Vivid

Uneven but the highs are high

Really like the funk with the heavy guitars. Great playing.

It is quite interesting that in the same week I was recommended Jane's Addiction's music I also get yet another heavily influential project in nearly the same exact styles of Hard Rock and Funk Metal with Living Colour's Vivid. I didn't expect this album to be so lighthearted and very influential for its' time. This album mixes Funk, Metal, Pop, Rock, and even Hip Hop with its' occasional sampling. This album is a lot more upbeat than Jane's Addiction music as it feels like the golden child of the two bands as they both delve into different sides of the same coin. The music here is jumpy, fun, and feels like a blast to hear even if it does come off a bit dated. You can't take the fun out of the music no matter how hard you try and Living Colour is proof of that. Vivid very much surprised me in almost all fronts and is one of the best surprises I could have asked for when diving into this weird and wacky list.

Cult of Personality on Guitar Hero III... oh, the memories.

Ja dit vind ik dus echt helemaal geweldig. Dit is gewoon zo'n ongelofelijke nostalgieboost, die je hier meteen krijgt. Heerlijk om even weer te mogen denken aan die mooie oude tijd aan de diepenveenseweg 35, waar we met zn allen kunnen genieten van een potje risk. Niemand die weet dat ik repelsteeltje heet, en daar komt dan ook nog eens bij kijken dat ik hier zit te genieten van een kantoorgenoot die gewoon durft te zingen in mijn bijzijn. Wirklich heel erg bijzonder en ik denk niet dat iemand mij ooit zal begrijpen. Ook al wil ik in het hier en nu wel even benadrukken dat deze kantoorgenoot wel uiterst voorzichtig is en ook niet per se volluit zit mee te zingen. Maar goed, dan zou het leven ook wel heel erg mooi zijn, vind je ook niet?

No es mi estilo, pero reconozco que tienen fuerza.

Bien

All over the place, with Cult of Personality and Glamour Boys being complete polar opposites. Kept me engaged and was a good vibe. Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Cult of Personality

Pretty good, a lot of it just kind of blended into classic rock. Favorite Track: Cult of Personality

I loved this album when it came out. It occupied fresh space - funky heavy rock. Will Calhoun is a monster drummer. Vernon Reid a heavy duty guitar player, and Corey Glover a great front man. This one is between four and five stars for me. I'll round up to five for their ability to blend so many elements into a coherent whole.

Did nothing for me in the slightest. Most "Now That's What I Call Music" album thus far.

2,on va pas se mentir c'était pas fou

I wanted to really like this and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Some of the timing was off by a significant margin and that made it hard to appreciate some of the other good aspects of the album. It seemed pretty basic musically although there were some interesting instruments used.

This is really good. It sounds like a lot of bands I already listen to. I had never heard of this band before, but I might listen to more of them.

Worried it was going to be all downhill from Cult of Personality after the next couple songs, but it really picked up throughout the album. Public Enemy feature rocked. Geese and Black Country New Road probably don't exist without this album (I say as if I know anything)

It's like if Van Halen didn't fucking suck

Dare I say the first song on this album is The Best In The World! Loved this entire project, they were absolutely shredding on every song. I love when an album feels like the guys were in a studio jamming out and. And up with these great songs. The lead singer’s voice is incredible to me too, no notes, five stars!

There's some enjoyable rock tracks on this record, but for me everything feels too cliché and formulaic, as if the record was designed to be a soundtrack to the next Cars movie. Maybe that's a lazy view on the songwriting, but the production, writing and delivery of each song feels overproduced and too simple. Ultimately, it got boring very quickly, and that's no bueno.

I never much cared for their hit “Cult of Personality” so I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.? There’s a fair bit of funk mixed in with this rock. Musicianship is tight. Nice surprise.

Quite enjoyed it, RHCP but less self indulgent and a bit more generic

There’s nothing I ever return to in this album except Cult of personality, even though it’s never bad (except maybe Glamour boys)

i hate to hate an album with cover art this good

This album rocks! I knew cult of personality but the whole album is heavy, groovy and full of sick solos and riffs. Love it.

Somehow, I had expected more from it.

An album mistakenly labeled as metal, many such cases. This was a really cool album... for like two songs in the middle.

RATING: 6.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Cult of Personality LOWLIGHT: Funny Vibe

It was good.

*1988. *Cult of Personality of course. *Not sure what to call this - several music genres here (blues, jazz, pop, etc.) But it mostly works. *We saw these guys for at Epcot (like 30 minute set), and it was good but totally unmemorable. *I wouldn't actively listen to this again, but I wouldn't be upset at all if someone had it on. RATING - 6.5/10

Not really my style of music, but I appreciated the virtuosity of the instrumentalists.

Boah ne

Whoever though metal funk was a good idea.

Strong album. Really loved the writing on this one.

This is one of the great opening riffs of all time. The combination of Corey and Vernon was unlike anything the world had seen. Right place, right time, right music.

3.0

7 - GOOD

4.5

More American rock. Not good

First listen Saved 4/11 Top track: Cult of Personality

niet slecht, maar niet goed genoeg om een hele plaat na elkaar te degusteren

Kevin loves me!

Some of the best singing, bass playing, and guitar playing you’ll ever hear.

Cult of Personality is a great song in desperate need of a lead guitarist with some melodic sense. From there it‘s a series of completely forgettable, often cringe-inducing tracks that sound like outtakes from the WB studio band. Brilliant technicians, with no capacity for artistry, aiming squarely at commercial success.

Fun and high energy throughout. A little boring in the middle but overall enjoyed. Which Way to America was a fave.

A massive hit song enough to carry an entire album is a minimal statement. That song soars!

Maybe I'm being too kind here but I need a rating REVOLUTION THIS IS GETTING 5 STARS

This was fun. Cult of Personality might be one of the best album openers out there, and in general there’s just a lot of energy and swagger on this record. I like the funk influence, and the guitar playing is hard to top. Strong 4.5/5

I genuinely always thought they were white guys until I read the bio today...

I had high hopes for this album because "Cult of Personality" is such a banger, but the rest of the album fell a bit flat.

It's hip to be colour

Veeeery 90s. Not always in a good way.

Fun album! Cult of Personality is a classic, but I also enjoyed several other tracks, including Glamour Boys and Which Way to America. It's a shame that this style of black hard rock didn't take off at the time, but I'm glad we have this album.

I had Cult of Personality as a 7” single back in the day, and owned this album. Haven’t listened to either song or album in a *very* long time though. Cult of Personality is certainly the highlight of the album. Overall it’s ok, but has got some terrible tunes too (Glamour Boys I’m looking specific at you…) I think one of the problems I have with a fair amount of rock/metal, especially from the 80’s, is they often come across as comedy pastiche bands. Lyrics that are quite cringe and sounds which are not in the slightest bit heavy compared to their appearance. Is there really any need for tracks like Glamour Boys and What’s Your Favorote Color? Or really most of this album?

I loved the Talking Heads cover - unusual choice but very well done.

In the end settles on a three - there's a lot to like about this album

Good tunes but not my style :)

3.09

Cult of Personality es un TE-MA-ZO. Está bien, no sabía que eran de tez morena jijijiji. 3.5

It is fun but I don't think I would ever listen to this again LOL

Solid Eighties rock with a few familiar or very catchy tracks. 3.5 and rounding up because Which Way to America reminded me of Big Country.

Booooring

Ich mag Love Rears It's Ugly Head sehr aber auf diesem Album sind nicht so viele Songs, die herausstechen (außer vielleicht der erste(

Nicee fan van.

Something like Motley Cru but better than Motley Cru. Not sure this was super memorable, but it's certainly a product of its era. If you like anthem rock of 80s, this should be right up your alley. Not sure why you don't hear more of this on classic rock stations. Well, probably I do know... 3/5

This has some hits and some misses. I really liked Cult of Personality and Broken Heart.

Rad and talented. Cult of personality still a banger.

Cool stuff

I wish there had been more "metal" bands like this to emerge, instead of the subsequent nu metal scourge. Any album featuring both Public Enemy and Mick Jagger deserves a long hard look.

Cult of Personality was my middle school anthem. Funny Vibe, Glamour Boys, and What's Your Favorite Colour? are great tracks on this one.

This was boppin rock album that I had a lot of fun listening to, loved the Talking Heads cover. Will definitely listen to it again!

Wildes Album aber n cooler Sound, hat mir insgesamt ganz gut gefallen

Nicht meim Stil, aber ganz ok anzuhören.

Interessanter Sound, angenehm zu hören

These guys are so good but I always thought the lyrics were super corny

It's like the bridge between the 80s and the 90s. Half of it sounds like a heavy version of Red hot chilli peppers before they became themselves, and half of it sounds like Genesis after they became themselves. So it's kind of of it's time, and ahead of it's time, whilst sounding dated. Fun album.

ovaj album od kečine spašavaju obrada toking heca i još pokoji rijedak okej moment. ostatak je smeće

Some catchy hooks, ultimately pretty standard post glam/hair metal stuff that hung over to the 90s

Nice try but nah...

O segundo solo de Cult of Personality me assombrava no Guitar Hero III. Nostálgico de certo modo. E é uma ótima canção. Também marcou minhas peripécias no San Andreas. Para além da canção mais famosa, o disco falha em se destacar de qualquer modo. De fato, tentei ouvir ele três vezes distintas, e em todas as três, ele sempre se tornou som de fundo. Não sei exatamente o porquê, visto que nada aqui é ruim. Mas ele só não prende a atenção do ouvinte. Ao todo, uma fusão legal de Rock alternativo e uns ritmos mais funkianos. Mas passou batido, não envelheceu muito bem. 2.5/5

I find their sound very boring.

Didn’t care for it and at times really disliked it. Kinda cheesy.

Really good fun funk rock

Bom álbum de rock

extra star for cult of personality i did not fw this album

Sometimes funny, but often overly aggressive

Haven't heard the album outside of cult of personality. Mostly good, but glamor boys was almost a skip

Awesome but inconsistent. Banger track followed by blegh. More good than bad though. Really enjoyed the Talking Heads cover here, Glamour Boys was also fun.

Real nice.

I came into this expecting Cult of Personality surrounded by a bunch of lesser versions of the same and I was (mostly) pleasantly surprised to find that wasn't the case. It's an eclectic mix of genres and they do them all really well.

I am almost certainly bumping this up to a four because I love Vernon Reid and the sound of Corey Glover’s vocals but also, let’s be honest with ourselves, Cult of Personality is a six star song

Pretty good, the first track was easily the best, cool guitar solos and riffs. Definitely an inspiration to future artists considering this album came out in 1988 and sounds like a 2000s alt rock album

Take some back to the early 90’s.

Not being a fan of ‘poodle rock’ I’d never heard of this group. Listening to this, I first thought that they were a spoof band in the Spinal Tap mould. Surely no one serious would write some of these awful songs. But no, they are a serious band. I laughed all the way through. They deserve the second star for their hilarious cover of ‘Should I stay or should I go’. So bad, it’s good!

M'eh

5 ⭐️s. I’m amazed that I know every word to every song -, it was in heavy rotation in high school and college. I think it holds up. Cult of personality is still a fantastic song, and the cover of Memories Can’t Wait is really inventive. Some of the songs are stronger than others, like they are working out what their voice is but the highs are some of the greats. Which Way to America blends everything happening at the end of the 80s - sampling, jazz, rock, social consciousness, even some arena rock for good measure. The 80s production is noticeable but the music holds up

IMO this is Living Colour’s second best album but it opens with their best song and one of the great rock and roll songs of all time. There are a few other favorites on it as well including Open Letter to a Landlord, Glamour Boys, and Which Way To Your America. Memories Can’t Wait is an excellent cover. Vernon Reid is an all time great guitar player and doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves. Revisiting this album was an absolute joy.

