Living Colour
Live at CBGB's

THE REVIEW

The Sanctuary releases this double live CD recorded by Living Colour at CBGB in New York, during the tour of their debut album "Vivid".

We are at the end of the eighties and the band led by the eclectic guitarist Vernon Reid, a devoted follower of Robert Fripp, offers Hard-rock contaminated with a good dose of dance, hip hop, funk, and R&B. The deadly rhythm section, composed of drummer William Calhouhn and virtuoso bassist Muzz Skillings, is the backbone of the New York band's literally devastating sound, to which Reid's inventive guitar playing and the warm soul voice of singer Corey Glover are added.
The result is one of the most successful crossover experiments in rock history. The concert at the legendary New York venue - one of the temples of rock history - obviously leans on the tracks from the first album, real classics like "Cult Of Personality", "Funny Vibe", "Middle Man", but also previews some songs ("Pride", "Information Overload", "Solace Of You", "Love Rears Its Ugly Head"), featured in the following "Time’s Up".

It is a live album that shows how Living Colour's music is still tremendously relevant today and how ninety percent of Numetal, crossover bands, or however you want to call them, today pale in comparison to these four extraordinary musicians. It's a shame they got a bit lost along the way - the recent "Calleidoscope" went practically unnoticed - and that, apart from the excellent "Stain", now dating back over a decade ago, they never regained the energy of their beginnings.