This song is at once simple yet one of the most sophisticated takes on funk or the Minneapolis sound ever. It went way over peoples head in 87 and sounds as sharp and ahead of its time now as it did then.
The is not anything like the Jam and Lewis sound, its more of the 86-87 Prince avant-guard sound. Jam and Lewis were never known for sophistication much less avant-guard.
This track was co-produced by David Z who also worked with Prince at the time, most notably on "Kiss" which it shares some of the same sophisticated avant-guard funk flourishes.

This video predates JJ's b/w RN vids.
[Edited 2/14/10 20:17pm]

VoicesCarry said:

I liked Janet much more than i did Jody and i also only dug 3 of Jody's
albums but to say she copied Janet's style is ridiculous. Her sound was
totally different than Janet's. As far as dancing,Janet just happened
to come first with music videos. Jody had been dancing since Janet was
in elementary school.

Jody is STILL delicious!

Love this song and video. I noticed near the 2 minute mark of the video is the same dance routine MJ used in his "In the Closet" video.

Jody's debut album had more funk in its pep than Control did. Still great albums tho.

VoicesCarry

Timmy84 said:

Tough call

Liars.

Timmy84 said:

More funk in it's pep? idk "Control" was the time where Jam & Lewis perfected their golden touch lol They started it with S.O.S Band and Change, worked on it thru Alexander O'Neal, Human League, and Cherelle but when they got with Janet they got it just right lol

midiscover said:

I'm a massive Janet fan, as you know, but I have to be real about this. At the time Jody was signed, she was a more established success than Janet, having had a significant career with Shalamar. Janet hadn't started anything.

Jody and Andre had a longtime romantic relationship and they eventually married (and divorced).

Jody's music sounds nothing like Janet, her look was distinctly her own (Janet has never courted high fashion the way Jody did), and her videos were unique.

What happened to Jody's career is what happens to 95% of acts - people lose interest after a few albums. Beyonce doesn't hold Janet's place in the industry; she's just one of the few to be able to sustain a significant career, for whatever reason.
[Edited 2/14/10 11:05am]

diamondpearl1 said:

Yes, overall there are stronger funk influences on Jody's debut than on Control. The guitar solo on Still a Thrill is probably one of the funkiest of its kind.

phunkdaddy said:

Yes, and their dancing styles were completely different. Jody was a Soul Train dancer, of course, much better able to freestyle at the time - and a lot of her routines were based on that.

VoicesCarry said:

Janet hadn't started anything? From age 9-16 she'd been on Good Times, Fame, Diff'rent Strokes and the Jackson's Vegas Revue on CBS. Her third album broke records like Michael's Thriller while Jody's 1st album came out a year AFTER that
[Edited 2/14/10 11:17am]

diamondpearl1 said:

I was referring to Control, of course.

The point is that Janet was not an established entity when Jody was signed - Control was released in February 1986 and did not peak until July of that year. The album and its singles were not serving as an inspiration for Jody's signing or as a blueprint for Jody's creative process.
[Edited 2/14/10 11:19am]

VoicesCarry said:

Janet was already do something at age 7. She wasn't do nothing. When Jody was signed Janet was like 11 on Good Times.... I think. Besides I'm talking about Jody as a solo act. When she made her debut as a solo act she was trying to be like Janet. You can't honestly hear the similarties? Even critics pointed out the similarties! Her style was not her own. It was like a cross between Janet and Madonna! Her videos - unique? Ch...

midiscover said:

So was I. Please see my post above.



Yes, her style was her own and her videos were unique. Can you please tell me which video from Control looked like Still a Thrill? Most of All?

VoicesCarry said:

I think they were. Acting and music involve a lot of improvistation and being able to juggle different ranges of emotion and feeling, and Janet's albums like Michael both conceptually and musically are somethin like audio theatre.

diamondpearl1 said:

People were not being influenced by Janet on Good Times. She was just another kid on TV then.

trueiopian said:

You are WAY off there, trueiopian. You really sound like you're coming from a biased/pro-Janet POV. Jody had been working on her album since well before Janet released Control. And as several have said, Jody's/Andre's sound was not the same as the Jam/Lewis sound. I'm a fan of both artists, but I DEFINITELY give Jody the props that she deserves. She was VERY unique in her style. She was no more formula than Janet was at that time -- in that they were both using some form of the Minneapolis sound. BUT I definitely agree with an early poster on her... Andre's/Jody's sound was quite a bit different than the Jam/Lewis/Janet sound. If MCA used the Janet explosion as a marketing tool, so what? Doesn't make Jody's album a ripoff by any means (especially being months apart in release). Record companies will use whatever ways possible to get people to buy the stuff. I'm not fond of these tactics, but that doesn't mean the artists behind the push aren't talented. Nah... Jody deserved the best new artist award she received.

VoicesCarry said:

He/she is talking about Janet from the Control era.

Her style wasn't her own nor were her videos. It was very Janet.

midiscover said:

Again, please tell me which of Jody's looks and videos copied Janet's Control-era style.

Because I'm not seeing it. Janet didn't even touch the black-and-white industrial theme until Rhythm Nation, but there it is in Still a Thrill.
[Edited 2/14/10 11:31am]

VoicesCarry said:

Well,while the videos may not have copied each other blatantly, but bein that both thier sounds were all born in Minneapolis, they're damn near family. lol See on the rock/pop side,Madonna raised the stakes and set the standards while Janet was and still is the standard that all r&b/pop/dance divas who came after her were/are compared to..... Just ask Ciara lol
[Edited 2/14/10 11:52am]

diamondpearl1 said:

Yeah, so they both used producers from Minneapolis - so? Their sounds were different, although more than anything directly related to Prince, whose influence really dominated the 80's.

At the time, she wasn't the standard. Janet became the standard after she achieved consistent success. For all labels knew in 1986, she could have been a one-album wonder. Now, 25 years later, her career is considered the standard and she has many obvious imitators.

It's funny but around the time Jody and Janet released their albums, people were thinking their careers wouldn't last but their subsequent albums kept them from being flukes, Janet's more so as time went on.

I still remember all the radio stations and listeners thinking "Don't You Want Me" was a new Janet track...so, there's enough similarities there to confuse the general public.

sosgemini said:

For some reason I could distinguish the two. I'm a Janet fan I would've known if it was Janet or not. Ironically enough on Kanye's longer version of "Slow Jamz", there's some female singer who obviously sounds like Janet (I thought it was her initially) but I don't think it is now lol

But I knew "Don't You Want Me" was a Jody song anyways.

Timmy84 said:

Yeah, I think it's probably the same as average radio listeners confusing Pink and Lady GaGa today - it has happened, even though you wonder why.

And whoever cast that male dancer in this video deserves to be shot.

sosgemini said:

Jody was probably his hag

Jody so fresh even today. Sexy!