You have your Motley Crue, your Bon Jovi, your Whitesnake, and you have your Poison. However, none of the groups mentioned had the talent and the charisma of Living Colour.

Corey Glover, Vernon Reid, Will Calhoun, and Muzz Skillings. Four talented individuals in their own right who combined the gifts and made a great band. I believe in my heart of hearts that Living Colour were perhaps one of the most ground-breaking bands of their era with their music and style of dress. Here were four BLACK men with locs and African medallions and playing guitars! AND THEY ROCKED!

I will tell anyone to cop any of their CD's for a lesson in rock music.

gooch said:

I love Living Colour, their first album anyway. But Bon Jovi and Motley Cure are certainly talented in their own right.

RipHer2Shreds said:

<~~~~~imagines a schizoid goth/hair metal tribute band that does The Cure and Motley Crue songs

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yes they are but Living Colour's music was just so on point and their music had messages that everyone could relate to. For instance, "Open Letter to a Landlord" was light years ahead of it's time. For a kid like me back in 1988 who didn't dig Motley and Poison, Living Colour provided and many others that alternative.

i too remember living colour fondly, saw corey glover's band, Vice, a few years back...
had ticket to a living colour/public enemy gig that was cancelled a few months ago

they inspired me to launch a few garage bands in the late eighties/early nineties

(don't 'get' bon jovi, but also deeply into da crue...)

U know, I wanted to dig Living Colour. I like their cut "Cult Of Personality". That song is on it. BUT, when I bought there album, I was very much let down. Everybody that knew me thought I MUST dig Living Colour cuz I'm a black rocker myself. Wrong! If that shit blows, it blows. White, black, green or blue. See, I wasn't turned out by Living Colour cuz they were an all black rock band. Shit, I was and is doing that myself. Besides, I grew up with Funkadelic. But, alot of other folks got caught up in Living Colour cuz they were black playing rock. Like that shit is exotic and ultra rare. Which is wasn't. If their first album was bangin with cuts that was on par with "Cult Of Personality", different story. But, to me, it wasn't. It had "Glamour Boys" and other kinda stuff. Then, I fucked around and bought their second album, which was worst than their first. Look, I dig Corey's vocals. That was the best thing about the band. I met Vernon when my band were members of The Black Rock Coalition, West Coast Chapter, in L.A, which he and Greg Tate had started. So, I'm more than hip to the "cause". Living Colour were a great group of musicians, but their songs, overall, left me hanging.

I saw Corey Glover and Vice a few years back and I loved those cats. Corey is without a doubt one of the greatest frontmen of all time. Not to mention a very nice gent and an all around cool dude.

blackguitaristz said:

Hey man, to each his own. Dig? Being a brotha and looking at MTV at that time, to see a Black band play rock was overwhelming to me. I was one of those kids who loved rock music, but radio and TV didn't play that stuff, man. Living Colour made some great music. I think you should really give them another listen.

gooch said:

Some of their lyrics were pretty silly and hard to swallow. "I ain't no glamour boy...I'm fierce!"

blackguitaristz said:

i was particularly enamored with "stain", their early nineties offering, that was critically and commercially panned...but it has the 'must hear' songs: "postman" and "nothingness" on it...

...please, give those songs a listen...

gooch said:

That's the beauty about this forum, u can give your thoughts. U have yours and I have mine. I think it's great that they gave u inspiration. That's what it's all about. But, believe me, I am more than hip to their sound and have given those lps more than my share of spins. But to use your words, to each his own, dig?

blackguitaristz said:

So you digs Funkadelic, eh? Please tell me that you are an Eddie Hazel fan and that you do have a copy of "Games, Dames, and Guitar Thangs?" If not... may you be forever banned from being a Black guitar player and may you be doomed to a life of MC Hammer and Chunky A! (LOL)

gooch said:

Ms. Legs really digs this groups. They have kick ass musicians and killer vocals. These guys are defitely a all time favorite of Ms. Legs .

"What's Your Favorite Color Baby? Living Color."

i was particularly enamored with "stain", their early nineties offering, that was critically and commercially panned...but it has the 'must hear' songs: "postman" and "nothingness" on it...

