Rhythm Nation 1814

Better than Coldplay

Hated it. Jackson’s singing is fine for the duration of the album but the percussion in particular grated on me throughout, like they’ve used the same Linn Drum patch for every song and never decided to change it (that fucking snare…). As a result every song sounded repetitive and the overproduced backing instruments particular the stabs that seemed to be used on every other bar was just awful. Then there were the ‘interludes’, if there was some kind of message, it either got muddied or she didn’t want to commit to something. It probably sounded edgy to her (particularly considering what was likely a sheltered upbringing) but had absolutely no teeth. Special shout out to ‘come back to me’ for being one of the worst songs I’ve heard in a while.

3/5

I knew her previous album, but had never focused on this one. The new jack swing aspect is quite appealing to me: I don’t need those drums diluted, it’s late 80s and that’s okay, I particularly like the title track and Alright. RnB ballads on the other hand generally aren’t for me. Black Cat was catchy and kinda amusing, I appreciate the diversity of styles even though I don’t like all the songs. The interludes, I dislike. The vague project of having a conscience about social injustice is unconvincing, because it’s so non-specific, but it’s not worse than saying nothing at all. Overall it’s respectable (well-produced), and what I like outweighs the bits I’m bored by, but I’m not crazy about it, so I’ll say it’s Good, 7/10.

Ok

Insufferable

Из треков как-то понравились только следующие: livin' in a world, rhythm nation, the knowledge, escapade, black cat. На один раз прикольно послушать, но я бы точно не добавлял треки из этого альбома в любимые, может из-за того, что альбом 1989-го года, может еще из-за чего. В общем как-то так.

Some super fun late 80s R&B. A little long winded though.

I thought it was a beautiful classic pop / rnb album 5

Holy crap, was I excited when this album popped up! I didn't own Rhythm Nation 1814 back in the day, but I didn't need to. Janet Jackson was everywhere in 1989 and 1990. MTV, radio, you name it. And unlike some songs that got played to death, I never got tired of these. "Rhythm Nation" is still my favorite. What an absolute banger! But what makes it special is the message. Janet was addressing racism, inequality, and the need for unity back in 1989, and unfortunately, that message is still relevant today. The driving beat doesn't just make you want to dance. It gets you pumped up and makes you want to get off your ass and do something! "State of the World" and "The Knowledge" continue that theme, and I love how the album is structured. On other albums, I've complained about songs sounding too similar. Here, it works because they're different chapters of the same story. The interludes tie everything together beautifully. "Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make)" was my favorite discovery. Both the music and message moved me. It got me thinking about friends who were just babies when this album came out and how they inherited a world full of problems they didn't create. Nearly four decades later, another generation is facing that same reality. And then there are the hits! "Miss You Much" still sounds fantastic, "Alright" has an incredible groove, "Escapade" is pure fun, and "Black Cat" still rocks! "Lonely" and "Come Back to Me" show Janet's softer, emotional side. One interesting personal connection is that I missed some of these songs at their peak because I was serving aboard the USNS Mercy in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" reached No. 1 while I was deployed, which explains why it wasn't as familiar to me as some of the other hits. "Someday Is Tonight" was probably my least favorite, although I really enjoyed the saxophone in the second half. And honestly, even my least favorite song on this album is better than the best song on some of the crap I've endured during this project! 😂 There's not a weak link here. The production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis is phenomenal, Janet sounds incredible, and the album moves effortlessly between social commentary, dance, funk, rock, and beautiful ballads. This wasn't a completely new discovery for me. It was more like reuniting with an old favorite and realizing just how great it really is. Five stars. Perfect album. Absolutely buying this on vinyl!

Thinking this album might be the peak of Janet Jackson career, with popular songs like Black cat, Miss you much, Escapade… it is a classic R&B album from late 80s early 90s.

Can't find something bad, just not my thing

I didn't need to listen to this album to know how to review it; I've listened to this record so many times. A pinnacle of the new jack swing sound. 4 stars because it is a bit long.

while not a huge JJ fan I must admit that this album is an awesome collection of musical and lyrical skill and her dancing and performance skill may truly only be second to her brother. A must listen and an excellent album.

