Vivid
	Produced by Ed Stasium (tracks 9, 11 by Mick Jagger)
	Released on May 1988
	US CHART POSITION #8 . . . PLATINUM RECORD (4/17/89), 2x PLATINUM (11/9/94)
	Find it at GEMM
FE 440099 cover [high resolution photo]

W hen I first heard Living Colour, I was sure this was the future of rock. Vivid spoke to the crossover of cultures and generations, mixing elements of rap, funk, rock, metal, spoken media, soul and punk into a sensory overload experience. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for Living Colour (it took about a year before this music could be properly peddled in the mainstream, and even then it took a silly video like “Glamour Boys” to do it), or maybe the band wasn’t ready to be rock’s next Great Hope. Lord knows they were difficult to market. A brown-skinned band playing alternative metal, they drew inspiration from astonishing sources: heavy metal, rap, college rock, funk. Amazingly, it all seems to work on Vivid. The out-of-control arrangements of “What’s Your Favorite Color” or “Funny Vibe,” the polished pop metal of “Glamour Boys” and “I Want To Know,” the full-on metal of “Cult of Personality.” Living Colour seemed to thrive on defying expectations. The social message sounded charged, though looking back Living Colour wasn’t saying anything that hadn’t been said a hundred times before. “Cult of Personality” resonated at the time because we’d just gone through eight years with an actor as our president, and is probably the most pointed song on the album. “Funny Vibe” and “Which Way To America?” are the only tracks where the band’s color even comes into play. I guess that’s where the “future” part kicked in for me; Vivid was an album where all manner of music got along. It remains, to my mind, one of the best debuts from the ‘80s and one of the best records from 1988. And the guitar work of Vernon Reid on this album is astonishing. Would’ve loved to hear him play with Zappa.

FE 44099 back cover	FE 44099 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. CULT OF PERSONALITY    (Vernon Reid/William Calhoun/Corey Glover/Muzz Skillings)    4:53
2. I WANT TO KNOW    (Vernon Reid)    4:23
3. MIDDLE MAN    (Vernon Reid/Corey Glover)    3:46
4. DESPERATE PEOPLE    (Vernon Reid/William Calhoun/Corey Glover/Muzz Skillings)    5:35
5. OPEN LETTER (TO A LANDLORD)    (Vernon Reid/T. Morris)    5:30
6. FUNNY VIBE    (Vernon Reid)    4:19
7. MEMORIES CAN'T WAIT    (David Byrne/Jerry Harrison)    4:30
8. BROKEN HEARTS    (Vernon Reid)    4:48
9. GLAMOUR BOYS    (Vernon Reid)    3:40
10. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? (THEME SONG)    (Vernon Reid/Corey Glover)    1:38
11. WHICH WAY TO AMERICA?    (Vernon Reid)    3:40
    
    CD reissue bonus tracks
    
12. FUNNY VIBE (MIX)
13. SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
14. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? (THEME SONG) (LeBLANC REMIX)
15. MIDDLE MAN (LIVE)
16. CULT OF PERSONALITY (LIVE)

CREDITS

WILL CALHOUN -- drums, percussion, vocals
COREY GLOVER -- lead vocal
VERNON REID -- guitars, vocals
MUZZ SKILLINGS -- bass, vocals
Chuck D. and M.C.D.J. Flavor Flav -- social commentary (6)
Dennis Diamond -- barker (8)
The Fowler Family (Bernard, Muriel, Wilfred) -- background vocals (2,5)
Jay Henry -- digital restructuring and reassembly
Mick Jagger -- background vocals (9), harmonica (8)
Ed Stasium -- mixing
Paul Hamingson -- engineer, mixing assistance
Ron St. Germain -- engineer (9,11)
Steve Byram -- art direction
The Thunderjockeys -- cover art
Drew Carolan -- photography

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