Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope

Don't it always seem to go....

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That difficult transition album between her three hit packed career records of the late 80s-early 90s and her horrible descent into ropey old whoredom.

I've been listening to it a LOT lately, and while it's by no means perfect I think as an album I prefer it to Janet. Close run thing though.

Is it just me or does she sound a LOT like Michael at certain points in this record? Particularly on What About...
 
I used to like it more, but it's still easily her best album next to RN1814, the title track on this album seems to be the best.

And I totally agree about the Michael statement, especially in the "What about all the shit you've done to me" line. She sounds slightly like him in some bits of "You" as well.
 
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It has some brilliant songs - Together Again, Go Deep, Got Til It's Gone, What About, I Get Lonely, Special - I even like Every Time. However, it is SO 90's sounding.
 
It's actually quite a SWEET song. :bruised: I love how her voice sounds on it.
 
I QUITE LIKE IT

But there's a LOT OF CRAP AS WELL

I would give some examples but I haven't listened to them in years and can't remember the names
 
Solid but not great. There's nothing embarrassingly DREADFUL on it (well, arguably "Special") and there IS some amazing stuff, but some things are just a bit UNNECESSARY
 
It's where the repetition really kicked in. Looking back, it's clear that janet. was the start of the decline, but this is the one that really sealed it for me. Some great tracks lost in a sea of crappy sexual innuendo.
 
The Velvet Rope - APPRECIATION

TVR wasn't patchy ONE BIT...maybe it's because I have an extra soft spot for it because it was one of my first albums, but it's got that MULTI-DIMENSIONAL vibe that janet lacks at times. janet. was all about the subtle melodies and often soft listening, but TVR had such texture behind the vocals, it complimented her rather weak vocal range with such power in the MUSIC.

In fact, the album reminds me of long road trips throughout Arizona, it was on REPEAT through that whole trip.


MusicCatalog%5CJ%5CJanet%20Jackson%20-%20The%20Velvet%20Rope%5CJanet%20Jackson%20-%20The%20Velvet%20Rope.jpg


10 Velvet Rope
10 You
09 Got Til It's Gone
10 My Need
10 Go Deep
07 Free Xone
10 Together Again
06 Empty
10 What About
09 Every Time
08 Tonight's the Night
10 I Get Lonely
10 Rope Burn
08 Anything
07 Special
 
I agree. LOVE IT. She went SO SHIT after this and it's tragic because this is the first Janet era that I really have strong memories of. :(

09 Velvet Rope
08 You
10 Got Til It's Gone
10 My Need
09 Go Deep
07 Free Xone
10 Together Again
07 Empty
10 What About
10 Every Time
06 Tonight's the Night
08 I Get Lonely
08 Rope Burn
07 Anything
02 Special
 
GOD NO, I'm not keen on this at all - right from day one it screamed "try hard" and it wasn't a patch on her best. The awful cover, the OTT sex stuff, that Rod Stewart song, not to mention 'Special'.

Very much the beginning of the end. I haven't listened to it for YEARS.

The accompanying tour was crap too. I remember chucking ketchup all over myself before it had even begun which was clearly a bad omen :evil:
 
Christian said:
It's where the repetition really kicked in. Looking back, it's clear that janet. was the start of the decline, but this is the one that really sealed it for me. Some great tracks lost in a sea of crappy sexual innuendo.
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Ooh, get ME - I still agree with myself, though I'm even less in the thrall of the "great" tracks now than I was then :D

Give me janet and RN over this ANY day of the week.
 
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Sorry, patchy as HELL!

09 Velvet Rope
09 You
09 Got Til It's Gone
04 My Need
03 Go Deep
08 Free Xone
07 Together Again
02 Empty
08 What About
02 Every Time
05 Tonight's the Night
07 I Get Lonely
10 Rope Burn
05 Anything
06 Special
---
10 Can't Be Stopped
 
The hidden track at the end. It's not even THAT hidden (Whoops Now on janet had about a minute of silence to get through to find) as it's directly after Special just on the same track.
 
With the wonderful Marvin Gaye sample:
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Oh yeah I do know that actually. As much as I love this album I haven't given it a full spin in a while...
 
NOT ALL THAT

09 Velvet Rope
05 You
10 Got Til It's Gone
04 My Need
06 Go Deep
06 Free Xone
10 Together Again
03 Empty
10 What About
07 Every Time
02 Tonight's the Night
06 I Get Lonely
05 Rope Burn
04 Anything
00 Special
09 Can't Be Stopped
 
Can't Be Stopped is good, I'd forgotten about that one. Doesn't really elevate the CD overall though...

