Janet Jackson – Control (1986/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Janet Jackson – Control (1986/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 41:34 minutes | 928 MB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © A&M

Control is the third studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on February 4, 1986, by A&M Records. Her collaborations with the songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, rap vocals, funk, disco and synthesized percussion that established Jackson, Jam and Lewis as the leading innovators of contemporary R&B. The album became Jackson’s commercial breakthrough and enabled her to transition into the popular music market, with Control becoming one of the foremost albums of the 1980s and contemporary music. The album is also notable for originating the style and genre that came to be known as new jack swing.

Containing autobiographical themes, a majority of the album’s lyrics came as the result of a series of changes in her life: a recent annulment of her marriage to singer James DeBarge, severing her business affairs from her father and manager Joseph and the rest of the Jackson family, hiring the A&M executive John McClain as her new management, and her subsequent introduction to Jam and Lewis. The album has been praised by critics as both an artistic feat and as a personal testament of self-actualization. It has also been regarded as a template upon which numerous female artists have modeled their careers, particularly black women.

Following its release, Control became Jackson’s first album to top the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States and five of its commercial singles—”What Have You Done for Me Lately”, “Nasty”, “Control”, “When I Think of You”, and “Let’s Wait Awhile”—peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Music videos created to promote the singles showcased her dancing ability and became a catalyst for MTV’s evolving demographics. The album went on to receive several accolades, including a nomination for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and winning Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for Jam and Lewis in 1987. It is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 200 Definitive Albums of All Time, in addition to being included in several publications “best of” album lists. It remained more than two years on the Billboard Hot 200. Moreover, it has been certified fivefold platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. The album made Billboard Hot 100 history, breaking brother Michael’s record for longest continuous run on the Hot 100 with singles from one album, a record 65 consecutive weeks.

Although Janet Jackson had released two records in the early ’80s, they were quickly forgotten, and notably shaped by her father’s considerable influence. Janet’s landmark third album, 1986’s Control, changed all that. On the opening title track, Jackson, with passion and grace, declares her independence, moving out of the gargantuan shadow of her brother Michael and on to the business of making her own classic pop album. The true genius of Control lies in the marriage of her extremely self-assured vocals with the emphatic beats of R&B production wizards Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The duo was already well established in the music industry, but the practically flawless Control showcased Jam and Lewis’ true studio mastery. For the better part of two years, Janet remained on the pop chart, with two-thirds of the album’s tracks released as singles, including the ever-quotable “Nasty,” the assertive “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” the frenetically danceable “When I Think of You,” and the smooth, message-oriented ballad “Let’s Wait Awhile.” Jackson achieved long-awaited superstar status and never looked back. – Jason Thurston

Tracklist:

1. Janet Jackson – Control (05:52)
2. Janet Jackson – Nasty (04:02)
3. Janet Jackson – What Have You Done For Me Lately (04:58)
4. Janet Jackson – You Can Be Mine (05:14)
5. Janet Jackson – The Pleasure Principle (04:56)
6. Janet Jackson – When I Think Of You (03:56)
7. Janet Jackson – He Doesn’t Know I’m Alive (03:30)
8. Janet Jackson – Let’s Wait Awhile (04:35)
9. Janet Jackson – Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun) (04:27)

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