Amazing album!

Could be the background for an oceans 11 movie 😎

Stiekem zijn het af en toe best lekkere deuntjes

have never properly listened to miss janet before..... fucking blew me away. just non stop bangers.

An overall excellent pop album that epitomizes the late 80s pop sound and production style, and serves as an ideal introduction to Janet Jackson for a young millennial like myself (who really only ever knew about her from Nipplegate). On that note, lmao @ getting this album the day after Justin Timberlake's 'Justified'. IMO this is easily the superior pop record of the two. Love it or hate it, the production style of mid/late 80s pop is iconic and (to me at least) has aged better than many (but not all) pop records produced in the early/mid 2000s.

Let me tell you that I would be the very first person to be astonished that I'm assigning this a four. Janet FUCKING Jackson? But I'll be damned. The first two thirds of this album are really, really good! The last third it slacks off and is more slow-jammy music, which I abhor, but overall? Quite good!

The production is monotonous and the album is way too long. There are good hooks but by the time I got to Miss You Much, the drum machine "snare" had drilled a hole through my head.

Two great songs (Black Cat and Miss You Much), a couple of pleasant enough trifles (Escapade, Love Would Never Do), and a bunch of dreck.

2/5 - The drum machine sound on every song here is so fucking annoying. I can't get past it, even if some of the hits are alright.

8 - wow, been a while. Blew me away, Janet is better than remembered.

Feels a bit repetitive over time. But not terrible. 3/5

Jackson, Jam and Lewis are basically a trio of master artists crafting away an incredible hour of pop-soul-rnb-funk-whatever else, switching up vibes but never letting you really get out of grooving along, even in the ballads. For as much as it’s the king of pop’s younger sister working with Prince’s protégés in production, it feels like it steps well out of those shadows into its own bold expression of youth and statement on the world, and that shit is just fire every step of the way, It’s easy to see why this was so big it ended up as an obvious blueprint for so much to come afterwards.

I was so ready to get behind this cheesy album concept (stupid in a fun way!), but the 80s production and the naive, sentimental songwriting left me pretty cold.

This got boring real quick. And unfortunately it drags on for over an hour.......... The songs are mostly overproduced, with that over-reverbed snare an almost ever-present reminder that we are in the late 1980s. The interludes suck the big one, and the last proper track, Someday Is Tonight, listening to Janet pretend to orgasm gave me the ick in the biggest way. Ew. There are some decent moments, however - Black Cat still rocks, even though the production sins are most evident here. Rhythm Nation is a good album opener, which is a shame that it's preceded by one of those annoying, unnecessary interludes! Miss You Much and Love Will Never Do are alright, but ultimately, not enough of interest here to make me come back any time soon. It might have been big in the late 80s, but by God, it sounds like it should have stayed there.

interesting and fun

I enjoyed this album but its too long and too repetitive towards the middle end. One thing that stuck out to me though was at the beginning of the album with Interlude TV and it's like going from a silly cartoon to bad news and it reminded me of how now we are constantly scrolling though social media and go from something like a cute cat video to news about yet another mass shooting then right back to a silly video. I am so critical of social media and what it does to our brains but I realized this has been a long time coming after thinking about channel flipping. Idk. Weird that that sticks out to me more than the music lol

Two albums from our collection in one week! Probably Janet Jackson’s best album, this one seemed to linger forever after it was released. The label (A&M) kept coming out with single after single. The individual tracks are good, and hearing one mixed in with lots of other music is ok, but listening to the album all together in one shot I grew tired of the overbearing drum machine. It makes the album seem robotic and artificial to me. The last three tracks, which are ballads, happily provide a reprieve from Mr. Drum Machine.

