Like Madonna did recently, this week Janet Jackson released a 2-disc, career-spanning greatest hits collection. This is Janet's second retrospective, following Design of a Decade (DOAD), the 1995 release that included all the singles from Control and Rhythm Nation 1814, plus two new tracks. A drawback of that set was that since it was released on A&M, her former label, it included only one track from Janet., which had been released under her new label Virgin. So while it had "That's the Way Love Goes," it was missing "If," "Again," and "Any Time, Any Place," which were all major hits.
Number Ones corrects that oversight and more, delivering a satisfying and comprehensive set of Janet's remastered hits, spanning her A&M, Virgin and Island years from "What Have You Done for Me Lately" to new single "Make Me" Nothing from Janet Jackson or Dream Street is included, but that's no surprise, given that neither album generated any major hits. The concept behind Number Ones is that every track here was #1 on some Billboard chart, be it the Hot 100, dance club play or R&B chart (abroad, where Janet's chart prospects didn't fare as well, this is known as The Best).
Number Ones generally contains single versions, which is good, since Janet was notorious for putting out singles that differed--sometimes substantially--from the album version. "Alright," "Come Back to Me," and "Black Cat," Rhythm Nation's 4th, 5th, and 6th singles, in particular, were quite different from their album versions. DOAD generally included single versions, but here there are some nice touches that depart from DOAD, like using the video version of "Alright," which, in addition to having a different arrangement from the album version, also included a rap from Heavy D. Here's an era-by-era rundown of Number Ones:
Control (1986-1987)
Pros: All six Control singles are here, including the single version of "Let's Wait Awhile," which is nice, since that was one of the few single versions DOAD did not include. More significantly, "Diamonds," the 1987 top 10 hit with Herb Alpert, makes its first appearance on a Janet Jackson disc. This is probably the biggest treat of the whole collection, since "Diamonds" did not appear on DOAD (or Control), and has not been available from digital outlets. "Control" includes the spoken-word intro, which DOAD omitted.
Cons: It might have been nice to include the video version of "When I Think of You," which was slightly remixed from the original, but this is a small gripe.
Best: Nasty, When I Think of You, What Have You Done for Me Lately
Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989-1992)
Pros: The aforementioned rap version of "Alright," A different mix of "Rhythm Nation," that, unlike DOAD includes the spoken-word "Pledge" introduction, which DOAD omitted. It includes the same single version of "Come Back to Me" as DOAD and a similar single version of "Black Cat" (it has a shorter middle section guitar solo).
Cons: The album misses an opportunity to finally put out the radio version of "State of the World," the "United Nations Remix Edit." I would so love to have this, but alas, it wasn't ever #1. Also, I prefer the bubblier remix of "The Best Things in Life Are Free" to the album version which appears here.
Best: Rhythm Nation, Miss You Much, Love Will Never Do, Come Back to Me, Alright
Janet./Design of a Decade (1993-1995)
Pros: Finally, the Janet. singles appear. In my market, the pop radio station (Z100, Portland) played remixes of "That's The Way Love Goes" and "If." While I liked the former, the original version of "If" is superior, so I'm glad that appears here. "Any Time, Any Place" appears in its single version, the R. Kelly remix.
Cons: "You Want This" didn't make the cut, which is a shame, since the single version contains a rap by MC Lyte and would be nice to have. "Twenty Foreplay" was also significantly remade (and improved) for its single release, but that was such a minor release, I didn't expect it would be here.
Best: If, That's the Way Love Goes, Runaway
The Velvet Rope (1997-1999)
Pros: Interesting version of "Got 'til It's Gone," which includes a little intro from Q-tip, but is otherwise pretty close to the album version. Single edit of "Together Again" (not a remix, and there were some fun remixes of this song). "What's It Gonna Be" with Busta Rhymes makes an appearance, while the BLACKstreet collaboration "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" does not.
Con: One of the few times they didn't use a single version that I would have championed is the TNT Remix Edit of "I Get Lonely," which has a funkier beat and more prominently features BLACKstreet. I wouldn't have minded having her Shaggy collaboration, "Luv Me, Luv Me." And why oh why wasn't The Velvet Rope's title track a single? "Velvet Rope" is such a cool song.
Best: Got 'til It's Gone, Together Again
All for You (2000-2002)
Pro: The video version of "All for You" appears, which I've always championed to the single version since it has that fun middle-section interlude that interpolates little snips of "The Pleasure Principle" and "Go Deep." Also included is the original single version of "Doesn't Really Matter," which was always better than the ridiculous remix they put on the album.
Cons: No complaints here, but there were so few singles from All for You there's little to discuss.
Best: Someone to Call My Lover, All for You, Doesn't Really Matter
Nipplegate and beyond (2004-2009)
Pro: This is when Janet's career nosedived, along with the quality of her music, so despite what might have been an inclination to load this with the more recent but less popular singles, they resisted, and so we just get "All Nite," "Call on Me," and "Feedback." "Make Me" is a fun song, an ode to her brother Michael's #1 hit "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough."
Con: A shame "Just a Little While" couldn't be here, as that's probably my favorite Janet song of this era (although I do love the groove of "All Nite").
Best: All Nite (Don't Stop)
So, overall a pretty decent set with no major missteps and quite a lot of nice inclusions, particularly if you're a fan with her albums but not her singles.
No comments:
Post a Comment