Album
Vivid
Vivid is the debut studio album by Living Colour, an American rock band, released on Epic in May 1988. It opens a run of six studio albums that stretches from that first record to Shade in 2017, with Time's Up following in 1990 and Stain in 1993.
The band's sound sits where funk metal, hard rock and alternative metal overlap, and this record is where it first arrived on disc. It was one of the most popular albums of 1988, climbing to number six on the US Billboard 200 and earning double platinum certification from the RIAA. For anyone tracing how heavy guitar music broadened its palette in the late eighties, it is a natural place to begin with this band.
Vivid: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 49:14Tracklist
- 1Cult of PersonalityCalhoun, Glover, Reid, Skillings4:55
- 2I Want to KnowVernon Reid4:24
- 3Middle ManCorey Glover and Vernon Reid3:47
- 4Desperate PeopleCalhoun, Glover, Reid, Skillings5:36
- 5Open Letter (to a Landlord)Vernon Reid and Tracie Morris5:33
- 6Funny VibeVernon Reid4:20
- 7Memories Can't WaitDavid Byrne and Jerry Harrison4:31
- 8Broken HeartsVernon Reid4:50
- 9Glamour BoysVernon Reid3:40
- 10What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)Corey Glover and Vernon Reid3:56
- 11Which Way to America?Vernon Reid3:42
- Produced by
- Ed Stasium, Mick Jagger
- Recorded at
- CBGB, Skyline (New York City), Sound on Sound (New York City), Right Track (New York City)
- Recorded
- 1987–1988
- Mixed by
- Paul Hamingson, Ed Stasium
- Engineered by
- Paul Hamingson, Ron Saint Germain
- Label
- Epic
- Length
- 49:14
Line-up
- Will Calhoun · membranophone, vocals · guest
- Vernon Reid · guitar family, vocals · guest
- Muzz Skillings · bass guitar, vocals · guest
- Corey Glover · lead vocals · guest
- Chuck D · vocals · guest
- Flavor Flav · vocals · guest
- Mick Jagger · harmonica, background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Middle Man” · 1988
- “Cult of Personality” · 14 July 1988
- “Glamour Boys” · 1989
- “Open Letter (To a Landlord)” · 1989
- “Funny Vibe” · 1989
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1988–1989 | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1988–1989 | 2 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1988–1989 | 11 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1988–1989 | 15 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1988–1989 | 52 |
| Dutch Albums · 1988–1989 | 92 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1989 | Platinum |
| New Zealand · 1989 | Gold |
| United States · 1994 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
67.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
48k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
3.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1988-05-02 vs 1988-09-18 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 September 1988 | ignored lone early release dated 1988-05-02 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 2 May 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 1988 | |
| US release | 18 September 1988 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1988 | earliest UK or European date |
16 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Epic | 5099746075828 | other |
| 1988 | NL | Epic | 5099746075828 | other |
| 1988 | US | Epic | 074644409918 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Epic | 5099746075828 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Epic | 07464440992 | other |
| 1988 | GB | Epic | 5099746075811 | other |
| 1988 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1988 | US | Epic | 074644409918 | other |
| 2 May 1988 | XW | Epic | 5099746075828 | original |
| 18 September 1988 | US | Epic | 074644409925 | other |
| 1989 | JP | Epic | 4988010220655 | other |
| 2002 | US | BMG Direct | other | |
| 2002 | US | Epic | other | |
| 2002 | US | Epic | 886977035623 | other |
| 2003 | XW | Epic | 696998598522 | deluxe |
| 2020 | XE | Music on Vinyl | 8719262013797 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |