I have any original 'Vivid' lp on the way too me at the moment. I will report back after a listen our two
I almost get the impression that the label didn't quite know what to do with Stain although it wasn't as multidimensional as the previous two albums had been. Has there been any information about what the band was going through around that period. I've read/seen a few interviews since then but that don't really go into detail about it. It seems they really don't want to discuss that period.
I did not like the ambiguous linkage of Stalin and Mussolini with other people who, although not perfect, were certainly not guilty of anything on the scale of those two nor deserved to be mentioned as morally equivalent. For that alone I have always dismissed them. Just could not get passed it. Not trying to get into politics or history but just giving my outlook. I can kind of see what the point is that they are trying to make with the song and if their point was to make me feel uncomfortable it worked.
I’m going to ask about this next time see this person I know who was A&R at Epic/Columbia during that era and spent time with them during the tour. My guess is it’s similar story as others on the same label that broke up around that time: Warrant, Prong, Screaming Trees etc.
after reading this I think you missed the entire point of the song and the point was never comparing the people mentioned in the song to eachother
"Like Stalin and Gandhi I'm the cult of personality" Yeah they weren't comparing but lumping together.
Eh, its pretty clear to me its a CONTRASTING position, the yin and yang of human duality, what we see as good and evil. I think the singer in this case is inferring that it YOU that dictates buying into "the cult of personality" wether its Oprah, Martha Stewart, Barney, or the political figures mentioned in the tune. And fwiw, thats yr decision to put those labels (good-evil) on those figures, but realize this, those folks in Russia and Italy thought Stalin and Mussolini were pretty good guys, and more than a few thought Ghandi was an agitator, and Kennedy was an amoral Catholic that started the US down the path of the Vietnam War. Bottomline, I think yr thinking too hard about it. Just dig it for the kickazz tune it is, delivered with a lot of passion and frenzy.
I'll just say this and let it go. Stalin was responsible for millions of deaths through starvation in the Soviet Ukraine in 1931-1932. He basically stole all of the food from the farms and left none for the farmers themselves to eat. Instead of feeding the Ukraine he sold the food on the world market to get hard currency so the Soviet Union could buy industrial equipment. And we are just talking 1932. Yes I am sure many Russians then and today thought he was a good guy. I don't think Gandhi, Kennedy, and FDR deserve to be lumped in with such a person. The OP asked for thoughts. I gave them. Your statement that it is pretty clear that Living Color were making some sort of contrasting theme is highly contestable and not supported by the lyrics to the song.
You put an opinion up, and I commented on it. But like Matthew Tate said, its not a song about individuals, but a concept. You clearly don't grasp that, and yr wrong the lyrics that yr upset about clearly delineate what we've attempted to lay out to you. Thanks for the history lesson, me and my History/Poli Sci degree from the University of Florida ('86) appreciate the Stalin refresher....
the song is about falling in love with people, no matter good or bad, by their persona appealing to the masses and being a free thinking member of society instead of a follower. yes they are purposely naming good and bad people
I saw them early 1988, probably just before "Vivid" came out, in the Warwick University Students Union - Ele's Nest, to be precise, the club on the top floor with a capacity of less than a couple of hundred. They wore a lot of spandex, that was the *other* thing that stood out about them, an unusual sight in that part of the world. Sadly I don't remember a lot about the show, there was probably a tequila promotion that night (another unusual happening in that part of the world). I do remember getting a very good look at Reid's guitar playing as I stood right next to him at the front of the stage. I thought they were OK but heavy metal was a hard sell in those days; I didn't get the albums til much later.
Can't believe my luck, just received 'Vivid' on vinyl from an eBay seller and it is an original promo copy still sealed...for €12!!
Anyone pick up their 2018 RSD release, Live at CBGB's 12.19.89? The set includes several songs from Time's Up prior to its release. Owned Vivid and loved it except for Glamour Boys (what is up with the music video?) Recently got Stain and love it.
I bought the following CD for about $2 used, as I recall, just so I could get that version of "Talkin' About A Revolution".
Living Colour is a great band - really creative and eclectic songwriters. Fantastic musicians. Time's Up is my favorite album from them, but I've found plenty to love on each album.
I was really into Living Colour when they first came out. I was hooked from the moment I heard "Cult Of Personality". For some reason I lost interest after Time's Up and I don't really remember why. Perhaps Stained just didn't resonate with me. Also, I moved from the East Coast to Colorado in 1993 and my life changed quite a bit. Perhaps I had other interests drawing me at the time. I remember "discovering" the Japanese "Buscuits" CD at a record store in Greenwich Village, which turned me on to the possibility of import titles offering something a bit different. I couldn't believe it contained nine extra live tracks that the U.S. version didn't have! I paid something ridiculous for it at the time (like $27, which is nearly $50 in today's money), especially considering at 21/22 I didn't have a lot of spare income. I did get to see them once at the wild Benefit Concert for the Homeless in NYC in the summer of 1989. I posted my rememberances in another thread here back in 2014 I'lll re-post it here for those that might be interested: August 1989 - Living Colour - Benefit Concert For The Homeless at The Beacon Theater In New York City. I had recently turned 20 and Living Colour was riding high on the success of "Cult Of Personality". LC were actually good and the surprise guest was a solo Stevie Ray Vaughn who came out wearing a serape and his trademark "Lenny" guitar and played about 3 or 4 numbers. I remember there being a lone red spotlight on him for most of the time so it was hard to see his face under his hat. What made this one bad, then? Being a "benefit" apparently meant that LC could invite any number of their friends to get up and talk about whatever they felt like or to perform. I recall it taking about three hours for LC to even take the stage. Prior to SVR's performance we were treated to the likes of a homeless female rap duo calling themselves "Double Destiny" and KRS One rapping about the fact that "Jesus was actually a black man". My friend was so pissed off at KRS One that he went into the lobby until his set was over. Vernon Reed came out earlier in the proceedings and started talking about racial tension in the city and white people crossing to the other side of the street when they saw him coming. I recall him making a comment such as "you don't have to like me, but you have to respect me". Someone finally had it and told him to "shut up and just play" or something along those lines (the audience was overwhelmingly young white males). I recall he shot a "death stare" in the general direction of the comment and held it for what seemed like forever in awkward silence. The eventual show was good, but man what a marathon of endurance just to get to that point. What I didn't add was that the energy of the LC show was phenomenal. Corey Glover was leaping off of the amplifiers onto the stage at one point (full on squat, then launching himself in the air to land on the stage). I also recall they played several (at the time) unreleased songs. "Information Overload" (that wound up on 'Time's Up') really stood out for me.