Never got around to listening to Living Colour albums much at the time. Their sound is really not for me. I like them best when the funk is emphasized, and least when the guitar hero vibe is ascendant. "Did I really hear just hear someone say, 'Like Josef Stalin and Gandhi'?" Yes. I most certainly did. That is an unexpected experience.

I had this record when it came out, but didn't listen to it a lot all the way through. Relistening in 2026 I can see both why I bought it at the time, and why I didn't exactly wear it out at the time. There are some songs on here I really like (esp Glamour Boys) and others I just couldn't wait to be done with. But for me even Glamour Boys feels dated. I'm slotting it in the 3-star category which in this case means I have certain sentimental reasons for not relegating it, but I also probably won't relisten to this at any point in the near future.

This was so good! My kind of music. Didn't know the story behind the band, and had just heard Cult of Personality before. This album was great!

Cult of personality is an absolute blast of a track, but after that the album makes me abit uncomfortable. Its an uncomfortable back and forth between Van Halen and funk.

Mostly hard driving rock - OK

Yeah they're cool

WWE type shit

7.5 / 10

I didn't think it was good, but I didn't think it was bad either; I won't listen to it again, and by tomorrow I'll have already forgotten it.

So, I finally gave Living Colour's Vivid a spin. I totally get why it was such a big deal in '88, the energy is wild, and Vernon Reid’s guitar work is just unreal. The way they mixed hard rock, funk, and metal was a real wake-up call to all that stale hair metal taking over at the time. Obviously, "Cult of Personality" is a total monster of a track... That opening riff still hits like a truck and sounds just as relevant today. But, if I’m being real, the rest of the album never really hits those same highs. I definitely respect the talent and the social message on songs like "Open Letter (To A Landlord)," but the production feels pretty dated, and some of the lyrics are a bit clunky.

I was 18 when this album came out, and loved the lead single, "Cult of Personality." You couldn't avoid it. But I didn't listen to a lot of what I would have called "guitar rock" in 1988, so I didn't buy the album. I should have. It's very of its time, and since I'm not 18 anymore, it feels like less of a surprise to me than "Cult of Personality" was when I first heard it. I can tell it's building on some things that came out right before it (Public Enemy, Bad Brains, RHCP) in that period of waning hair metal and ascending alternative. Anyway, I like this kind of big, stupid guitar/bass heavy funky rock, and I really like the vocals. I didn't add the whole album to my library though, there were some tracks I enjoyed less than others. I added "Cult of Personality," "Middle Man," "Glamour Boys," and "Which Way to America" to my library. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synes ikke dette var spesielt bra.

Cult of Personality is a banger, so minimum 3 for this album. The question is whether there's anything else that justifies going to a 4, which is really just another way of asking whether Glamour Boy is worth a full point on the 1-5 scale, since everything else is just kinda eh. No, no it is not.

It’s the capital R rock of it, with the obvious slam poetry lyrics. I ain’t buying it The mix of Metal and Funk with the spotless 90s production has a maximal effect that makes me cringe.

hey man, what a fun listen. late 80s hard rock meets the real shit level themes of late 80s new york from the eyes of the black men who rock harder than most of the contemporaries of this time. C.O.P. Still stands the test of time as a political stinger and hard rock riff STANDARD, but damn they have some jams on here about housing, poverty, and the american dream. This shit knocks and i do think it deserves to be on here as a representation of hard rock from the 80s. Damn these foos got funky with it to at times. I will rate it as a 5/5, but out of 10 it would be somewhere between an 8 and a 9. damn these dudes are super technical with it, the drums and the bass and the guitar are all just grabbing my attention without any remorse, then these dudes decided to fake me out on Funny Vibe with the funk fade out that hits back with the instrumental right hook. This album is sooooo colorful.

was not expecting Public Enemy to show up on Funny Vibe lol. not really that strong to me, but when it sounds the least like late 80s cock rock it can be pretty fun. pretty social too. I like when those two things are combined like on Which Way to America. deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe

LOOK IN MY EYESSSSSSSSS WHAT DO YOU SEEEEEE???? THE CULT OF PERSONALITY 🤤 Utter 80’s guitar worship vibes, although no song even comes CLOSE to ‘Cult of Personality’, a favourite due to my love of wrestling (Moreso my long term fanatic adoration of CM Punk not sorry about it guys) - so much so that I actually won £10 singing and “rocking out” at my schools talent show when I was 12 lol memories xxx P.S - they made a very fun cover of ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ have at it

Kinda got me pumped

Fucking hell I really didn't enjoy this. What a slog, so annoying, fuck this shit. Just cause you can play your instruments well doesn't mean you're making good music

The album is okay but Cult of Personality is a 5-star song

new remastered version is weak and flattens out the joy of the original, choose your version well.

Funky metal vibes, singing like Prince with guitars cranked up to 'heavy'. Great. 👊

"Vivid" is a debut studio album by Living Colour. This album combined rock, metal, soul, funk and jazz fusion. The album starts with banger song "Cult of Personality" which is signature song of the band as well as highlight track from the album. It brings energy to listen to rest of the album. Other best tracks I like are "Open Letter (To a Landlord)", "Which Way to America?" and "Desperate People". I also love how this album sound fresh still today. The instruments especially guitar performance and vocal of the singer is also wonderful to listen in this album. But sometimes I find the album sounds repetitive . Some songs I don't like are, "Funny Vibe" , "Broken Hearts" and "Glamour Boys". Overall great debut album by Living Colour

"Cult of Personality" is a banger, but the rest of the tracks fail to live up to that high standard. Still, this is pretty good.