...please, give those songs a listen...[/quote]


I agree that "Nothingness" is absolutely one of their best songs. My favorite album is "Times Up". Anyone who hasn't heard "Elvis is Dead" needs to check this song out and hear what true funk metal is. Will Calhoun is an extremely underrated drummer from an extremely underrated band. When their album first came out (at least here in Toronto), you could only find it in the R n B section, not in rock or metal. Funny enough, Fishbone used to be filed in R n B as well. In the late 80s, anything by a black artist was instantly filed in this section. Peace to Living Colour, Fishbone, and Bad Brains for helping change people's perspective on what "black music" is. For those who didn't know, I am pretty sure Vernon Reid has been playing with the Roots lately.
[Edited 4/6/05 14:14pm]
[Edited 4/6/05 14:20pm]

There last Lp is good with a killer remake of Back in Black.

pstarr said:

I agree that "Nothingness" is absolutely one of their best songs. My favorite album is "Times Up". Anyone who hasn't heard "Elvis is Dead" needs to check this song out and here what true funk metal is. Will Calhoun is an extremely underrated drummer from an extremely underrated band. When their album first came out (at least here in Toronto), you could only find it in the R n B section, not in rock or metal. Funny enough, Fishbone used to be filed in R n B as well. In the late 80s, anything by a black artist was instantly filed in this section. Peace to Living Colour, Fishbone, and Bad Brains for helping change people's perspective on what "black music" is. For those who didn't know, I pretty sure Vernon Reid has been playing with the Roots lately.[/quote]

They were great..last CD was produced like shit.

They seem burnt out.

I bought one of their albums soley because they did a song called "newjackswing". I didn't like it. It is pretty heavy stuff

gooch said:

Cmon player. U can ask anybody in this forum about my love for Eddie Hazel. I'm pretty sure I make some folks sick raving about my boy Hazel. Man, I have TWO copies of Games, Dames and Guitar Thangs. On wax. The o.g. one was given to me from my older cousin when I was 13 years old. That's been played to death, from me learning all of the leads and fills from when I was a kid. The other and more newer copy is in mint condition.

pstarr said:

I agree that "Nothingness" is absolutely one of their best songs. My favorite album is "Times Up". Anyone who hasn't heard "Elvis is Dead" needs to check this song out and hear what true funk metal is. Will Calhoun is an extremely underrated drummer from an extremely underrated band. When their album first came out (at least here in Toronto), you could only find it in the R n B section, not in rock or metal. Funny enough, Fishbone used to be filed in R n B as well. In the late 80s, anything by a black artist was instantly filed in this section. Peace to Living Colour, Fishbone, and Bad Brains for helping change people's perspective on what "black music" is. For those who didn't know, I am pretty sure Vernon Reid has been playing with the Roots lately.
[Edited 4/6/05 14:14pm]
[Edited 4/6/05 14:20pm]
[/Now, I'm a fan of Bad Brains and Fishbone, please. I've seen those cats so many times live. Being that they're an L.A. band, I've seen them in small, run down clubs where the stage was 2 feet tall. In the 80's, when I was in jr. high and early high school, everybody at Fairfax High and in the valley (black kids I'm talking about) LOVED Fishbone.

blackguitaristz said:

I've had love and hate with this band, love them most of the time hated them when I heard Bad Brains for the first time.

Dispite the drama, recently picked-up "Live @ CBGB" and it's great so is Living Colour.


"What's your favorite color baby, Living Colour"

People, people.....

Surely you're all forgetting the quite splendid Love Rears It's Ugly Head? That one an Solace of You were my favourites.

They did a cover of 17 Days too - which was ok.

deebee said:

Living Colour =



Best band since Led Zeppelin.


Period.




stormbringer

deebee said:

They did a few good covers, as I recall.... Their version of James Brown's Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing was pretty funky, and I like their version of Burning of the Midnight lamp better than Jimi's....

Soulchild82 said:

They did a great version of that song. I like it a lot.

blackguitaristz said:

I'm new here, bro. However, any fan of Hazel is a friend of mine. I met Spacey T a few years back and we vibed big time on Hazel. He was bugging because he was like "wow, another Black man who digs Eddie?"

Slave2daGroove said:

I just copped that CD as well. It is a great listen and I liked how the songs that eventually became "Times Up" were born at that concert.