Aw, my friend Jane brought this CD (and only this CD) on a road trip one time, and I did not really like it (the CD, not the road trip), but she was driving, so we listened to it several times. I still don't really like it, but at least I have a good memory associated! The lyrics are kinda silly, but the message is a positive one (basically: prejudice = bad; education = good; also, dance!). I think the second half is stronger than the beginning. Highlights: 'Love Will Never Do (Without You)', 'Escapade' (Chappell Roan inspo?)

LOVE that era’s production so much, this album’s a true time capsule and I adore it.

Навіть не знаю що і казати) Це було жахливо)

Practically a greatest hits

Janet was the youngest Jackson sibling, and the one who managed to escape the overbearing control of their abusive father. This album promised social commentary and there are little interstitial stings to introduce the tracks, but they don’t really go much further than saying that racial strife and poverty are bad, and maybe education is a good thing, m-kay? After a few of these tracks, it feels like she got bored with the politics and declared “Got the point? Let’s dance!” before kicking into some more uptempo dance tracks and smoochy ballads. The music is mostly that 80s over-compressed bass with random stabs that gets very wearing after a while and hasn’t aged well. It did make me want to listen to the Reynolds Girls though. On the whole, a bit better than I expected and at least she seems to be the non-problematic Jackson unlike certain others we could mention. Wardrobe-malfunction-tastic!

Miss Janet!! Coming 100% into her own, no longer a little sister, social commentary, killer production and a band that is hella good!

Janet, with her big, bold backbeat. Solid music.

A good pop album. A lot of hits.

Fond memories on this one. The videos, the dancing, the pop elements. I'm probably biased, but need to give it a 4 for the feels.

mush brained. escapade is good.

Did nothing for me. As a form of art it was interesting and she is a good singer but I just wasn't vibing to this at all.

What Michael would have sounded like if he was a girl. She also has droopy boobs. Other than that, this was an album to have back in the day. Janet knew what she was doing when she was doing it. Beyoncé who? Choice cut: Come Back to Me

Rhythm Nation 1814 is genuinely a top 5 pop album in my eyes. I have heard a few of Janet Jackson's songs mainly at my local bowling alley but i don't believe i have listened to any of her albums in full or knew that she was part of the Jackson family. No matter when the songs are fun and dancey or sad and soulful, they are always really good. Every song just has an unbelievable amount going on and Janet Jackson's vocals being as great as they are helps a lot too. And there is not one bad song within all 20 tracks which i didn't even think would be possible. This is genuinely one of the greatest pop albums in my eyes, it's that good. Best Song: Miss You Much Worst Song: Alright

Why so many interludes?

One of the top R&B albums of the 80s, easily. The entire album is fantastic. It's poignant ("The Knowledge" and "State of the World" still resonate more than 35 years later). The dance. The energy. No matter your favorite genre, this is one to listen to. Oh, and mad props to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who created who helped Janet create a musical masterpiece. (This would be a great Broadway play...come on Lin Manuel...)

Great, long but doesn't feel like it - 3.5 easy

I wasn't a fan of the New Jack Swing sound then, and I'm still not. But some great melodies and meaningful lyrics buoy this.

3,5

Excellent dance beats and soulful melodies. This is a perfect example of when popular music was for everyone. Album highlights: Come Back to Me, Black Cat, and Love Will Never Do (Without You)

Не могу сказать что что-то зацепило в этом альбоме. Обычный средний поп/р'н'б альбом 80х. Даже не нашел для себя какого-то запоминающегося хита

This list has new jack swing on it, I forgive Robert Dimery for all his previous sins

Eh. Not really my thing. Any time she did kinda get smooth with it, the 80s drums would kick in and also kick my ass

It's.... not very good. If you look past the cheesy synth drums plaguing every song, you will find a legitimately well-produced album, a fair bit more intricate than anything else I've heard from this era. It's just unfortunate that it goes all-in on a sound that's aged like milk since then. The end result is a weirdly novel-yet-dated experience, though not one I really want to revisit. Sorry Janet! Standouts: Miss You Much • Alright

Holy shit, Janet, why is this album so long? Had very positive memories of this album but then realized my actual positive memory was my ten or so liked songs that are album length by themselves. This album is about twenty songs and there is not enough variety for it. She writes on social issues but with an elementary school kid's level of nuance. A lot of the Michael Jackson level "the kids are sad" stuff which is fine here and there but isn't enough to carry a work this long. Also the drums on this give me a headache

Never really been that into Janet and this just reaffirmed that.