Living Colour never quite grabbed my attention enough at the time to buy an album or catch them live. On paper, "Vivid" has everything a hard rock fan like me should love: incredible guitar work, brilliant vocals, massive hooks, serious musical chops, and a strong sense of funk - which I usually love. The issue for me comes down to its complexity. It leans a bit too far into progressive territory - a genre I like, but don't love - and touches on jazz fusion, which I’ve never really clicked with. There is a cerebral edge to the song-writing that engages my brain rather than hitting me in the gut. Listening back today, I can certainly recognise "Vivid" for what it is: a very, very good album by a very good band. 'Which Way to America?' gave me goose bumps - not for the song alone but for the guitar solo by Vernon Reid - the highlight of the album. Four stars. 1 "Cult of Personality" (4/5) 2 "I Want to Know" (3/5) 3 "Middle Man" (4/5) 4 "Desperate People" (4/5) 5 "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" (4/5) 6 "Funny Vibe" (4/5) 7 "Memories Can't Wait" (4/5) 8 "Broken Hearts" (3/5) 9 "Glamour Boys" (3/5) 10 "What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)" (4/5) 11 "Which Way to America?" (5/5) Total - 42 Average - 3.8 386/1001 206/386 albums reviewed were new to me.

Living Colour was so revolutionary at the time. Totally just blew everyone else out of the water. A shame they didn't manage to keep riding the wave of popularity.

Best Track - "Cult Of Personality"

This had some nice moments, but nothing outstanding.

Hmm, already forgotten

Kind of sounds like a lot of the other 80s funk rock of the era. Like Spin Doctors and the like. Which I guess was kind of what they were going for. So good for them, and I can appreciate what they’re trying to do. That being said, this was never a genre I enjoyed.

I love black people...and the drums. Do note though that it's probably more of a 4.5/5 than a full 5, but I'll round it up.

Not bad

Verstaubt. War mal cool aber jetzt nicht mehr.

The open letter to landlords, though repetitive, really took the sound to all of the 80s rock beats. It was the sound of the 80s. This is a new genre for me, it's like conscious rap meets 80s rock. A pretty interesting sound that I would recommend checking out.

weird one. kind of fun, very cheesy! falls of pretty heavily towards the end

Nice slice of rock.

Cult of Personality is just so good, long live guitar hero

First 7 tracks shred. Bombastic fusion of funk - metal - pop - r and b and soul. Shame the album tails off but it didn't stop me really enjoying the band and I'll come back to this.

I feel like this album is a culturally important piece, It sounds quite modern, considering It is from the 1980s. However, It did tire me a lot and I don't think I will be giving It a relisten.

Not a big fan of songs that offer up listicles of historical figures (i.e. Billy Joel We Didn’t Start the Fire - even worse Fall Out Boy, or REM End of the World As We Know It or this Cult of Personality. Congrats for name-dropping Leonard Bernstein, JFK, MLK, Stalin, blah blah blah. Does nothing for me. this album well equally being decent at times does nothing for me musically. Just cause it’s a bunch of black dudes making rock music instead of rap it’s all mid. Not horrible but nothing to get me excited about hearing ever again.

Great 80s rock. No denying these guys can shred. But other than the hit single I doubt I’ll have it on heavy rotation. Cult of Personality

An absolute fire bomb underrated mostly one of the top albums of the 80s meaning top 20. Most taleknted and creative band with a mix of hard rock and funk like bad brains but much better fine tunned and technically better.

Great late 80’s rock classic

Cult of Personality is a total banger. The rest is fair to middling.

Simultaneously funky, groovy, and heavy with lyrics that are, unfortunately, still poignant today. Not to mention some of the best musicianship across the board. Everyone is firing on all cylinders. I believe that "Cult of Personality" has one of the best opening riffs in all of rock and is one of the best opening tracks on an album. While the other songs feature some out of this world guitar work too, its clear that this is the best song on the record. Very enjoyable and one I will definitely be coming back to after I listen to it today. 4/5

Meh

Great opening song. Quite a strange fusion of styles on this album, cool riffs and musicianship. Sounds dated now but still worth a spot on the 1001.

It's not exceptional rock but it's pretty good and above average in my opinion

Fønki og fin den altså. Starta sterkt og falt sakte men sikkert.

Some good tracks on this one, and some really good guitar skills on display. Some of the social commentary is pretty good, and sadly as true today as it was then. Flava Flav was a nice, if not minor, touch.

Second half funk metal took me by surprise, as they say don’t judge a flip by its flop

Just okay

Proof positive that writing songs is hard. These guys have talent to burn, and roughly half of this album is an absolute banger! The other half is a little less so, enough to cost them a star.

Touching on a plethora of rock genres, this album piques one’s interest and keeps it there, without the synth sounds that defined the decade.

hey, i recognise this from san andreas. doesn't hit the same irl

7/10

Nossa, quanto barulho! Também achei datado em alguns momentos, mas legal saber que esse projeto existe.. eu acho...

I like the attitude and creativity. But the songs don’t do much for me. They’re mainly just vehicles for Vernon Reed’s guitar. He’s got a sound, but it’s not my style. A 3.

Honestly, pretty good album. Holds up way better than expected.

I’d listened to Cult of Personality when I was younger because it is CM Punk’s theme song lol. Listening to it now some lyrics are kind of corny but still good. Rest of the album is fine.

I don't even remember this album and I'm in the middle of listening to it. 3/5.

enjoyed listening, prolly won't revisit.

Pretty boring

Meh! Pretty crappy really

Nothing special, it was a fine listen though.

I liked this alot, all except 2 songs. Solid 4 stars

Love this. Catchy tunes, great playing.

I’m not sure why a black group playing hard rock/metalloid rock should be such a unicorn, but given how many folks have followed in their footsteps (like, none?), I have to give them their due. I’d say the album is good not great. Vernon Reid’s guitar is good and I like Corey Glover’s voice. The songwriting is a mixed bag. “Cult of Personality” is a great song, as is “An Open Letter (to a Landlord)”; some of the others not so much. I hear Robert Christgau complained at the time that they sounded too much like Megadeth; yeah, Megadeth with a guy who can actually sing. 3.5 stars, rounding up.

