Rhythm Nation 1814

---

---

Editorial reviews

From Amazon.com
Picking up where the breakthrough funk-pop of Control left off, Janet Jackson and her production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis laced Rhythm Nation with high-minded references to societal ills--seldom the favored province of dance music, but a daring attempt nonetheless. Songs like "State of the World" and "The Knowledge" follow in the tradition of "free your mind and your ass will follow." Still, aside from the title track, it was the pure pop fare and dance music that stormed the charts: "Escapade," "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," "Alright," and "Come Back to Me" concentrate on the politics of personal relationships, not public policy, while "Black Cat" burns the place down with a fierce burst of hard rock. Rhythm Nation 1814 doesn't necessarily hang together thematically, but it's so chock full of hits, you scarcely notice. --Daniel Durchholz

---

Description
Little did you know that the American national anthem, "GodBless America", was written in 1814. Janet did, and she sets out in RHYTHM NATION to dish out a bit of "let's all work together for a better world and improve our way of life" type thing. This vein continues for a number of tracks, and admirable though it is, she sounds so much more convincing singing a good old-fashioned love song. The Jacksons were meant to dance, not to sermonise. That said, "Miss You Much", "Lonely" and "Come Back To Me:" are fabulous. Slick, sweet soul sung and played perfectly.

---

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-03-17 rating:
The lovely JJ really can sing!
Felt like writing a review of this one, after giving my copy a play last night. JJ's "1814" album is really worthwhile, successfully welding a "state-of-the-nation" social commentary and a good dance ethic.

JJ grooves her way through "Rhythm Nation", "State Of The World", "The Knowledge", and the irrepressible "Miss You Much" before slowing things down a touch on the tremendous "Love Will Never Do". (And is that Herb Alpert doing a trumpet intervention?) The poignant "Livin' In A World" closes out the original side one of the original LP.

Then it's a question of going back up through the gears for "Alright", "Escapade" and the rockier "Black Cat" before my favourite part of "JJRN 1814". That is the breathtaking sixteen and-a-half minute "suite" of slushy songs which bring the album to a close. It would be impossible to tire of the majestic trio of "Lonely", "Come Back To Me" and "Someday Is Tonight". The last, in particular, is quite divinely sensual, with its synthesiser interplay and muted trumpet solo. They form the absolutely PERFECT late-night listening experience. A whole-heartedly recommendable album.

PS. Shock horror. Just took a look at the inner sleeve of my vinyl copy of this one. One Herb Alpert is credited with the Tijuana brass on "Love Will Never Do" and the trumpet solo on "Someday Is Tonight". Almost enough to justify a total reappraisal of the Herb's middle-of-the-road career!

---

review by: janetfanatic date: 2005-03-29 rating:
An album that brings society together!!!!
Janets 1989 release Rhythm nation (her 4th ablum) is an emense big seller shifting 14 million copies, but is this shocking? Not likely the album speaks to a person in so many ways that its bound to sell loads. This album is almost for everyone ranging from different artistic styles like Rock to hardcore dance. Although the main concept of the album is social issues that surround modern day, the record does have more contempary songs about nights out and love. The highlights of the album have to be (in my opinion) are "The knowledge", which is a song encouraging the path of education and effective it is, very inspiring. "lonely" is the other choice as this song speaks to me the most, there have been many a times when i have felt alone and that the world is against me. Listening to this song almost feels like janet is speaking to me personally and i then dont feel quite so alone (duno y), which many songs never accomplish with me. I feel it a definate plus if an album or song touches you. All in all this album is worth the price payed One of janets finest hours most certainly.

---

review by: date: 2005-02-24 rating:
A thought provoking and an album way ahead of it's time.
This has got to be in my opinion one of the best albums ever made. Even after 15 years, the issues raised by Rhythm Nation are as true to life now as they were then.

So much research was done to bring the facts of real life to people's attention. The main songs you need to look out for are "Rhythm Nation", "State of the world", "The Knowledge" and the emotional "Living in a world they didn't make".
It was written at a time where talking about real life issues was the in thing.

One interesting aspect of Ryhthm Nation 1814 is the different musical styles in it. You have Rap, Hip Hop and oddly enough grunge rock, which you will find in the song "Black Cat".
There are also quotes in the album which also talk about the state of the world as it was then and still is.
My favourate quote comes at the very end of the album.
"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowedge and wisdom that separates us... Don't let your eyes deceive you"

---

review by: date: 2003-11-27 rating:
A MUST have!!!
Okay, so this was my favorite album for a long time and maybe the only cause for it not being my all-time favorite is that the slow songs are not that good. After listening to the tiring, always-repeating-itself love songs of other artists it is really good to listen songs that really have something to say. Social issues might have come up in rap songs, but in R'n'B it is something new and fresh - exactly the freshness that made the first three songs of "Control" so special.
The best songs IMO are Rhythm Nation, State of the World, Miss You Much, Love Will Never Do (an all-time favorite of mine), Escapade, Black Cat and Someday is Tonight.
The ballads are not as good as the upbeat songs, if you want beautiful Janet ballads, look for her next albums Janet, Velvet Rope & All For You.


review by: date: 2003-08-23 rating:
A ground-breaking, hit-packed, classic record
While I regard 1997's The Velvet Rope to be Janet Jackson's best album, I think that the time surrounding her first two breakthrough albums (Control and Rhythm Nation) of 1986 - 1991 to be the best era of her career. The singles released from these two albums were massive international No.1's and provided the backbone of Janet's career. In addition, they are also songs I grew up listening to and are, in my eyes, masterpieces.

