Living Colour - Vivid
|
Our Price: $32.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.84 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Vivid
Free Music Review: Surprise! They aren't glam
Hit: 4 Stars
A loud and heavy metal record, driven by black brit guitarist Vernon Reid's power chords through an iron wall of overdriven distortion, and Eddie Van Halen-inspired chord progressions. Different styles and many different tricks are the hallmark of a great guitarist and Reid gives us that with tracks such as "Glamour Boys," "What's Your Favorite Color," "Funny Vibe," "Which Way to America," and the heartfelt "Broken Hearts." The strength in his arrangements being memorable hooks and thoughtful riffs. "Cult of Personality," and "Desperate People" have such powerful guitar tone that you cannot ignore those performances.
Unlike so many bassists in the the heavy metal genre, Muzz Skillings is not resting on his laurels on this recording. Mr. Skillings plucks out a complex bass line for the versus of "Cult of Personality," and "Open Letter to a Landlord," spanks the strings in "Desperate People," "Funny Vibe," What's Your Favorite Color," and "Which Way to America." which has the best electric bass guitar amp tone you will ever hear on a heavy metal record. All of this while singing backup vocals.
The drum tracks on this album should be required listening by any recording engineer learning how to mic, and mix drums. This is because both the mix, and the mic placement was nothing short of perfect. Also nothing short of perfection were the performances of drummer William Calhoun, with his highly original ride-cymbal double-strike technique accenting his strong, well-timed snare and tom rolls. Mr. Calhoun is just a rock steady drummer; no timing slips on this. The kick stomps on 1 with such room filling presence they only needed a hint of reverb. They must've been going through sticks and snare heads like their was a going out of business sale at S.I.R. "Funny Vibe" is just one of many examples of some of the tricky timing that he backs with this team of highly accomplished musicians.
Last but not least: Corey Glover delivers some of the best vocals for a heavy metal recording you will ever hear. No gutless, all-throat shrieking here--just pure heart and soul the likes of which you'd find in an R&B performance. This best given to you without the metal edge in intro to "Open Letter to a Landlord." Refreshingly, the lyrics deal with timely and relevant subject matter for a heavy metal release on issues other than women, be it about how attractive they are, or how cruel they can be. "Cult of Personality" addresses politics, "Desperate People" exposes the truth about cliqués, "Open Letter to a Landlord" gives you the other perspective of gentrification, "Funny Vibe" is an explicitly bold complaint against racism, and "Glamour Boys" rejects the glam rock scene of the era. "Which Way to America" further pushes the point of racism, and despite it's whiny theme, the music more than makes up for the albeit well written lyrics.
There is definitely some skippable material on this release but by far, this is the best album Living Colour ever recorded.
Free Music Review: Vividly Vibrant.
Hit: 4 Stars
Forget the tacky outfits they wore in their music videos. Forget the dated artwork gracing the album cover. Fact is, anytime you hear "Cult of Personality" on the radio, in a video game or on your iPod, you are compelled to turn the volume up as loud as humanly possible. The crunchy guitar riffs, the funky bass, hard-hitting drums and the smooth vocal stylings of Corey Glover all combined to make this song, and much of Living Colour's breakthrough album, "Vivid," a smash-hit as well as a glimpse into the future of hard rock and metal.
As one of the bands at the forefront of the funk-metal boom, Living Colour stood out from the pack, not only because they were an all African American rock band, but because of their superb musicianship and willingness to explore many, many genres. "Livid" runs the gamut from arena rock ("Cult of Personality") to power-ballads with messages ("Open Letter to a Landlord") to funk jams ("What's Your Favorite Colour"). Much can be written about "Cult of Personality" itself, as it serves as an excellent intro to the album - complete with quotations from John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. - and is the one track that sticks out the most and carries the album. "Middle Man" comes close to catching the same energy, as well as the punk-funk-metal fusion of "Desperate People."The fact of the matter is there isn't one bad song in the bunch. Musically, this album is a sonic success, with Glover's vocals serving as the focal point. Vernon Reid's guitar riffs are equally as loud and in your face, while the rhythm section is both tight and funky at the same time. The only shortcoming to be found here are in some of the awkward lyrical moments, a prime example being "Funny Vibe." Considering how good the album sounds, though, such flaws are forgivable.
"Livid" is a snap-shot of a time when mainstream bands weren't afraid to experiment and to bend genre rules, and anyone who adores the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Mother's Milk" or any early Faith No More (we're talking pre-Mike Patton here) will find an album that is fun, fresh, funky and loud. An album that has soul and power, has maybe dated itself a bit, but ultimately sounds just as good twenty plus years later, "Vivid" - like all good music -- stands the test of time.
Free Music Review: Ahead of their time
Hit: 4 Stars
I first heard of Living Colour when I was in high school and Cult of Personality was getting lots of play on MTV. At the time, most Black musicians were into R&B or rap. A Black rock group was a novelty. I didn't know what to make of this group of rockers back then, but now I can appreciate the genius of their sound. Living Colour is equal parts rock and funk with a bit of rap added in for good measure-- Chuck D. and Flava Flav guest on "Funny Vibe." Their lyrics are full of social commentary and critical thought that is lacking from today's popular music.
Living Colour touched on racism, gentrification, economic exploitation and a whole host of other social issues without being preachy. "Which Way to America?" still rings true today as there are still many folks who lives are not anywhere close to the American dream. "Funny Vibe" is basically about racial profiling -- a bane on the existence of law abiding Black folks. "Cult of Personality," their most widely played single, is about how the masses are willingly played by their leaders who get by on charisma.
For all their social consciousness, Corey Glover and the guys still know how to rock. I love the bass lines and the guitar riffs, and I swear this music forces me to workout harder each time I pump it at the gym. I just wished that I had given this group a chance when they first debuted.
Free Music Review: Unique beginnings
Hit: 4 Stars
When Living Colour released their first album in the late 80's, I remember them being touted as a black heavy metal group. Their first album was released when the whole hair metal thing was in full stride. However, Living Colour was much more than that. Although, this wasn't their best album, it was a phenomenal debut. With radio songs like Cult of Personality, Middle Man, and Glamour Boys and much better songs like Funny Vibe, Desperate People, Open Letter to a Landlord, Memories Can't Wait, Which Way to America, this album presented a good combination of pop, jazzy, funky tunes that you could listen to over and over again. They had a very, very unique sound. Just listen to the funky bassline on Funny Vibe to know what I mean. Instead of only singing about love, sex, and the latest girlfriend, they dove into topics like racism, politics, social justice. I wish more artists would do that today. In fact on their 2nd album, in my opinion, their best, they leave the pop world behind and explore something much more interesting, and in the end, much better. The extras are found on some of their older releases, but they are all worth having.Free Music Review: LIVING COLOUR-RULES
Hit: 4 Stars
hello!---I have been a very big fan of LC for a long time. I have most if not all of their releases and cd-singles with bonus tracks. the remastering job has improved the sound--the bonus tracks are fine--but basically unneeded. I have all of them on different recording --so it is no big deal for me--but the casual fan will enjoy the additions. a few more pictures and liner notes to help you learn more about the band. I am unsure as to why EPIC-LEGACY wanted to put this product out(GREED) or how many dedicated fans will want to shell out for things they probably already have in their collections(like me). in summation, LIVING COLOUR is a truely talented band with great musicianship, topical lyrics and a knack for writing good songs. those who have never heard of this wonderful inspired work or have never listened to any of LC music---THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS!!!!!