Control: The Remixes

by Jose Promis Janet Jackson's Control: The Remixes includes remixes of all six hits from her 1986 album Control. The album opens with the "live" video version of the title track, followed by a dance remix of the album's only number one stateside single, "When I Think of You." The dance mix is almost identical to the video version, which is a beefed-up remix of the album version and was unavailable as a single. Unfortunately, there are so many "breaks" toward the end of the dance mix that the song's flow is completely disrupted. One wishes they would have simply left the video version intact and included it in its entirety for this album. An extended mix of the first single, "What Have You Done for Me Lately," is included, as is the single remix of "Let's Wait Awhile," which has quite a bit more muscle than the original album version, and that single mix was, thankfully, left intact. Two extended remixes of "Nasty" are included, as are two remixes of "The Pleasure Principle," which was also remixed for its video. Neither version on this album is identical to the superior, definitive video version, but track three comes close enough (track eight is a dub mix). This album is fun for Janet fans and collectors -- for the casual fan it may be more of annoyance than anything, since some of the remixes are a little nerve-racking and at times sound somewhat dated.