so i get the RN1814 laserdisc off of ebay for $5...and i haven't seen it in like 15 years...it still rocks! sure the acting is a little cheesy and there's just a few too many rat-tails and biker shorts for my taste, but the whole premise still holds up pretty well. i'm planning on burning this to dvd this week, since it's not available in this form on dvd yet (the videos are though)
of note:

1. the quick cameos of then unknown VIVICA FOX in the Black Cat club scene

2. Tyrin Turner (who went on to star in the classic Menace II Society)

3. Josh Miller--half brother of Jason Patric

LOL part--
the choreographer notes how janet doesn't show try to show her sensual side in her dancing, like other artists do

that has to be one of the worst album covers of all time...i remember being so dissapointed after the classic Control cover.

sosgemini said:

sosgemini said:

For real? I think Control looks cheap and dated compared to this. I think it's one of her better ones.

GangstaFam said:

Except for The Velvet Rope, I think most of Janet's album covers have been pretty mediocre. Control is really dated, but I think it's much more interesting than 1814's boring cover. Thankfully, the music on Rhythm Nation more than makes up for the uninspired package.

sosgemini said:

No way!! RN is Janet's second best album cover ever! Back in the days, I used to love seeing Janet in a leadership role. She looked so dead-ass serious with the all black uniform and the key chain earrings.

BTW, the janet. album cover is THE best one ever, IMO.
[Edited 7/18/06 19:21pm]

Axchi696 said:

Velvet Rope is just a bunch of pretty colors and hair. I like it, but I think that one's kinda boring.

I think RN and janet. are her most appealing.

GangstaFam said:

Somehow Velvet Rope's cover really represents the contents of the album to me. I totally get the attitude of the album through the cover. It's kind of like Ray of Light in that regard. You can just look at the cover and know what the album is going to be about. Like where Ray of Light is bright and open, Velvet Rope just looks dark and depressing.

I think her most "appealing" album cover would probably be janet.remixed, though .

Anyway, back to the topic at hand...

I think that the longform video for the album was cheesy, but the videos themselves were fire. From 'Miss You Much' to 'Love Will Never Do', I really think Janet put together a set of amazing videos behind this album. To me, this whole period was her zenith. Janet was on top of her game here.

Y'all are on crack if you think the album cover of Rhythm Nation 1814 is bad. It's iconic.

The entire mood of the album.....


[Edited 7/18/06 19:30pm]

Picked up the CD/DVD of Rhythm Nation a few years back, and I think that the cover there is MUCH better than the one on the regular album:

Axchi696 said:

The Love Will Never Do (Without You) single cover....

A lot of great pics from that shoot.

Axchi696 said:

It's a great image for sure, but it doesn't capture the tone of the album.

VoicesCarry said:

This and the European cover for 'Alright' are probably her only decent single covers up until the janet. era. They were all so ugly (Escapade, Black Cat) or used the same freakin' picture (the Control singles except for Pleasure Principle).





these two,though

Axchi696 said:

I had a poster like that. I wonder what ever happened to it.

GangstaFam said:

Didn't Zack Morris have a poster like that in Saved By the Bell?

Axchi696 said:

I'm glad to be able to say with full confidence that I have absolutely no idea.

Axchi696 said:

I quite like these:







Call me a fam!

Moonbeam said:

They're suitable enough. They fit the theme.

As great as the album is and as influential as the videos are, y'all would rather dog out the album cover?

meltwithu said:

First of all - glad to know I'm not the only laserdisc owner in 2006.

You've got a good eye. Josh Miller was also in Near Dark, one of my fave horror films of that era. Yeah, he's Jason Patric's half brother, but he's better known to me as the son of Jason Miller. He played Father Karras in The Exorcist, and won a Pulitzer Prize as a playwright. I never caught Vivica Fox in it. I'll have to watch it again sometime.

GangstaFam said:

I may have just dated myself a little bit there.

Axchi696 said:

My brother was a big fan. So I've seen enough of the show. But details like that escape me.

GangstaFam said:

They're not awful by any stretch of the imagination, but I just don't really find most of them visually appealing.

They're still better than the Control covers where they would just use and re-use the album cover ad naseum.

TotalAlisa said:

If I'm not mistaken, I remember Michael saying in an interview that he knew Janet was going to go with a military theme for her next project, so he cleared the idea with her first.

I like the lovely cover for "That's The Way Love Goes" :




And the "RN" short film? The choreography kicks ass to this day but everything else is kind of meh.

EDIT: Or is it really "long film"? Whatever.
[Edited 7/18/06 20:08pm]

RipHer2Shreds said:

please i dont even like how you said i hated mariah the most.. when i dont... you dont even know what your talking about..... i think she can be annoying at times.. but i think she is a sweet heart.... anyways... micheal was going to do miliary first but she asked if she could copy....
[Edited 7/18/06 20:10pm]

TotalAlisa said:

Seriously, would you shut the fuck up and stick to the topic? Who the hell's talking about Mariah? You're really beginning to irritate me, and it takes a lot.

RipHer2Shreds said:

i read that thread about orgers who hate certain artist... and i saw YOU HAD MY NAME IN YOUR POST... you are stalking me and my post... you need to leave me alone... dont even reply to any of my post... so yes i called you out on this thread because i wanted you to see what i wrote....