.

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 same drum, and keyboard, sound on every track? Check. The same vocals, and melody, on every track? Check. Typical 80's over-production? Check. The "Jackson" coattails to give this album the overhype that it received at the time. Check. But give credit where credit is due: this was an original sound when it came out. Unfortunately, it is largely responsible for a whole lot of crap that has been trying to ride this album's wave for the last few decades.

Plus 80s tu meurs

Some great songs, too much sampling.

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.

I remember a few tracks from this album when it came out. The music on Rhythem Nation 1814 sounds like that transition between the 80s and the 90s. I do not doubt that Janet Jackson is talented, but I kind of just got through the album. "Someday Is Tonight" almost sank the album, but I guess I could round up to three stars (= I can get through the music once, but don't ask me to listen again.)

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

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.

C'est vraiment le genre d'album qui me donne mal à la tête d'écouter avec ce drum machine qui n'arrête pas de tout le long. Plus de 60 minutes de ''tube'', l'album a un concept mais c'est tellement diluer dans la grosse rythmique pop et électronique que c'est trop. Elle s'est chanter, ca c'est certain, mais son concept de nous parler de la misère du monde avec un album qui ressemble sonne comme un arc-en-ciel.... je trouve pas que ca fit et en plus, considérant qu'elle vient d'une famille royale de la pop... on repassera... Apres 10 chansons, j'ai l'impression d'en être encore à la première. Je comprend qu'il y a des hits, si on écoute séparément une chanson de tout l'album c'est bon. Mais un album concept aussi saturé, c'est over produit... Quand même ce n'est pas mauvais... 2.75.

I quite enjoyed this sociopolitical album. I haven't listened to much Janet and was pleasantly surprised. Found myself humming Rythym Nation, got pulled into the softness of Miss You Much, love the excitement of Escapade, and totally got into the Black Cat. I'll probably wonder why I put this on my 5 star list but heck let's do it.

Started fairly strong but really dropped off toward the end. Early tracks were decent dance jams, but the last three or so were slow ballads. I found it hard to get through the whole thing.

Like the message, can't stand the music

Showing it age.

Not for me

Istodobno zastarjelo i futuristički. Debelo predugo traje za ovako intenzivan zvuk baziran samo na ritmu. Black cat joj je jedna od najboljih stvari

Okay. Not amazing.

The interludes were an interesting addition. I enjoyed her voice and the dance vibe of the songs. The lyrics were kinda meh and every song could have been about a minute shorter. The last few songs were less enjoyable, I felt the didn't match the vibe.

Interesting sound (although definitely “of the time”), somewhat of a concept album that’s connected by a bunch of interludes. Overall it’s an interesting cohesive listen, but the amount and frequency of interludes weakens it’s appeal for relistens.

I wish the lyrics were just as dated as the production, but unfortunately that's not the case. There's still something charming about the sound, I just don't care to hear a whole album of it.

Pop datado

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?

Production sounds dated but also inextricably linked to this album. Some great songs.

Good for its time

I just wasn't into this at the time and really haven't time for it now. It's just not me although I guess she's trying to make a social commentary which is commendable but the music is so cliched and dated now. It's not that it's THAT bad, it's just a bit naff 30-odd years later.

nah

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

(Sigh!) I always had a troubled relationship with the Jacksons, all of them. I acknowledge their talent and that they have made quite some great music over the decades, at the same time, I don't exactly know what it is, but there is something about their celebrity status that bugs me profoundly. But let's discuss this album. ...  (Crickets)  ...  I played it several times. The first time I was really impressed from the start. Then  Social concerns. Check.  Dancefloor. Check.  Heartbreak. Check. Romance. Check.  Did I forget something?  Ah yes!  Empowerment through sexuality. Check. Remember when Latoya was believed to be Michael in disguise? A ball? Does anybody have a ball here? I need to practice against a wall. Oh thanks, Mate. Boing... Boing... Boing... What is this, why do I feel so restless suddenly? For fuck's sake, I thought I took my meds this morning! Oh yes, I did, the bottle of pills is empty. Should I worry? Got a cig? Hold on there. Do you think I should worry? I think I should. Lighter, yes, thanks. But... Worry about what? Ah yes, that's what I wanted to say! I got distracted while listening to this album. Several times even.  OK. I am becoming increasingly lazy at doing this. Impatient as well. Whatever. Geez! How long IS this one? 

