LIVING COLOUR’S TRACK-BY-TRACK GUIDE TO THEIR 1988 DEBUT, VIVID
Vernon Reid reveals the stories behind every song on Living Colour’s groundbreaking debut.
Just over three decades ago, Living Colour released their ground-breaking debut album Vivid. Along with a handful of other late ’80s innovators such as Fishbone, Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the New York-based quartet pushed the boundaries of what rock music could sound like with a fusion of funk, metal, hip-hop, punk and other styles and flavours.
Lyrically, they explored a wide range of social and socio-political themes from racism to demagoguery, consumerism and gentrification.
“I think [Vivid] stands up pretty well today because of the crazy resonance,” says guitarist, band founder and primary songwriter Vernon Reid. “Even though a lot of things have shifted, a lot of the fundamental questions of the album are not just current but the answers are even more vital. I’m thankful that the band is relevant in what it was talking about early on, but it’s also really disturbing. It’s kind of unbelievable, in fact. It’s 2019 and from my perspective we should be living a whole different way.”
As Living Colour hit the UK on a tour that will see them play Vivid in full each night, we got Vernon to go through the album track-by-tra
Continue reading: https://www.kerrang.com/features/living-colour/