Nope 1

Duller than I remembered

Really, incredibly diverse sound on this album. Guitars and percussion is downright thrashy at times, but then there's tracks like Glamour Boys, peak 80s pop indulgence. It would be a long list indeed to try and list all the different genres of music you can see influence from here. Worlds collide on this album, I'm a big fan. All that, plus the lyrical content makes this a straight up masterpiece.

Fantastic album

I never really understood the idea of comparing Kennedy and Stalin in “Cult of Personality,” but the song rocked. The rest of the album reminds me of Fishbone.

not for me, but bless them

meh.. nothing to write home about except track 1 do like these guys but they aren't a whole album kinda band for me. this record is muddy/bland non-descript 2.5

Cult of Personality is an all time great. The rest has its moments especially when they let Vernon Reid off the chain. Corey Glover is a respectable lead vocalist.

The guitars against the softer sound of the vocals is curt, abruptly cutting into his guy-next-door voice with force.

I have always felt there was something off about this album. The opener is such a killer track but then I could quite comprehend what came after - even at the time. I think the off kilter rhythm/riff of COP is what makes it really stand out and gives it an edge to this day. Everything else is a but pedestrian. I feel like they need more live seasoning or something. Songs are all well played but things need to be mucked up a bit. Lyrics are occasionally goofy. And Corey Gs voice doesn't always work. I have not listened to this album in decades. It is slightly better than I remember but still can't quite transcend into something I want to listen to again - save the opener.

I have been listening to this album for 37 years, and it is just as good now as it was then. Amazing debut from a great group.

Forsangeren lyder som Eddie Vedder, bandet lyder som tungere RHCP/Faith No more. Lidt forud for sin tid. Interessant hvor mange forskellige inspirationer der tydeligvis har været

Tunge grooves, fede riffs osv. Lugter af sved, tror ik lige jeg var i det humør i dag.

Sick opener. Great energy.

the last quarter was bearable

Honestly this isn't my favourite sound, but I do think it's a good version of what it is and I can hear the influence of a bunch of different genres within this album, which is cool.

Cult of personality was honestly all I thought was worth listening to. Nostalgic song due to me shredding that shit on Guitar Hero 3.

The Good: We get to be Vivid! The Bad: For us dyslexic that reads as Livid… The Ugly: Taken mushrooms expecting to see Living Colour… Oh what a joy this was! Don’t recall my exact age when I first heard Corey belt out a tune, or Vernon just showing us a different kind of guitar playing… but it was in the ‘80s and I was still young, dumb and full of … Reading some of the comments about this album, I can see where they come from in so far that the production quality has aged badly. What I don’t get is how there are so many comparisons made between LC and RHCP… I don’t see that at all as RHCP is funk based rock, in this is more in the realms of prog—just listen to those insane time-signatures! Then… then we have Broken Hearts… a song that showcases each musician’s prowess. For me, the guitar solo is one of my favorites of all time. The other tunes… as I hadn’t listened to the album in years, it was nothing but coming in from a snowstorm and finding your favorite blanket to warm you in front of the fire place. I’ve seen that the next album has also been added to the 1001 list, and that people are cheering that one as being better… maybe, however, this album is a great example on the shifting musical scene in the late ‘80s and a treasure to listen to. 5*

I didn't know this band. Not bad but a little to hard for me. Fair album.

Hey mais c’est la musique de cm punk ! Ce rock à papa pue des aisselles Là je subis l’écoute par exemple, je trouve ça sans intérêt Je crois que c’est un des pires albums de rock que j’ai écouté. Apres il y a cult of personnalité quand même

really fascinating look at the state of rock music pre-grunge, a combination of the earnestness of 80s stadium music with things rawer and heavier, as well as the genre's Black music roots. the band takes a lithe, driving approach to social-issue songs, and while some can drown in their own riffage, the highlights are incredibly purposeful and clear. the songs do get a bit samey after a while, and it's too bad that the genre experiments don't work quite so well given the band's funk roots. i've heard subsequent releases are angrier, more raw, and i'm intrigued by that, given the very genuine fury of this record's closing track - i wonder if the band finds their own weird outsider path, smashing the mirror they here hold up to friendlier rock music of the era. i hope they do!

Was surprisingly decent but felt like a parody hair rock band from a comedy movie set in the 80s

Great record! These guys kill it live. Cult of personality a cracker tune. But plenty of other bangers here!

Fantastic. Living Color took the best of at least four different genres and put out a solid album of great riffs, cool lyrics, exceptional beats and bass, and killer vocals. This is a great album!

Criminally underrated.

I had forgotten how fantastic this album is. It's nice to be reminded and reacquainted with the music. While "Cult of Personality" lives on via Classic Rock radio and playlists, the rest of the album has been mostly forgotten and deserves attention.

Debated between a 2 and a 3, but feel like it's on the lower end of that area. Didn't care for much of the tunes, a little too metal/punk for my taste and the more approachable tracks were heavily 80s. Pretty eclectic overall. Appreciate the black rock crew.

Listened to this on Juneteenth. Unique, with a message everyone needs to hear, still, almost 40 years later. Delivered with a heaviness befitting the substance. Massive. Intelligent. Heartfelt. And Vernon Reid rules, I think we can all agree. A personal top 5, and all these musicians are schooled. Will Calhoun is easily in my top 3 favorite drummers. An amazing unequaled feat in rock.