On September 18th 1989, Janet Jackson released her second major album, "Rhythm Nation 1814." It was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated female record of the year, and it didn't disappoint. The album stormed to No.1 in the US, sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, spawned a record-breaking seven top five hit singles and won Janet eight American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and four Soul Train Awards! In short, this is a multi-platinum, double-dozen award winning, blockbuster of a masterpiece!

Rhythm Nation 1814 opens with the first of eight Interludes, "Pledge." This 47 second interlude begins with the tolling of a bell and the opening of a creaky door before Janet delivers her message, "We are a nation with no geographic boundaries, bound together through our beliefs. We are like-minded individuals, sharing a common vision, pushing toward a world rid of colour-lines." It's clear from this opening statement that Janet is in a very political state of mind. In fact, most of the album represents world peace and politics. Even the title of the album has a deeper meaning - 1814 was the year that Francis Scott wrote "Star Spangled Banner," while the first letter of Rhythm (R) is also the 18th letter of the alphabet, and the first letter of Nation (N) is the 14th. After this introduction, Janet counts down from 5 to 1, and we're on our way to the amazing title track. Songs follow such as "State Of The World" and "The Knowledge." These are two unreleased songs and are very good - both with the political message to make the effort to improve life and create a better world. We then get an interlude that lasts a mere 3 seconds in which Janet says, "Get the point? Good, let's dance!" And then we're off to the dance section. This instantly opens with the massive US No.1 single "Miss You Much." The beats hit hard on this fantastic dance/funk classic and its loved-up message. Janet's lyrics are good and her vocals are on top form here.

This is then followed up by another huge US No.1 hit, "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." Topping the US charts in 1990, the song is an original classic which I can listen to over and over without ever getting bored of - infact, it might well be my favourite Janet Jackson song ever. The beats are fresh and pounding and Janet's lyrics style is amazing. "Livin' In A World (They Didn't Make)" is one of the most excellent ballads of Janet's career and was influenced by a school shooting that occurred around the time that Janet was recording this album. A few song behind, Janet intended to close the political message of the album after The Knowledge, but it's as if she's remembered this song and placed it inbetween the care-free songs to make you remember what she's trying to say. The song has an excellent chorus and will genuinely scare you when you hear a child scream in pain after the shooting, before a news reporter gives details...

We then pick up the fun vibe with the amazing "Alright." Released as a single, this is a pure slice of hardcore dance soul with its hard beats and brilliant vocals from Janet. The song runs at more than six minutes, so it gives you a chance to really get into the mood of the song, especially with the instrumental towards the end. "Escapade" was another one of four US No.1 singles from this album, and is one of the very few songs to receive a special awards for more than 1 million radio plays in America alone. The song is another definite highlight of this album, and of Janet's career. "Black Cat" showcases a Janet that we were shocked to first see, and have never seen since. This is a full out rock anthem with its hardcore guitar solo and Janet's raucous vocals. It was also another No.1 for the superstar. We now get to the ballads section of the album.

"Lonely" is a fantastic slice of ballad pop perfection with a perfect Eastern chime that adds a theme of ambiguity to the message of the song, and the meaning behind Janet's lyrics. "Come Back To Me" was another big hit for Janet, and is a perfect love song that showcases her talents as a sensuous balladeer. The song is my favourite Janet ballad ever and always makes me feel relaxed. The final song on this album is "Someday Is Tonight," a sexy ballad about two lovers. With "Control," Janet was declaring her will to preserve her virginity on "Let's Wait Awhile," but with this follow-up album, Janet's finally ready to commit herself. The album closes with the final interlude of the album, "Livin'...In Complete Darkness." She declares, "In complete darkness we are all the same. It is only our knowledge and wisdom that seperate us. Don't let your eyes deceive you." And with that, the album closes with the tolling of the bell, leaving you feeling somewhat different about the world.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Rhythm Nation is very much a concept album and basically made Janet a huge star. It's this wisdom and knowledge that influenced the way she made her music videos, too - which in turn revitalised the music industry and became a huge source of influence for many other artists. From the many 'Jackson Family' albums we've seen over the past three decades, Michael has had the biggest impact obviously. His sales run into the hundreds of millions, but Janet has always been there rivalling him. Im my eyes, "Rhythm Nation 1814" is better than any Michael Jackson album, with the exception of "Dangerous." This Janet album is a classic, hit-packed, thought-provoking, amazing blockbuster of a record, and your collection isn't complete without it.

---

Similar products

Control
Janet.
The Velvet Rope
All for You
20 Y.O.

---

Similar categories

Music . Styles . Dance & Electronic . Bestsellers
Music . Styles . Pop . Bestsellers
Music . Styles . Pop . Pop R&B
Music . Styles . Pop . General AAS
Music . Styles . Adult Contemporary . Bestsellers
Music . Styles . Adult Contemporary . Pop R&B
Music . Styles . Adult Contemporary . General AAS
Music . Styles . R&B and Soul . Bestsellers
Music . Styles . R&B and Soul . Pop R&B
Music . Styles . R&B and Soul . Soul
Music . Styles . R&B and Soul . General AAS
Music . Styles . R&B and Soul . Urban
Music . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . CD . CD Album
Music . Refinements . Imports (location_browse-bin) . Imports

---