Objectively a great album, but not for me. Attention tailed off every time. Rhythm Nation was great, but then I just slowly lost interest and started doing other things. Don’t think it’s the albums fault though. Dancy poppy.

Girl.

first listen man she sounds so much like Michael

Good album 💿

"Rhythm Nation 1814" is the sound of Janet Jackson reigning supreme at the close of the 80s, harnessing her momentum to become unimpeachable for the next five years. Load a follow-up to your commercial breakthrough with emergent hip-hop and industrial influences to make a smash-hit? Why not! Throw in an arena-ready hard-rock number and release it as a single? Let's go for it. Go full-on social commentary, and solve all the world's problems by singing about them? Sure, we can at least try. I'd never heard this album in full until now, but it's undoubtedly a blockbuster. Framed by a tolling bell and spoken word pledges on the state of humanity, it's also interspersed with 5-10 second transitions from the sound of a TV switching channels (Roger Waters eat your heart out) to pointed commentary ("Get the point? Good, let's dance"). "Rhythm Nation" itself is a killer opening, giving rise to new-jack swing and driven by seismic, steely industrial beats and slapped bass. It also signified a new dance phenomenon for the MTV generation, immortalised in its imperial music video. All that aside, it's simply a great track: powerful beats, towering confidence from Jackson, and an addictive, rapid hook answered by a unison of voices declaring their part in the Rhythm Nation. None of the rest of it scales the same heights, but the singles "Miss You Much" and "Escapade" play well as affectionate tributes to Prince in his mid-80s prime: Jackson pulls them off with every bit as much pomp, grace and accessibility. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" hangs itself on an atomic mid-tempo beat before breaking into an amazing second-half, where layers of vocals expressing the title as a chant, a melodic plea, an affirmation. And "Black Cat" is a total surprise that completely works, with the smooth reverb-filled distorted riffs found in arenas the world over in the late 1980s. Where many hair-metal bands would hinge their career on recreating the same sound again and again, for Jackson it's just one more string to her bow. There are quite a few comments on this page- and made by critics at the time- that "Rhythm Nation 1814" lacked subtlety, that the preachy messages were misguided and out-of-touch from a celebrity who had been rich all her life. Jackson herself laudably acknowledged this years later, in her 2015 album "Unbreakable". In truth, "State of the World" and "Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make)" may not be the most eye-popping songs on the record, and could have been made more eloquent. Many of the lyrics aren't exactly ground-breaking ("The Knowledge" is the most throwaway, with its break of "Prejudice: No. Ignorance: No. Bigotry: No."). But, at least Jackson stood up to her label by insisting on including songs which addressed universal matters of prejudice and poverty. She chose to use her platform to discuss more than her millionaire lifestyle, and who knows how many philanthropists and world-changers she might have inspired in doing so? For me, it's actually the move away from the industrial beats and high-energy that sinks the Rhythm Nation torpedo in its final act. Instead, the last three numbers see it move in a warmer, silkier direction. Perhaps it was an intentional sequencing move, or maybe the record was just front-loaded with the strongest hits. For me the closing three ballads just aren't as bold as the songs earlier in the record (bar some gorgeous nu-soul harmonies in "Come Back To Me"). "Lonely" and "Someday Is Tonight" are just a little too long and aimless, however well produced and sung they are. They don't quite have the same edge I enjoyed in the rest of the album, at least on the first couple of listens. As with so many of the other albums I've marked down on this site, "Rhythm Nation 1814"'s main fault for me is its length. It's easy to see how it could have improved if a couple of tracks were shaved off here, a couple of choruses removed there. But in its prime, running through that middle stretch of tracks, it's unstoppable, and one can only surrender to the Rhythm Nation.

bra ljud men inte så speciellt intressant???

Texterna är så pinsamma att jag knappt klarar av att lyssna men groovet är kanon

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.

A lot of well known songs and the whole album has an 80s feel to it. It was a good listen. I probably would not choose this album to listen to again but I would listen if it was chosen.

One of the worst (and funniest) albums I've ever had to sit through. Half poor attempts at cliched Madonnaesque pop, half awful awful awfulllllllllllll """"""social commentary""""""" written by someone who has been stupid rich from the age of about 4 and maybe heard What's Going On on the radio once a few years back. Dreadful, terrible, awful but sometimes hilarious.

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

High 3. A little repetitive.

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

Fresh and funky pop, politically powered. Bit too earnest for my liking but of the age and danceable

Who doesn't love a little bit of Janet now and again?