Eclectic album that does a lot, just not many things very well 3/5

мужской рок

actually loved

The Intro track kicked this nostalgia of Radio X and watching CM Punk, rest of the album was excellent too

Somehow I’ve never listened to this album despite it being omnipresent amongst the kids at the time. The singles are great. Vernon shreds. But if it wasn’t the cure or smiths, I wasn’t terribly interested. Anyhow, looking forward to listening. Update: it’s solidly okay! A few underwritten, a few generic, but a couple where they summon their power and really get ahold of one. Cult is still a legit anthem. I liked it enough to wonder about the follow up.

hard to relate as not so passionate about the USA

I really liked Love Rears It's Ugly Head -the single from the follow-up album- when I was a kid. It's quite a cynical message for a 10-year-old to enjoy but it's got a swing and I think it possibly reminded me of Paula Abdul, the video for Opposites Attract features singing cat which was very much the sort of thing young me was into. As to this record, Cult of Personality is cool and all but 80s guitar shredding just isn't my thing and has dated pretty badly. They do try to expand the musical palette a bit as the record goes on but it feels a bit aimless.

What a confusing journey. [Cult of Personality starts] : ah a rock album. I've heard this song before. It's good. Let's see what else Vivid has in store for us. [an hour of every single 80s theme/genre/stereotype] I... Uh... What? Songs are unnecessarily long, but not bad.

I'd only ever heard "Cult of Personality," which is no wonder because it's the best song on this album. Personally, I wish there was a bit more pop to this album, as I'm not really enthusiastic about this style of heavy metal. Respect to these dudes for being outrageously talented, and I can see how this influenced a lot of bands who followed.

It’s a real shame that the album opens with Cult Of Personality as it’s such a banger of a track that the rest of the album struggles to live up to. What follows is pretty good overall, some stronger moments sounding a little like contemporaries such as Steve Vai and Faith No More, but falling short by comparison. While the rest of the album is probably nearing 3.5 stars, I am rounding it up for Cult Of Personality just being there.

First song immediately sent me back to waking up to music blasting on a Saturday morning and working in the yard 🫩. Not my vibe but very Brett-coded. I could maybe get down with “I Want Know,” given enough beers and a boat. 2.5/5 stars

Incredible vibe

Really like this one, had me moving and grooving at my desk at work. I remember hearing this growing up and it definitely takes me back to helping my dad with projects around the house in the best way.

The way Cult of Personality just transported me to playing guitar hero legends of rock in the early 2000's is crazy.

liked this a lot more than I thought I would. cult of personality to start goes dummy hard, definitely the best song on the album. also liked the landlord one

I had very little expectations for what this album would be, and somehow, I was still really surprised. It's also very varied, which was a really nice surprise for an album like this. I think another notable thing about the album is that it isn't obvious that they're a black band. There are subtle ways that it comes out if you're paying attention, but to a casual listener, it's just a good rock album. So, the surface level of this album is a really good and varied rock album but digging into is very much worth it because you can see and hear some of the ways black culture influences their music. Favorite Song(s): Cult of Personality, Open Letter (to the Landlord)

Dåligt 80tal, nåt försök till att vara lite mer groovy än annat 80tal men lyckas förstås inte. Får mig att tänka på Electric Boys, man väntar bara på att Svullo ska dyka upp och gapa "För fet för ett fuck"

Att Mick Jagger står som medproducent på den här funk metal-smörjan säger mer om Jaggers dåliga omdöme än om skivan.

Om man lyssnar noga, finns det någonting långt bort i bakgrunden med en antydan till ett funkigt groove. En lite basslinga, en kör, ett riff. Men du måste vara uppmärksam. Lyssna noga. Annars går det dig lätt förbi i trista metalriff. Glamour Boys sticker ut både soundsmässigt och som ett riktigt lågvattenmärke i ett i övrigt ganska svagt album. Troligtvis den svagaste tvåan någonsin.

Det här var det vidrigaste jag hört på länge.

More hokey than I thought it would be, but fun overall

Knew "Cult of Personality," obviously, but I forgot "Glamour Boy" was also in pretty constant MTV rotation way back when. I thought this was a pretty good listen, and Vernon Reid is very talented. Was kind of blindsided by the Talking Heads cover, but it's good. Don't think this will hit my regular rotation, but I liked it.

Imagine if more New Wave evolved into this instead of Synth Pop. I like the mix of funk and metal. I feel like metal is the musical equivalent of what salt or vanilla or lemon juice are to cooking... a little bit helps enhance all the other flavors, but too much will overwhelm everything else. I think they got it right here (at least considering how popular metal was in 1988).

Funk metal really had a moment there didn’t it? Wayne’s World metal really. Anyway, these guys are well respected in the genre and everything and they’re obviously very good players but it leaves me cold.

Dated 80s alt metal mixing but I love the energy. I see the RHCP comparisons.

I was hoping for a heavy album today - thank you Generator for assigning me this sublime package, an album I think I have on vinyl or CD somewhere. I have a lot of respect for Living Colour as a band, and the contributions of all its members - particularly Corey Glover (my ideal of a rock vocalist) and Vernon Reid (awesome guitarist and apparently a very cool person). (OMG they look so young in the videos for this album - oh well, time passes for all of us, if we're lucky :-) (TIL Mick Jagger produced a couple of tracks on this album and played some tiny bits of harmonica?!? Okay...) This is a studio album but I can feel how they would have played it live, as an exceptionally vital and robust four-piece. (Also having benefit of many live recordings, thank you Living Colour :-) It's interesting that there are diverse views on categorising this album - I'll call it heavy rock with a healthy dose of funk. I love that it has political songs but I never saw Living Colour as straining to "be political". This album includes Cult of Personality (one of my favourite rock songs of all time), and five other songs I love. Then there are five other songs which somehow didn't get warmly stuck in my memory long ago, but I'm perfectly happy to hear them again, and with a listen or two I can warm to all of them - and I can now see stylistic breadth of the album as a plus. So overall, for me, this is Incredibly Wonderful, 10/10 :-)

I liked the second half better than the first half.

I always liked this energetic blend of hard rock, metal and some other styles (sounds funky at times).

