Vivid (album)

Vivid
Studio album by Living Colour
Released May 3, 1988
Recorded 1987 - 1988 at Skyline, Sound On Sound and Right Track Studios, New York, New York
Genre Funk metal, heavy metal, hard rock, neo-psychedelia
Length 49:13
Label Epic
Producer Ed Stasium
Mick Jagger
Living Colour chronology
Vivid
(1988)		 Time's Up
(1990)
Singles from Vivid
  1. "Cult of Personality"
    Released: 1988
  2. "Middle Man"
    Released: 1988
  3. "Glamour Boys"
    Released: 1989
  4. "Open Letter (To a Landlord)"
    Released: 1989
  5. "Funny Vibe"
    Released: 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
Rolling Stone link
Robert Christgau (B)
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Vivid is the debut album by the American heavy metal band Living Colour, which was released on May 3, 1988. The band was discovered by Mick Jagger while playing a show at punk club CBGB's in 1987. The fact that Living Colour is an all-black heavy metal band drew much attention to the band and the album, which contained three singles and became one of the most popular albums of 1988, reaching #6 on the Billboard 200 and certified double platinum by the RIAA. The band would later receive a Grammy for their next studio release, Time's Up. The song "Funny Vibe" features a cameo appearance from Public Enemy's Chuck D and Flavor Flav. Vivid is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It also contains a cover version of the Talking Heads' "Memories Can't Wait."

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Vernon Reid, except where noted.

Original
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Cult of Personality"   Reid, Muzz Skillings, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun 4:54
2. "I Want to Know"     4:24
3. "Middle Man"   Glover, Reid 3:47
4. "Desperate People"   Calhoun, Reid, Glover, Skillings 5:36
5. "Open Letter (To a Landlord)"   Reid, Tracie Morris 5:32
6. "Funny Vibe"     4:20
7. "Memories Can't Wait"   David Byrne, Jerry Harrison 4:30
8. "Broken Hearts"     4:50
9. "Glamour Boys"     3:39
10. "What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)"   Reid, Glover 3:56
11. "Which Way to America?"     3:41

Personnel

Living Colour

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Chart Peak
New Zealand Chart 2 [1]
U.S. Billboard 200 6 [2]
Norwegian Charts 7 [3]

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1988 "Cult of Personality" Billboard Hot 100 13
Mainstream Rock Tracks 9
"Middle Man" Denmark Singles Chart 55
1989 "Glamour Boys" Billboard Hot 100 31
Mainstream Rock Tracks 26
"Open Letter (To a Landlord)" Billboard Hot 100 82
Mainstream Rock Tracks 11

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1989 "Cult of Personality" Best Hard Rock Performance

External links

References

  1. ^ charts.org.nz "Living Colour - Vivid". hitparade.ch. http://charts.org.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Living+Colour charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2007-12-20. 
  2. ^ Billboard.com Billboard.com "Living Colour - Vivid [albums]". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/living-colour/5076 Billboard.com Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-12-20. 
  3. ^ charts.org.nor "Living Colour - Vivid". NorwegianCharts.com. http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Living+Colour charts.org.nor. Retrieved 2007-12-20. 
Living Colour
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Extended plays
Singles
"Cult of Personality" • "Middle Man" • "Glamour Boys" • "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" • "Funny Vibe" • "Type" • "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" • "Solace of You" • "Elvis Is Dead" • "Pride" • "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" • "Leave It Alone" • "Ausländer" • "Nothingness" • "Bi" • "Sunshine of Your Love" • "Song Without Sin" • "Behind the Sun"
Video releases
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