Album Information
La Toya was the first album Jackson released since terminating father Joe Jackson as her manager and signing with a new label, RCA. Jackson's musical goal was to evolve her teen pop sound to something more substantial. "I know what I wanted to do, I always wanted a street sound. Michael kept saying 'Do it, move away, do your own sound.' That's why I moved to New York, to stop living in a fantasy world, get out of my sheltered life. As far as I'm concerned, it's my first album."
To help develop her sound Jackson recruited British producers Stock Aitken Waterman. Jackson was disappointed to find upon arriving at their studio that SAW had already completed their three submissions, requiring only Jackson's vocals. Jackson had hoped to collaborate with them from scratch. "Just Say No" was composed for US first lady Nancy Reagan's anti-drug campaign. Their other two tracks, the "funky, gritty" "(Ain't Nobody Loves You) Like I Do" and melancholy ballad "(Tell Me) He Means Nothing to You at All" were starkly different from SAW's previous work.
Jackson waited six months for US hip-hop producers Full Force to fit her into their busy schedule. Jackson wanted them to contribute a more aggressive sound to the LP. At the time, Full Force member Paul Anthony disclosed that the group decided to work with Jackson because "we like the underdogs." The four Full Force tracks include "You're Gonna Get Rocked!", "You Blew", "Such A Wicked Love", and "Not Giving Up On Love."
Other contributions were from producers Bobby Hart & Dick Eastman on the duet with John Pagano "If I Could Get To You", Harold Faltermeyer on the eccentric "Turn On The Radio", and Steve Harvey on "Does It Really Matter". La Toya was recorded from March 1987 through 1988. The album was mixed down in New York.
As a result of working with such a varied group of producers, the LP's two sides had distinctly different sounds. Side A, featuring tracks 1 through 5, had a hip-hop & breakbeat theme tailored for the US market while Side B was more oriented towards European synthpop.
Jackson had high expectations for the album, having worked on it for two years. "I've had no private life at all for two years. My whole life has been this record. It's hard work. It's not glamorous at all."
Jackson dedicated the album to the children of the world due to her involvement in the "Just Say No" campaign which was designated for children between the ages of 3 to 7.
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