#315Albums is a list of 315 albums that appear on both the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, as well as the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book, edited by Robert Dimery. At its best, it is a representation of some of the greatest music ever released; at its worst, it is a journey through the history of music that the majority see as important, influential, and/or relevant. If nothing else, these albums are worth experiencing at least once to get a better understanding of music, which is why we are working to complete all #315Albums.
No. 017
“It’s an old turnaround, but bracketing the record between politics and erotics places Jackson firmly in control of the two hottest topics in the nation, rhythmic or otherwise.”
Artist: Janet Jackson
Album: Rhythm Nation 1814
Released: 1989
Label: A&M
Rolling Stones Ranking: 277
I love the music of Michael Jackson, but have not spent a lot of time with Janet Jackson’s discography. Sure, I know the hits, but that is about it. Rhythm Nation 1814 is a politically driven album with instrumentals that could be straight from a Michael Jackson album, but the lyrics are a lot more poignant and demanding, in a positive way. Honestly, most of this album was forgettable, outside of the lyrics, but there are two songs that really snapped me to attention and made me listen. The first was “Black Cat”, which has guitar riffs at the start that are unlike anything else on the album. They are attention-grabbing, and the whole song is fantastic. The other memorable song is the one that follows this, “Lonely”. This is much more in line with the rest of the album, but its haunting melody really grabbed me. I loved these two songs, and liked the rest of the album. I would still take Michael over Janet any day of the week, based on this album alone.
Cinefessions’ #315Albums Rating: 62%
Image and quote courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.