Fun, energetic music to rock out to. Entertaining and catchy with really impressive guitar riffs and bass licks. 4/5

🎧Good lord this music is lame

Really good. Plenty of variety, some excellent musicianship on show (particularly the virtuoso guitarist), and great energy. Maybe sagged a bit in the middle, but would definitely listen again.

What a great album. Cult of Personality certainly shines against the rest of the album - but there are other highs on the album. Some of the basslines were amazing.

I feel like this aged like fine wine. Great grooves, fun vibes, heavy but not in your face. Nice blend of genres that had my foot tapping the entire time.

muy muy muy buena música. te hace querer leer la letra.

Kind of a top heavy album. The playing is good throughout, but most of the songs don't come close to the quality of "Cult of Personality". 3/5 Might listen again.

Obľúbený album môjho najlepšieho kamaráta. Ale nie môj. Muzikanti sú to určite skvelí.

i had never heard of or listened to this group before, it definitely has a uniqueness to it that i appreciate. theres a freshness to the classic rock vibe. it has insane guitar riffs and vocal elements that you wouldn't expect. great basslines too. the vocals are incredible and have such great tone. i can't believe i have never heard any of them before but i'm glad i got to experience this now!

I feel like outside of Cult of Personality this album is very meh. 3/5

Supergenerisk hard-rock/metal.. Når det er så lite metal fra før er det skuffende at dette er her. Helt ok å høre på forøvrig, men ikke noe spesielt.

I now understand why I only know them for the one song, amazing on it own but the album as a whole was just *okay*

I'm pretty ok with it, good guitar hero memories Will I listen to again: 39%

"Cult of Personality" is a banger that aged extremely well. The second song is quite the tone change.

Only knew the one hit. The others sounded about what I would expect from them, not in a bad or good way. Just in how similar it sounded.

Bit corny but amazing musicianship. I love the influences that came from this album.

Highlights: Excellent near perfect album! Cult of Personality, I Want To Know, Middle Man, Desperate People, Open Letter (To a Landlord), Memories Can’t Wait, Broken Hearts and What’s Your Favorite Color? 4.5

Liked this. It is a bit dated, but still enjoyable.

One of the so many average albums on this list. Quite nice but nothing special and nothing more.

Remember when they had just one decent song? And some dickhead decided to include the whole-ass album that contained that song on a list of albums I should listen to before I die? That guy has wasted so much of my time. What a prick!

Derivative and dull

A melange of all things 80’s soft rock and as a consequence nothing stand out. Listened in the car with my brother and he would think I’m being generous at 2*

Sounds like so many bands doing the rock/funk/pop crossover thing in the late 80s. Nothing to see here. 2*

Booof, super ochentero, rockerito en plan bien. Me sirvió para servir en el gimnasio y levantar mucho. Noice!

It was unexpectedly great

Corey Glover has the perfect pipes for music like this, damn. What a clear, powerful voice. I’ve heard the immortal “Cult of Personality” many times before (it rips), but the rest of the album was unfamiliar to me. There’s a streak of hair metal through this that really works. Instead of being corny, it imbues the record with a bright popiness that (in my opinion) makes it more gripping than other metal albums of its time. That also means that it sounds a little dated, but, hell, it was 1988. That sonic palette really sticks to things. Strong three.

te bien, quizás se pueda hacer un poco repetitivo, pero esta bueno

Heard Cult of Personality before. Just some average late 80s rock. Nothing spectacular, it was ok 2/5

2.8

I've been acquainted with Cult of Personality for about 20 years now, since Guitar Hero 3 (I played a ton of San Andreas too but almost exclusively listened to K-Rose). But I don't think I've ever listened to the entire album in all of that time. I was a bit nervous the album would have no edge from I Want To Know and become pretty poppy, I don't think I would have enjoyed the rest that much if it was like that. But there's still punch in tracks like Funny Vibe and Middle Man A good funky time. 3.5 Highlights: Cult of Personality, Middle Man

Just the opening track alone is enough to make me love this record

Ihan ok funk rockia. 3/5.

Kicking off with Cult of Personality sets a bar that's hard to top, and this record kinda fails at that. It's a fun and consistent listen. I didn't find any bad songs, although some of it sounded like fairly generic 80s metal. The middle of this dragged a bit, and overall it felt like a curio rather than a proper record

In another universe, Living Colour is one of the biggest bands of all time. This is a black band in the 80s reclaiming rock and should have been much bigger than it was.

I like funk, and I like metal. They are two genres that work very well independently of each other, but not so much when they are put together. In rare cases is can be done well, but this unfortunately is not one of them. It's just such a weird conflict of styles that makes it come across as more cheesy and honestly quite immature than anything, even though it doesn't seem to be the intention. It's frustrating, the actual instrumental performances are absolutely fine, but the whole blending of genres here is really what drags this album down. It's almost nu-metal adjacent (although nu-metal seems to be having much deserved critical reevaluation at the moment), except without the same edginess, just really the cringe but still seemingly taking itself very seriously.

Kinda too much early 90s vibe for me.

This one really grew on me. Great guitars, beats and funkiness throughout!! BOOGIE-ABLE

Meh

Very fun album. Strong political and social messaging mixed with fun songs and instrumentals. Some 80s cheese thrown in there.

Fun album full of good energy. Cult of Personality is still a banger. 4/5

Got that 80s American hard rock vibe with funky bass lines thrown in. Never heard of them, glad I came across them. 3.5 stars.

I remember the buzz around the album/band when it came out in the late 80s. To me it was pop hard rock…too glam in sound. The lyrics have good strong political messages, and I like Glover’s voice well enough. It’s energetic too. But I just don’t love the music. And other than the band being one of very few in the genre with a Black singer, the music isn’t really notable to me, even though the hits are recognizable.

Not my genre of music

Immediate throwback to playing GTA San Andreas, driving through the countryside and blasting Radio X. The rest of the album is ok but not my cup of tea

Classic, but not great.

Had me, lost me, got me back 3.5/5

eigent ziemlich gut, dad rock mäßig aber noch unteressant

I forgot how much I enjoyed this album. They are great musicians and I love it when you can hear the bass in rock. Especially when it's got some funk to it. Also why are we listening to songs written in the early 90's that lyrically still point out problems we have now? Also how did those problems get worse?! It's very much of it's time tonally. You can listen to it and go, early 90's. I'm not saying it's a bad sound but you can tell. I'd be interested in what folks that never heard this before would say about it. I like this album. I added it to the library and will now listen to everything they did.

Horrid

3 or 4

Not sure how this made it onto the list! It's not awful, but won't be listening again

Bit of a struggle but quite enjoyed some of the more disco / funk bits

Unusual choice. Not unlistenable but far from essential

New to me. Not absolutely unlistenable, towards the middle of the one stars. Tom.

My kid LOVES “Cult of Personality”

Pretty fun.

I listened to the heck out of this album in the 90s. It still rocks, if it's just a bit dated. Great guitar and bass playing. Very high energy, hard rock with some other stylistic elements. All very good! 4⭐️

My wife and I were listening to “Glamour Boys” and she said she thought they were saying “I am the river boy” and I said they were saying “I am Banana Boy” like a fruit-themed superhero’s sidekick. Mango Man and Banana Boy. https://tenor.com/mYK0EXm9hU6.gif

It's CLOBBERING TIME

Rv

Cults of Personality is a straight banger. the rest represents all that was wrong with 80's rock

Gosh, "Cult of Personality" is such an iconic rock song that seems to have transcended all of pop culture. But I must admit, I've literally never heard anything else from Living Colour before today. Everything just sounds full and vibrant (especially the drums), plus it's a little funky and melodic too. Some humor mixed in with the social commentary of it all as well. Just a fun and energetic alt rock album that probably doesn't get as much recognition as it should.

An okay album, just liked I Want To Know and Should I Stay Or Should I Go the most.

This was a weird album. The first half was like the kind of rock music you hear in a dingey American bar where all the tables are sticky, and then the second half was.... reggae? funk? what?? Maybe I'm missing something, but this album felt confusing and unenjoyable.

Joseph Stalin reference is an automatic four stars

I put this album off for a bit before listening. I'm really glad I did. I'd only ever heard Cult of Personality, but based on that I figured if I was in the mood for it I would love and I really did. Just great hard rock/metal.

Quite easily forgettable 80's hard rock album. Couple of highlights raise it above totally forgettable (well, highlights on this album at least). The standout tracks for me are 'Cult of personality' with it's Led Zeppelin type of riffing and Talking heads cover 'Memories can't wait'.

Sound is so end 80s. I don't even know what to think of this... This just doesn't speak to me but in the same time totally fine listening exercise.

#382 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I remember when this came out. I was kind of disappointed, because from the hype I expected proper metal album, but was greeted with a hard rock one. Took me quite a while to appreciate them, especially since in '88 I was already elbow deep in thrash and death metal. Their hard rock is sort of bouncy, fast to tun into another direction, but also very familiar, of the same era it reminds me of Joe Satriani's "Surfing With The Alien" record, while not as guitar centric. It's not bad, but it holds so much skewed nostagia that I'm not really shure if it's awesome or not. I'm torn between 2 and 4/5, so 3 it is. 3/5

"Cult of Personality" is a stone cold rock classic, I've heard it dozens of times and it fuckin' rips every single time. I'm so glad the rest of the album is just as strong as the lead track.

not for me

I am aware of the existence of Living Colour and have 1 song liked by them on Spotify - which is their radio hit "Cult of Personality" but that's it. I don't think I ever really listened to this whole thing - so I'm very interested to dive into this more and see how this goes. Thoughts after listening 3 times... "Cult of Personality" - was interesting to listen to again in 2026 - where in the USA we have an actual cult following of one of the worst humans in world history. I don't understand why, but for some reason at least 1/3 of the citizens of this country actually love the criminal's personality. I find the felon's personality repulsive and completely buffoonish. Have cults of personality always been this incredibly stupid?? "Middle Man" - pretty cool "Open Letter to a Landlord" - pretty good "Broken Hearts" - liked this one - not as spastic or squealy Outside of these 4 songs, the rest of this doesn't seem to be grabbing me. I'm not sure how much of a fan I am of the high pitched squealing guitars and the often spastic feeling of some of these songs. I've noticed I've had this same issue with some other heavy metal/hard rock bands. Although some of my favorite bands are in the "hard rock" category (such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pearl Jam) - they just do it better I guess. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/11 Rating: 2/5

"Cult of Personality" is an all-timer and there is no disputing this. the rest of side A is just kinda fine. then on side B they crank up the eclecticism and it becomes lots of fun.

I’ve heard Cult of Personality hundred - if not thousands - of times before, but pretty sure this is the first time I’ve listened to the rest of the album. It’s still very late 80s, but some of it is way more Huey Lewis sounding than I expected. I hear the mid-80s melodies and late-80s bass drums. I certainly appreciate their impact on 90s music much more after listening to the complete album.

This album is basically Cult of Personality under different disguises. If that’s all it takes, that’s fine. Not a great album but it keeps the tempo up from start to finish. Choice cut: Cult of Personality

fierce

a good listen but wouldn’t be a go-to for me.

giving this album one extra star just cause the cover art. #weloveagoodalbumcover

yeah i know the lyrics and themes of most of the songs still holds up this many years later due to the trump administration but its just so... ok. 3.5/5

A Heavy but very funky albums . and that’s cool to listen to once. I rate. Would be cool live . Bass tone is very mmmmmm tho

This is definitely a fun album; the funk metal is actually a great combination. Cult of Personality is definitely the best song on the album, but the final two tracks are pretty good. Especially, Which Way to America, which sounds like an INXS song (not the screaming part ofc) in my mind (I can't believe they aren't on the list).