This album has a ton of bangers with some really excellent beats. It’s also a little heavy-handed and a little preachy, and the love songs are formulaic — but 14-year-old me thought Rhythm Nation Janet Jackson was the most beautiful women in the entire world. It’s - 3 star album that gets a nostalgia bump.

Each song could really be about 45 seconds long. They stop developing after that point. The drum sound is obnoxious. The interludes should've been cut. She does have a great voice.

really enjoyed the first half of this album but the second half wasnt as good

I really enjoyed this album, but I just don’t feel very strongly about it like I’ve felt about other 5 star contenders. I think it’s because of the somewhat dated feel and the long runtime. There is definitely some repetitiveness in the first 4 tracks (excluding interludes), but I found the last half to be more my speed. I especially enjoyed Escapade and Black Cat. The interesting pop sound that came from those tracks pushed this album into a 4 star that is held back from 5 by the repetition in the beginning. Favorite tracks: Love Will Never Do (Without You), Escapade, & Black Cat.

Great Album. Black Cat is one of her best (for me). It was wan to listen to this again after so many years. Once. It was great once... the second time around, I clicked it off... It's great, but it's a bunch of songs we have all heard a million times on the radio in the past. Probably not a keeper for my future playlist. It is great so I'll go 5/5, but best to be left out of the next edition of the book.....

What’s with all the interludes

Artiste connue de nom. Beaucoup de pop/soul mais absolument pas de Jazz dans cet album. Encore un classement dans des genres très étonnants… L’album est trop long, les morceaux aussi. Et l’accompagnement est répétitif et quelconque. Je ne suis pas allé au bout. =>1/5

Love this album. I didn't know I actually already knew so many of the songs on it.

late 80s WOKE fuck yes OH HEY SHE MADE THAT ONE SONG !! ESCAPADE !!! HOLY SHIT COOL

There should be more good pop albums like this in here. Maybe not all this long but it was never boring.

Its fine

Younger me - this album sucks. Older me - this album is pretty incredible.

Ok

Not really my thing. It wasn’t as awful as I thought it might have been, though it did sound weirdly like MJ in the 80s. It was strange that it was political in the interludes, then largely apolitical in the tracks. Clearly she wanted to say something but I am guessing that they didn’t want it to impact upon radio play so all the songs veer towards generic tales of love and lust.

#257/1001 🇺🇸 This one felt like a bit of a slog to be honest. Its long and musically not my normal bag. There is some good lyrical content. Its a decent, thoughtful pop record and gets stronger towards the end, but i won't feel the need to revisit. Best tracks: State of the World, Miss You Much, Black Cat, Lonely, Something is Tonight.

My eldest son really loves formula one, just loves the technical aspect of the sport. For me, sport should be about individuals and they work they work in a team not engineering. And I think the same about music, and while this is a feat of engineering and production it keeps the listener at arms length. Songs like Miss you much are machine tooled but lack a human element.

Can’t understand the connection between this album and the British Forces entering Washington DC and burning down the White House. Didn’t go well did it? As well has my listening experience of this album. 1/5 20/9/26

Pop RnB sympa

Clairement les mêmes prods que le frangin C’est pas mauvais mais je ne réécouterai pas

J'ai mieux aimé le concept que l'exécution

Not may favorite Janet, but she does have a voice!

Great production, but mostly kinda whatever song wise

A lot of fun that I will ultimately forget.

Fine.

Pretty dated and overproduced; not bad, but not really my kind of thing. It comes across as somehow insincere. Janet Jackson is a great singer, though, and the datedness is appealing in its own way - just a bit much for over an hour of music.