But, let's not forget that EVERYBODY NEEDS TO FEEL REAL SPECIAL :manson:
 
06 Velvet Rope
06 You
07 Got Til It's Gone
02 My Need
04 Go Deep
03 Free Xone
09 Together Again
04 Empty
06 What About
08 Every Time
-1 Tonight's the Night
07 I Get Lonely
04 Rope Burn
02 Anything
02 Special
08 Can't Be Stopped
 
I love it. My favourite Janet album. Loved the artwork and videos.

06 Velvet Rope
08 You
10 Got Til It's Gone
08 My Need
07 Go Deep
07 Free Xone
07 Together Again
07 Empty
10 What About
08 Every Time
07 Tonight's the Night
09 I Get Lonely
08 Rope Burn
07 Anything
05 Special
08 Can't Be Stopped
 
Rapture said:
Control isn't ALL THAT.
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Of course it is. Not a duff track on it, concise and absolutely chockablock with ace tunes.

Besides, you can't beat a bit of NO, my first name ain't BABY. It's Janet. Miss JACKSON if you're NASTY :D

My Janet track of choice recent weeks has been "Say You Will". It's downright funky & dirty and a prime slab of early Jam & Lewis.
 
Oh CONTROL is all kinds of ACE....


The intro of WHEN I THINK OF YOU gets me all nostalgic and back to some happy memories WITHOUT FAIL
 
Control is one of those albums that I struggle a bit with. Purely because almost all of it was a hit single, whatever is left on it I find difficult to focus on. It feels more like a greatest hits than a studio album I can really get on board with.

Obviously that speaks for how good it really is, but I couldn't even hum the none singles because I've never really given them a chance. I just put Design Of A Decade on if I'm in the mood for some pre-Janet Janet.
 
Speaking of, she is quite due for a new greatest hits..although it should be career spanning, because I don't think a GH focusing on primarily her last few albums is what she needs right now.

As for Control, maybe it's just because I wasn't around when it hit big and for her initial impact, but although I do like most of the songs, I just don't CONNECT with it as much as I do with RN1814, Janet, TVR..."Nasty", "When I Think of You", and "Pleasure Principle" are my favorites of the Control album.
 
Dr Lecter said:
Oh CONTROL is all kinds of ACE....


The intro of WHEN I THINK OF YOU gets me all nostalgic and back to some happy memories WITHOUT FAIL
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Ah yes, those opening chords are just amazing...

I loved the video too with still-chubby Janet running around the neighbourhood in that one take shot.
 
Rapture said:
"Nasty", "When I Think of You", and "Pleasure Principle" are my favorites of the Control album.
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Ah yes, they're all corking - but so is the rest of the album. Even throwaway fluff like "He Doesn't Know I'm Alive" has real verve and a sense of fun to it. Plus she really goes for it vocally on that one... well, RELATIVELY at least.

I'm very partial to "Funny How Time Flies" but then I like all her sexy groove closing tracks up to and including the janet. album. After that, they're brewers droop inducing in the extreme :zombie:
 
Yeah "FHTF" is ALRIGHT, you have to respect it for being the original sleazy Janet ballad. And I actually remember quite ENJOYING "He Doesn't Know I'm Alive"
 
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Oh I like "The Velvet Rope" enough, absolutely, but it isn't a PATCH on the three albums that preceeded it and I cannot believe ANYONE would think "Control" was anything other than a TOWERING TRIUMPH OF 80s GENIUS

Well, other than donna...:D
 
08 Velvet Rope
07 You
10 Got Til It's Gone
08 My Need
07 Go Deep
07 Free Xone
08 Together Again
07 Empty
07 What About
05 Every Time
05 Tonight's the Night
10 I Get Lonely
09 Rope Burn
06 Anything
05 Special

09 Can't Be Stopped

PATCHY
 
I actually played this yesterday after "janet" and there is a CHASM in quality, but it's still good

07 Velvet Rope
08 You
10 Got Til It's Gone
08 My Need
07 Go Deep
05 Free Xone
09 Together Again
07 Empty
10 What About
09 Every Time
08 Tonight's the Night
09 I Get Lonely
08 Rope Burn
06 Anything
03 Special

07 Can't Be Stopped
 
My problem with most of it is that this was the first time her lack of a voice became an issue with me. There’s nothing she properly belts out with any conviction like she does on What’’ll I Do. Ironic really since it’s her big “personal opus” or whatever. The samples are really unimaginative too and the whispering on Anything, My Need, Empty etc. become really grating.
 
I said in an earlier thread about "Rhythm Nation 1814" when I was listening to it for the first time in a while how I'd forgotten that she actually COULD belt...she was never a STRONG vocalist but MORE than acceptable
 
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