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Rating: I decided to write a review of Vivid because I love funk rock and because Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a masterpiece of funk rock and one of my favorite albums, has already been reviewed too many times (and not that well...).
Vivid is one of the few albums that authentically expresses that sub-genre of rock mixed with funk, which is funk rock. In this album, Living Colour includes heavy guitar riffs in hard rock style but alternates these with numerous pieces worthy of funk masters such as Funkadelic, Sly Stone (maybe I'm exaggerating). A dirty and defiant funk; Living Colour will be among the main exponents of the first wave of crossover, in addition to the already mentioned Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine, and Les Claypool's Primus.
An original style that of Living Colour, already introduced by RHCP in the '80s but calibrated differently by Corey Glover on vocals and Vernon Reid's lively guitar.
It is Vernon Reid who demonstrates his qualities in the album's flagship track; Cult of Personality, stylistically it is the classic hard rock song, full of emotion and an adrenaline-charged chorus. Vernon Reid in Cult of Personality is superb in managing his incendiary guitar, culminating in one of the most important solos in rock history, so much so that it ranks among music's top 100 solos. Middle Man and Open Letter (to a Landlord) follow the line of Cult of Personality; powerful riff and drums set ablaze. Energy and passion merge together in Desperate People and in Which way to America while we find authentic funk imprint songs: Glamour Boys, with a funky rhythm in the opening, showcases a hard rock chorus, and Funny Vibe is a lesson in the intertwining and distortion of musical genres, crossover in its purest form.
An album that stands among the pillars of '80s black music; a band underrated and almost ignored by the European audience, but in America, songs like Glamour Boys and Cult of Personality have captivated a large audience. Many say their subsequent album Time's Up is a more mature work, but what is expressed in that album originates from Vivid, in my opinion the band's masterpiece... Time's Up, which I also appreciate, may be more pleasing to some, but everything starts from Vivid...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Cult of Personality (04:54)
(And during the few moments that we have left
We want to talk right down to earth in a language
That everybody here can easily understand...)
Look in my eyes, what do you see?
The Cult of Personality
I know your anger
I know your dreams
I've been everything you want to be
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the Cult of Personality
The Cult of Personality
The Cult of Personality
Neon lights, a Nobel Prize
When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You won't have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face on your T.V.
I'm the Cult of Personality
I exploit you
Still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi
I'm the Cult of Personality
The Cult of Personality
The Cult of Personality
Neon lights, a Nobel Prize
When a leader speaks, that leader dies
You won't have to follow me
Only you can set you free
You gave me fortune
You gave me fame
You gave me power in your God's name
I'm every person you need to be
I'm!
The!
Cult!
Of!
Per!
Son!
Al!
Ity!
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
I'm the Cult of
Personality!
(Ask not what your country can do for you...)
(The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!)
03 Middle Man (03:47)
�Middle man'
I don't have a need to be the best
Don't want to be just like the rest
Just stay who I am
Just an ordinary middle man
Give me the happy medium
Don't want to be the one whose leading them
I've got no master plan
Just a simple Middle man
Standing on a fine line between this and that
Just biding my time waiting for a sign
to tell me that I'm something special
My ideas are mine alone
Not yours, not theirs, but I care
I hurt for you, but not with you
I love that thing that's inside you
but I'm not your fan
I'm a stranger in a strange land
I'm your middle man
But I'm not your fan
I'm a stranger in a strange land
I am your middle man
Middle man yeah, yeah
I'm not your fan
I'm just a middle man
yours, theirs, but I care
I've got no master plan
Just stay who I am
Just a middle man
05 Open Letter (to a Landlord) (05:32)
�Open letter (to a landlord)�
Now you can tear a building down
But you can't erase a memory
These houses may look all run down
But they have a value you can't see...
This is my neighborhood
This is where I come from
I call this place my home
You call this place a slum
You wanna run all the people out
This is what you're all about
Treat poor people just like trash
Turn around and make big cash
chorus:
Now you can tear a building down
but you can't erase a memory
These houses may look all run down
but they have a value you can't see
Last moth there was a fire
I saw seven children die
you sent flowers to their family
But your simpathy�s a lie
Cause every building that you burn
is more blood money that you earn
We are force to relocate
from the pain that you create
Chorus
We live here for so many years
Now this house is full of fear
For a profit you will take control
Where will all the older people go?
There used to be when kids could play
Without the scourge of drug�s decay
Now our kids are living dead
They crack and blow their lives away
Chorus
You've got to fight
You've got to fight
you've got to fight for your neighborhood...
You've got to fight
For your neighbor.
06 Funny Vibe (04:20)
(V. Reid)
No, I'm not gonna rob you
No, I'm not gonna beat you
No, I'm not gonna rape you
So why you want to give me that
Funny Vibe!
No, I'm not gonna hurt you
No, I'm not gonna harm you
And I try not to hate you
So why you want to give me that
Funny Vibe!
09 Glamour Boys (03:39)
The glamour boys swear they are a diva
The glamour boys have it all under control
Always dancing and always laughing
The glamour boys are playing the role
The glamour boys never have no money
The glamour boys wear the most expensive clothes
The glamour boys are always at the party
Where the money comes from heaven only knows
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy - ooh
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy
The glamour boys live off their ambition
The glamour boys have it all figured out
A very, very dubious position
When you got no clout
The glamour boys' whole life is a gamble
They might get over or fall flat on their face
But if one does, there's no need to worry
Another G-Boy will take his place
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy - ooh
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy
The glamour boys don't think about tomorrow
The glamour boys just need tonight to play
But just like things you can't afford on credit
Time catches up and you have to pay
The glamour boys are always on the guest list
You'll always find them in the hottest spots in town
They'll be your friend if you have fame or fortune
If you don't they won't be hanging 'round.
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy - ooh
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy - ooh
I ain't no glamour boy - I'm fierce
I ain't no glamour boy - no no!
(What do you mean my credit's no good?)
11 Which Way to America? (03:41)
(V. Reid)
I look at the T.V.
Your America's doing well
I look out the window
My America's catching hell
I just want to know which way do I go to get to your America?
I just want to know which way do I go to get to your America?
I change the channel
Your America's doing fine
I read the headlines
My America's doing time
I just want to know which way do I go to get to your America?
I just want to know which way do I go to get to your America?
Go west young, go west young man
Don't want to crossover
But how do I keep from going under?
Where is my picket fence?
My long, tall glass of lemonade?
Where is my VCR, my stereo, my T.V. show?
I look at the T.V.
I don't see your America
I look out the window
I don't see your America
I want to know how to get to your America
I want to know how to get to your America
America
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By Blackdog
Before Rage Against The Machine and Korn, there were bands that defined the coordinates of that musical crossover.
‘Cult of Personality’ anticipates the conscious and disillusioned political lyrics of Glover.
