This was THE album of my teenage years.
583463
Very few albums have come along in my life that had such a profound meaning to me that I've kept them playing on my CD player for years.  Now, at 28, I still associate the distinct declaration of independence, the fierce, danceable sound, and utter amazement that this album brought.
At 13, I was just discovering music and finding music that not only sounded good, but meant something to me.  CONTROL, for many reasons, has had that lasting impact that so many of today's artists/albums are unable to achieve.  Sure, the music is fun, and danceable, and is engineered to hit that perfect mix of pop and r&b, but Janet did it all so effortlessly - she sang from the heart and meant business.
CONTROL was one of the first true multimedia projects - the singles, the remixes, the videos, the image - everything reinforced and supported what was always the most important piece - Janet and her music.
I'll never forget seeing her on the Grammy awards in 1987 (she lost to Paul Simon, but gave an incredible performance) and realizing that I was not the only person so amazingly influenced by her work.  She's gone on to an incredible, successful and infinitely creative career, but CONTROL will always be the beginning, and I'm glad I was there at the time.
If you don't have the album, you won't understand - so buy it and give it a listen.
4621556
I remember when I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit and what like oh Sh*t there's the end of the hair bands. If  you're not ripping this in flac or raw format you're really doing yourself injustice.
1985765
I love these songs they bring back memories of when I was a teenager they where the best years of my life
1065448
This is a album I came accessed as a kid and I could not find a copy of it for years, but because of technology & Amazon I was finally able to fond it. Thank you
4491283
I went on a nostalgia trip and this was a stop on the road. Sounds the same now as it did when I was a totally different person as a teenager. It's like looking at a photo album from your past with your ears.
322002
Heard it when I was 13 and experienced my first aural "trip". I am now 42, and I still love this band, even their early, somewhat jagged and more experimental work. But unlike the early stuff which has to grow on you (and then it won't let you go), 12 Dreams grabs you the instant you hear it. Both catchy and deep; a rare combination.
OK, so who cares what an old goat thinks? Well, my 16 year old son, Mr. Radiohead-I'm-Too-Cool-For-That-Old-Crap happened to hear me play it and went ape... He played it for some friends of his and now half his high school is grooving to this 30 year old music. Just awesome, and yes, a perfect headphone album.
48940
Remember this album from my teen years. enjoyed listening to it again. looks of good songs and i remembered some of the words.
4642951
I found this at a cut-out bin in the grocery store in about 1972 (remember those? They'd cut one corner of the LP album cover and mark it way down?) and bought it because I liked the cover art & name. It ended up being one of my favorite albums when I was a teenager. The song "If it is Love" is still a favorite of mine, and almost every title is great. I'm so glad to find this album again. There's something mesmerizing and very pleasant about their sound. The earlier album by this group is nothing like this (I don't like it), but this one is a winner! :)
961508
If I had to pick one album to listen to for the rest of my life. Here it is.
2035422
I was so happy to have found this item it brought back my teen years and all the wonderful songs. It took me back I love it.
4934602
I remember buying the "Ram" LP with my lunch money on a cold, drizzly day when I was in high school. I think I had cut my last couple of classes so I could walk to the store to buy the record and arrive home about the time school would normally be out. I played it over and over again that first day. "Too Many People", "Smile Away", and "Monkberry Moon Delight" were instant favorites because they rocked so hard and Paul went over the top on his vocals. The songs were varied and the music so catchy I couldn't hear it enough. All these years later "Ram" is still a favorite. It's fun, it's weird, it's everything a depressed teenager could have hoped for on a rainy day. From the bluesy "Three Legs", to the acoustic, scat punctuated "Heart of the Country", to the rollicking "Eat at Home" and finally to the lovely, "Backseat of My Car" it was, and is, a delight. It's what rock 'n' roll had ceased to be--a damn good time.
4170007
When I find an album that I love AND my 17 and 13 year old kids love, it's a winner!
3116017
I'm a leading edge boomer and miss 1970, when I could walk into a good record store and pick almost randomly from the impulse display and acquire a gem album.  Now I look for throwback albums that deliver quality throughout; this is one of them.  It contains catchy songs and numbers with deeper hooks.  This album reveals inner musings of a tweener/early adolescent girl expressed in a mature, adroit, way.  It sounds good, and different, and reflects a deep intelligence.
2588493
This set of music brings me back to my teen years & still resonate a feel of passionate yet soulful moods.
1108760
This was my first boy band album. I was about 14 years old and since then i never stop listening to them. My fav song on the album is "don't wanna lose you now" at the time I was going through my parents separation/divorce which killed me on the inside. And as a kid I wanted to do things to end it all but I learn to turn to music and writing. After all these years I still listen to that song because it best describe what i was going through during those days. Every day I kept it in my cd player on repeat. But now the cd crack into millions of pieces because i was trying to burn it.but over all i like the album.
3965145
It is good times and fun. I'm surprised that they were able to get the feel of the old Monkees discs. I don't enjoy it as much as the old albums, but then , I'll never be a teenager again.
249320
Back in the 1960s one day, I'm relaxing in the college library and find this 10-year-old LP in the stacks. Like many of my generation, I loved folk music and thought I'd give it a try.

I didn't speak Spanish (still don't, but intend to learn in my retirement, now that I live in San Antonio). That was no hurdle at all, with the printed lyrics and their translation letting me follow along.

Some songs almost made me weep.

All the songs are by a blind cafe singer, Alfonso Cruz Jiminez, accompanied only by his (excellent) guitar and occasionally his wife.

The memory of that album stayed with me for almost fifty years.

Then one day a few months ago, the album came to mind again. A few minutes online let me find it. (At the Smithsonian website, but buying it here at Amazon should be just as good.)

Playing the CD, I was taken back in time to that 18-year-old kid who could get so excited so easily so often.

But I'm confident saying this album will enchant those of any age who love good music.

I feel honored to be the first (maybe ultimately the only) to review and recommend this album. Who will know to look for it?

But it's my feeble way of returning the love, the thrill I got those many years ago.