This album is fascinating! The way that the tracks flow into each other via the interludes is masterful, and keeps your attention captured, wondering where the story goes next. I'm not big on social justice music, but I think Janet handles it very well here. She makes solid points in a captivating way, while still giving you a great beat to dance along to. And the production is fabulous! This is definitely an album to listen to with both headphones on and the volume up loud. "Hey Baby" into "Escapade" has always been my favorite from this album.

Ikke lyttet ordentligt igennem, men det siger mig virkelig ikke noget. Otte interludes ud af 20 sange. Meget start-90'er-lyd uden sange, som jeg har et nostalgisk forhold til. Hun blev ikke spillet på de danske radioer.

This may be a nostalgia rating, but idc. LOVE her, love nearly every one of her albums. 5 stars!

OK. 2/5

So I've gotten so many of the biggest pop records of the 80s lately, and often the singles are great and timeless, and I'm hoping to find something within the album cuts that really hooks me. This is the one where that finally happened. I say this as a huge hater of CD runtime bloat, and I really thought that's what I might be getting here. But everything works. Some of these songs go on for 5 or 6 minutes and it's earned. This is a hell of a dance club record, along with all the other things it is. Janet's incredible, it's so seamless how she navigates all the moods here. But Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are fucking rockstars, too. I'm in love with every choice they make here, even the ones that are fucking crazy (the SFX on Black Cat, for instance. Or the "wet sound?" Demented, but it works). Just talked myself into moving from 4 to 5 on this one.

I know it's a bold concept album with military-crisp drum machine and making the most of Jackson's squeaky thin voice, overall precise and Controlled. But for a few songs, it just isn't enjoyable to listen to.

Nonstop bangers, and no one does sweet and sultry like her. I had to listen to “Come Back to Me” twice. Add the social consciousness in a not very socially conscious time, and this is one hell of an album.

This was enjoyable to have on in the background, and I’ll return to it for sure. I’m not sure I gave it as much attention as I could have but I’ll try again another day.

Very catchy!

7/10… dance pop / r&b / *1989

Pretty rough to have to listen to this entire album. Felt like the same average song over and over again. And definitely sounds aged. Not for me.

Wasn't expecting to like this album as much as I did. It's actually pretty sweet. This is an example of New Jack Swing music, which I've always heard about and less so actually heard, and I know that it's fairly hated from some of the rap music I listen to, I suppose that's why I didn't have high expectation. One of the biggest characteristics of this album that stand out to me is the very rigid, stiff and mechanical-like drum beats. It seems mostly dance-leaning pop songs earlier in the album, and more slower vulnerable songs later on, with interludes inbetween songs galore. I think this is just slightly below a 4 star rating, so 3 star it is! Highlight Song/s: "Miss You Much" and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)

You can feel how deeply 80s this is. Lots of synth, lots of sound engineering, I assume a lot of dance moves and styles. Her vocals aren't bad but don't really do anything more than some sonic additions. Good example of this sort of thing. Not changing my day

It really takes advantage the format of an album. This belongs on the list, but this production isn't for me right now. This really is pop. Just constructed around her, could be anyone. I wouldn't be against dancing to some of the later tracks as the night is winding down on a wedding dance floor.

I had very low expectations for this one, but ended up loving it—will probably listen again.

It was good, but I won't seek it out

Liked more than expected.

I really wanted to like this more, but honestly, I found it pretty boring. There are definitely some good songs here — “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” and “Black Cat” are probably the highlights for me — but as an album, it felt so long. The production started to feel repetitive after a while, and I kept checking how many songs were left. Every time I thought I was getting close to the end, there was somehow still more. I do appreciate what Janet was going for. The social and political themes are pretty ambitious for a mainstream pop album, and I can understand why this is considered such an important record. But for me, being ambitious and being enjoyable are two different things. The weirdest part is that I never really felt like the album was building toward an ending. It just kept going and going until eventually it stopped. There are some great individual tracks, but I didn't particularly enjoy listening to the whole thing front to back. Maybe this is one of those albums where I can appreciate the legacy more than the actual music. Not really for me.

Fine