Janet Jackson Album: “From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos [Amaray]”

Okay, first the good. It's nice to have a more complete collection of Janet's Virgin Records videos, with 4 more than on the Limited Edition All For You DVD that came out in 2001. It's nice to get the remix video of Someone to Call My Lover. The extras of the live performances are sweet. It's also cool to have the videos mixed in 5.1 surround sound while still retaining the option for Dolby 2.0. The not so good: they left out the video for "Just a Little While" and substituted it for a taped performance of the song and it's kind of bland. Also, despite what I had heard in advance, there is no video for "R&B Junkie". Compared to the prior DVD, the image quality isn't that sharp but instead more fuzzy and indistinct. I watched "All for You" on both to compare. I also miss the video jukebox feature of the prior DVD because here you can't make a playlist of the videos you want to see. I also wish they could have included more videos that are out there like the black and white version of You Want This and the Blackstreet version of I Get Lonely, etc. Still, this is a pretty good collection for anyone who doesn't own the special edition DVD and a must have for any serious Janet fan!

In the album "All For You", Janet made more music videos, and I know that, because I own them on mpeg... There's a video for "Doesn't Really Matter", and also, I truly hate the version of "Someone To Call My Lover" they included. In the Damita Jo section, the live performance of Just A Little while didn't really look like a live performance... where is the public? and she doesn't even sing, plus, the song is cut in over 1 minute! That so called "live performance" can be everything but a real live performance. I agree with a guy here who said he hated the silly music before the videos. I really don't like that either.

But, there's a but, I liked a lot those performances included as bonus features... The All Nite Don't Stop performance in that kind of mall is really, really good, and the MuchMoreMusic performances are really good and exciting, I have to say. When I watched them for the very first time, I really kind of felt the good vibes there... It is a good compilation, but it could have been much better.

OK, Most people are asking where her stuff is from her Rhythm Nation days, so my answer is: Design Of A Decade DVD. This is like, Part 2 to it.

The videos on the "Decade" DVD are: What Have You Done For Me Lately, Nasty, When I Think Of You, Control, Let's Wait Awhile, The Pleasure Principle, Miss You Much, Rhythm Nation, Escapade, Alright, Come Back To Me, Black Cat, Love Will Never Do (Without You), That's The Way Love Goes, Whoops Now, and Runaway - basically the same tracks as the "Design" CD. There is only one special feature on the DVD, which is The Runaway Documentary, which shows you how they made the Runaway video. There is only one video missing - Twenty Foreplay.

From janet. to Damita Jo starts off where "Design" left off. The videos on this DVD are: That's The Way Love Goes, If, Again, Because Of Love, Any Time Any Place, You Want This, Got 'Til It's Gone, Together Again, I Get Lonely, Go Deep, You, Every Time, Together Again (Deeper Remix), All For You, Someone To Call My Lover (So So Def Remix Feat. JD), Son Of A Gun (Feat. Missy Elliott), I Want You, All Nite (Don't Stop), and Just A Little While (Live UK-TV Performance). There's a couple live performances, 2 interviews, and a photo gallery. So what's wrong with it? Twenty Foreplay is still nowhere to be found, and Doesn't Really Matter is not included in From janet. to Damita Jo. Also, it should have included the actual video for Just A Little While, and it should have been the regular version of Someone To Call My Lover, and since they included Together Again (Deeper Remix), they should have included I Get Lonely (BLACKstreet Remix). Also, it would have been cool to see Carly Simon in the Son Of A Gun video.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great collection, but there should have been some changes made before it was released. All of her videos have been released before, in DVDs and VHSs like Control: The Videos - Pt. 1, Control: The Videos - Pt. 2, The Rhythm Nation Compilation, and janet. (Because Of Love is missing from janet., but janet. included alternate versions of its videos). However videos from "Design Of A Decade" (Runaway and Twenty Foreplay), "The Velvet Rope" (Got 'Til It's Gone, Together Again, I Get Lonely, Go Deep, You, Every Time, Together Again - Deeper Remix), "All For You" (All For You, Someone To Call My Lover - So So Def Remix Feat. JD, Son Of A Gun - Feat. Missy Elliott), and "Damita Jo" (I Want You, All Nite - Don't Stop, Just A Little While - Live UK_TV Performance) are nowhere else to be found except the Design Of A Decade and From janet. to Damita Jo DVDs.

GREAT COLLECTIONS!!!!

I have mostly good things to say about this DVD compilation, it gives us the best of Miss Jackson during her years on Virgin Records. I have heard alot of complaints about this DVD for the simple fact that it didn't contain the videos for "Twenty Foreplay (which is still unavailable on DVD)courtesy of A&M Records" & "Doesn't Really Matter courtesy of Def Jam Recordings", my guess is Virgin didn't want to pay for the clearance of these videos. As for the DVD itself I have never seen images so clear and heard sound so good, especially when on the 5.1 mode (you hear Janet & her music like you've never heard it before)great job on the new mix!!. It's always nice to see classics like ..."If. , Again, Got til it's Gone and Son of a Gun" just to name a few. My only complaint about the DVD is the fact that the original version of "Someone to call my Lover" was booted for the remix with J.D (coincidence mmmmm I think not), The 2004 Megamix" was excluded & the photo gallery was a disappointment. I guess I can't complain too much considering the bonus performances. Janet is still in Control!!

A love having DVD video collections of my favorite artist. I have some great ones from Britney, Madonna, and Mariah. Now I can add Janet to that list. She has some really great videos. Though there are some misses on this dvd collection. This dvd has videos from her four albums of the 90s to 00s; Janet, Velvet Rope, All For You, and Damita Jo. Though there are some great videos that showcase her dancing ("if", "All Nite(Don't Stop")her looks ("Everytime") they all have something special, sort of. I think it was a HUGE mistake to put the so-so def remix of "Someone To Call My Lover" and not the original mix. I also prefer the P.Diddy remix of "Son Of A Gun", but that is still a great video. Two videos that dont deserve the space here is the "You" video which is basically a concert video (I hate those) and the "Becuase of Love" video which is horribly dated and cheesy, also somewhat of a concert video. But of course the great moments outnumber the bad, the beauty of "everytime" the sexiness of "All Nite" the Coolness of "If" the sweetness of "again" and more.

Highlights:

Son Of A Gun

Every Time

I Get Lonely

If

Thats The Way Love Goes

All For You

All Nite(Dont Stop)( its so scandalous)