Overall score:- 10/10

The two new songs from this album soon became singles and "Runaway" being a Top 10 hit in the UK, whilst a Top 5 hit in the US. "That's The Way Love Goes" is Janet's biggest single from this album as it saw itself in at #2 in the UK (Janet's biggest UK Charting single) and it spent eight weeks at the top of the US Charts. "Design Of A Decade" was a #2 album in the UK. The singles came from the albums (all #1s in the US) "Control" (UK #8), "Rhythm Nation 1814" (UK #4), "Janet" (UK #1), also Janet's only #1 album in the UK and "The Best Things In Life Are Free" was new to this album. Obmissions include: "Again", "You Want This", "Any Time, Any Place" and "If". Possibly, "What'll I Do" and "Throb" are also obmissions. Overall though, a very good first decade for Janet, enough to make me buy this album. Pick it up now!


Rhythm Icon   May 9, 2004
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Design of a Decade: 1986-1996 is a misleading title. The bulk of Janet Jackson's greatest-hits collection concentrates on Control and Rhythm Nation 1814, simply by contractual necessity. That is far from a fatal flaw. The hits from those two albums were state-of-the-art dance-pop productions at the time of their release, filled with bottomless beats and memorable, catchy hooks. None of the songs has lost any of its impact, from the funk of "Miss You Much" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately," to the ballads "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Come Back to Me." In addition to all 13 Top 40 hits from Control and Rhythm Nation - all but one went into the Top Five - Design of a Decade includes the biggest and best hit from janet., the sultry "That's the Way Love Goes," and two new songs, "Runaway" and "Twenty Foreplay." It's a credit to Janet that the two new numbers feel like genuine hits, not tacked-on filler, and help make the album a compulsively listenable greatest-hits collection.


Should include more songs   November 27, 2003
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Janet, if you released a "best of" album in the same year your brother did, at least you should have made it a double album just like his. :) I think a "best of" album should include songs from all of the artist's previous albums. Her first two albums were completely (and the fifth was almost completely) ignored when she recorded "Design of a Decade", although there were pretty good songs on those albums. I also miss "Scream", the duet with her brother, it is really a cool song.
After the self-consciousness and freedom expressed by "Control", the social sensibility of "Rhythm Nation 1814" and the sexy spirit of "janet." this album seems like "a little bit of this, a little bit of that". But "Design of a Decade" is still worth buying, not only because the two bonus songs "Runaway" and "Twenty Foreplay", and the duet with Luther Vandross, "Best Things In Life Are Free" (this is the only Janet album which includes this song) but also because all the songs are slightly different versions than the ones on "Control" and "Rhythm Nation 1814" - most of them were only shortened, but "Alright", "Black Cat" and "Come Back To Me" were also remixed, and they're cool. Also includes a booklet in which you can learn more about the beginning of Janet's career.


The perfect collection for Janet's massive hits!   March 29, 2003
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Janet Jackson's career over the past 20 years has been one of the most creative and interesting by any music artist. The release of her first two majorly successful records "Control" and "Rhythm Nation: 1814" in 1986 and 1989 respectively brought hit after hit in the US - with many No.1's, award wins and record-breaking sales. There was a time, although brief, when Janet was easily more successful than her much more famous brother, Michael. And so came "Design Of A Decade" in 1995. This greatest hits type collection boasts a wide range of hit singles that defined US pop culture and set new trends for the way music was made. The collection charts Janet's rebellious years (Control), her political thinking years (Rhythm Nation) and her all out sexual exploration years (Janet). I don't know what's going on with the tracklisting on Amazon.co.uk, however; all the songs are in the wrong order!

Design Of A Decade begins with the 'new' song "Runaway." The song was one of two new songs on the record at the time, and is very fresh and upbeat. We are then treated to three undeniable classics, all from the "Control" album. These are "What Have You Done For Me Lately," "Nasty" and "When I Think Of You." All three songs have the trademark Janet beats, the funky and hard-hitting ones that really are nasty! The vocal arrangements are brilliant, and are perhaps the three songs which define what Janet Jackson's entire musical exploration is about - happy times, love, girl power, funk and strong opinions. "Escapade" and "Miss You Much" are the next two songs, both of which were taken from the Rhythm Nation album - and both of which were massive US No.1's for Janet in March 1990 and September 1989 respectively! I absolutely adore both songs, and they are both definitely up there in my Top 10 for Janet's best songs ever. The former has a great upbeat mood, with lively and perky beats, while the latter has one of the most addictive and funky basslines ever with some great lyrics. "Whoops Now" is one of only two songs taken from Janet's self-titled third album, "Janet." The song is not really one of favourites because it seems too poppy for Janet's style, but then again it was a massive hit all over Europe.

The next two songs, "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" and "Alright," are another two smash hits that were taken from the Rhythm Nation album. The former is my all time favourite Janet Jackson song, which was a massive US No.1 in October 1990 and who could forget the multi-award winning video in which Janet, for the first time, wore close to nothing looking stunning in her black top and jeans? The latter is another superb song, but suffers a bit in the verses where Janet's vocals are not very clear. The final minute, however, is like a sledgehammer to the soul! That instrumental is absolutely classic. "The Best Things In Life Are Free" was Janet's biggest hit to date when it peaked at No.2 in the UK in August 1992. The song features Luther Vandross and is just a typical upbeat pop anthem. Another two hits from the Control album follow in the form of the classics "Control" and "The Pleasure Principle." Both songs have brilliant beats and contain the message of independence that Janet has become famous for in the early years of her career. Both videos feature amazing choreography and won many awards. Yet another two massive hits from the Rhythm Nation album follow with "Black Cat" and "Rhythm Nation." The former was the second single from the album of the same name, and won the award for Best Choreography In A Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1990. The song has an amazing bassline and is a song about world politics. The latter was another big US No.1 for Janet in September 1990, and shows Janet at her most rockiest - something that would've been unthinkable a few years before.

Like with all Janet albums, the ballads are left until the very end. "That's The Way Love Goes" is the second of only two songs on this greatest hits collection to be taken from the "Janet" album. The song is officially Janet's biggest hit and topped the US chart for 8 weeks in May 1993. The song is a true classic, and easily one of the best R'n'B ballads of the past ten years. Many people have complained that this album didn't feature enough songs from the "Janet" album, and I have to agree. Where are amazing songs such as "Again," "Any Time, Any Place" and "If?" All three could've been added to make this collection even better. "Come Back To Me" is another song from the Rhythm Nation album, and my favourite Janet ballad ever. The song has such an epic feeling to it, with an excellent sweeping beat. The lyrics are great and the song is just perfect to chill to. "Let's Wait Awhile" was taken from the Control album and peaked at No.3 in the UK in March 1987. The ballad is good, but not one of my favourites. Design Of A Decade closes with another new (at the time of this album's release) song in the shape of "Twenty Foreplay." The song is just not very good and is a rather disappointing end to such an excellent hits collection.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

All in all, any Janet Jackson fan will need Design Of A Decade in their collection. Most of these songs are true classics and the two new songs at the beginning and end of the album serve as great bookends to this collection. On the inlay of the record, we get a full interview, and a double-page on all the awards Janet has won for just her first three albums. And believe me, she's won tons!