Janet Jackson, Control (1985)
I watched our video-taped copies of The Young Ones so many times as a kid that I can remember the ads we’d fast-forward through, Fruju ice-blocks and Trumpets, and an ad for Janet Jackson’s album, Control. That ad sold me on the album – made me want to have it in my collection. But I never did. I never bought the tape. I’m really not sure where this LP copy came from – a $1-$2 bin I should think – and I always thought it was almost unplayable but I snuck it out in the crate last year and played What Have You Done For Me Lately at a bar. And it went down well. Took the record home to play the whole thing – it’s great. Really great. Brings back memories. Those Jam & Lewis productions, man they’re smart! And loads of damn-good pop songs. No shame in having this. Went to Janet Jackson’s gig in Wellington in the late 1990s. Took a friend along who was a huge fan, owed him some money so I bought him a ticket and one for me too, tagged along for the ride. Bloody good show you know.

Sample Track: The Pleasure Principle

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown