Living Colour - Live - Release Date: FALL, 2004 - Sony/BMG Music
Living Colour was one of the most cutting edge bands of the late 1980s, especially within the metal scene. Their music was not particularly anything incredible, but the band itself broke stereotypes and racial walls all over the country by being one of the earliest all African-American heavy metal bands. But to categorize this band as a heavy metal band is a stereotype at best. �Live From CBGB� offers many different styles from the same band. This recording was taken from a performance at the famed CBGB club in New York City in 1989, at the peak of Living Colour�s popularity. They delivered a blistering hour-long set for what is described in the liner notes as a predominantly black crowd, despite the �white� nature of the club or the band itself.
Regardless of racial boundaries, Living Colour brought a big helping of rock and roll to the club that night 15 years ago. The set was opened with Top 20 single �Cult of Personality,� in which the band played one of its more metal sounding songs. From there, the band ventured into an array of songs with heavy influences from blues to punk rock, jazz and metal. The band showcased its diversity, jumping from the funky �Love Rears Its Ugly Head� right into a blues track, �Soldier�s Blues� at one point in the set. �Solace of You� sounds as if it would more completely fit a beach setting complete with Hawaiian shirts and frozen drinks with little umbrellas in them. �Sailin� On,� which is located almost exactly in the middle of the set, is a barrage of old-school hardcore beats with lightning quick soloing from guitarist Vernon Reid.
Living Colour is a very complete band, something which is seldom seen in rock bands of the 1980s. Diversity among songs showcases the band�s song-writing talents, while vocalist Corey Glover is the perfect match for every style they offer. Vernon Reid may be one of the most under-rated axe-men of all time, as he can easily switch gears from producing Jimi Hendrix style sounds to rapid-fire metal solos ala Kerry King of Slayer to B.B. King style blues. The only criticism of this record is not of the band itself or songs on it, but rather of the sound quality. Like any live record, instruments are not always in perfect proportion with one another. On many tracks, the drums are far too loud for the rest of the band, and Reid�s guitar just is not loud enough for a guitar-based band. Still, the band�s talents show through, as the band plays a very tight set, and Glover�s vocals never go flat. This disk is highly recommended to fans of metal, blues, and even pop, as it has a little bit of everything.
OVERALL: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Awesome band, but the recording quality isnt amazing and the solos sometimes are too fast for the songs. Otherwise, very very good.
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