Living Colour
- This article is about the hard rock band. For the television series, see In Living Color.
Living Colour |
|---|
Living Colour is a hard rock group formed in New York city in 1983 by Vernon Reid. They signed to Epic Records in 1987 and released their first album Vivid in 1988. Stylistically their music is a creative fusion influenced by guitar-based rock, funk, heavy metal, free jazz, hardcore punk and hip hop. They are linked to the funk metal movement of the late 1980s typified by bands such as Fishbone, Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, and 24-7 Spyz. They are best remembered for the hits "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for best hard rock performance in 1989, and "Type" - their highest charting single. They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
Living Colour was ranked number 70 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".
History
Living Colour grew out of the Black Rock Coalition, an organization started by (among others) guitarist Vernon Reid for black musicians interested in playing rock music. Reid, British-born but a longtime New York resident, was well known on the downtown New York jazz scenes courtesy of his tenure in Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society. A guitarist of unnerving technique and speed, he assembled a number of bands under the name Living Colour from 1983 to 1986. Early band members included bassists Alex Mosely, Jerome Harris and Carl James. Drummers Greg Carter, Pheeroan Aklaff and J.T. Lewis. Keyboardist Geri Allen and vocalists D.K. Dyson and Mark Ledford with Reid occasionally singing (or delivering) lead vocals himself. The band's sound was vastly different than the songs that showed up later on their major label recordings. Material from this period included instrumental jazz/funk workouts, politically pointed punk rock burners, experimental excursions via Reid's guitar synth, and an early version of the song Funny Vibe which was reworked for their debut album "Vivid."
In 1986, the lineup became bassist Muzz Skillings, drummer Will Calhoun, who had graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music, and vocalist Corey Glover (who Reid met at a birthday party and was suitably impressed with a rendition of "Happy Birthday"). In Calhoun and particularly Skillings, Reid had a rhythm section with the ability to express themselves in dozens of forms, and in Glover he had a vocalist who could produce depths of soul or rage upon demand. Soon after they became regulars on the touring circuit, including regular gigs at the seminal club CBGB. Aided by a demo produced by fan Mick Jagger, they scored a record deal with Epic records (now Sony), and released Vivid in the middle of 1988. The album gathered sales momentum only when in late 1988 MTV began playing the video for "Cult of Personality." They gained further exposure as an opening act (with Guns N' Roses) for the 1989 Rolling Stones tour of stadiums throughout the USA.
Their second effort, Time's Up, was a sprawling affair that capitalized on the ability of its members to work in numerous musical contexts; thrash metal, punk, jazz fusion, delta blues, hip hop (cameos by Queen Latifah and Doug E. Fresh), funk, jive, and hints of electronica were all represented. The album won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Album. Other guests included Maceo Parker and Little Richard. In 1991 they joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour and released an EP of outtakes entitled Biscuits. Bass player Muzz Skillings left the group soon after due to creative differences and was replaced by Doug Wimbish. This new incarnation released the album Stain in 1993, revealing an emotionally darker, more personal side of the group. Despite retaining their strong fan base, the band split on January 1995 after failing to settle on a common musical goal during sessions for their fourth full-length album. Four of these tracks were included on the compilation Pride.
Individual members released a variety of solo efforts until the band finally reformed for good on December 22, 2000. The reunion was followed by the release of another dark record, Collideøscope, in 2003.
Sony Records released Live From CBGB's recorded on December 12, 1989 at the legendary CBGB's as well as another "best of" cd titled Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour with songs from Vivid to Collideøscope.
As of August 2006, Glover is taking on the role of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar touring with Ted Neeley. According to Reid, Glover had not left the band [1]. Doug Pinnick, vocalist and bassist for King's X, filled in for Glover on lead vocals. Living Colour is planning to record an album of all-new material for 2007 release.
On September 22, 2006, original bassist Muzz Skillings joined the band for the first time in 17 years. The occasion was a private party drummer Jack DeJohnette threw for his wife Lydia. Current bassist Doug Wimbish was unable to come back from London for the event and Skillings agreed to do it.
Living Colour performed a weeklong European Tour starting December 12, 2006.
Trivia
- Candidates for the bass player position vacated in 1992 by Muzz Skillings and eventually filled by Doug Wimbish included Melvin Gibbs (most known for having spent a long tenure with Rollins Band) and Me'shell Ndegeocello.
- Gibbs and Reid were both in the Decoding Society led by Ronald Shannon Jackson, and played together in Defunkt for a short time.
- "Cult of Personality" was part of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas repertoire of radio songs, and was also one of the theme songs used by professional wrestler CM Punk.
- In October 2006, "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" was ranked and voted 303 out of 2006 songs featured in the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown.
Discography
Albums
File:Cbcbl.jpg 2. Live From CBGB's (1989, released in 2004)
File:Times up.jpg 3. Time's Up (1990)
File:Stain cover.jpg 4. Stain (1993)
5. Collideøscope (2003)
File:Instantl.jpg 6. Instant Live: Avalon, Boston, MA 10/17/04 (2005, recorded live in 2004)
EPs
1. Biscuits (EP) (1991)
Videos
File:Tunnellll.jpg 2. Time Tunnel (1991)
Compilations
- Dread (1994)
- Pride (1995)
- Super Hits (1998)
- Play It Loud (1998)
- What's Your Favorite Color?: Remixes, B-Sides and Rarities (2005)
- Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour (2006)
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart Positions | Album | |||
| US Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock | US Modern Rock | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1988 | "Cult of Personality" | #13 | #9 | - | - | Vivid |
| 1989 | "Glamour Boys" | #31 | #26 | - | - | Vivid |
| 1989 | "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" | #82 | #11 | - | - | Vivid |
| 1989 | "Middle Man" | - | - | - | - | Vivid |
| 1990 | "Type" | - | #5 | #3 | #54 | Time's Up |
| 1991 | "Elvis is Dead" | - | - | #25 | - | Time's Up |
| 1991 | "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" | - | #28 | #8 | - | Time's Up |
| 1991 | "Pride" | - | - | - | - | Time's Up |
| 1992 | "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothin'" | - | - | #12 | - | Biscuits (EP) |
| 1993 | "Nothingness" | - | - | #17 | - | Stain |
| 1993 | "Ausländer" | - | - | - | - | Stain |
| 1993 | "Leave it Alone" | - | #14 | #4 | - | Stain |
| 1994 | "Bi" | - | - | - | - | Stain |
| 1994 | "Sunshine Of Your Love" | - | - | - | - | True Lies Soundtrack |
| 2003 | "Sacred Ground" | - | - | - | - | Collideøscope |
External links
- Living Colour Official Myspace page - official