bigjim25

Living Colour Back With Fifth Studio Album by Michael D. Ayers, N.Y.
The cult of personality will continue on this fall, when purveyors of hard funk-rock Living Colour return with "The Chair In The Doorway" - the band's first set of new material in nearly six years. Due September 15 on Megaforce Records, the eleven song set was recorded in numerous locations over the last few years, with a majority of the sessions taking place at Sono Studios outside of Prague in the Czech Republic.

According to lead singer Corey Glover, most of the material started coming to fruition after the band was asked to re-record "Cult of Personality" for "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock." From there, the group fleshed out songs when on tour and while Glover had time off from touring duties as Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar." "We recorded everywhere. We even recorded during shows - ideas that came up during shows turned into songs," Glover tells Billboard.com. "A lot of that turned onto [bassist] Doug [Wimbish]. Doug made up a lot of grooves; we took a lot of grooves we had from soundchecks and gigs – and he sort of codified and made a library of that stuff."

In 1988, Living Colour made an immediate mark on the rock world with the multi-platinum debut "Vivid," an album that yielded a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Cult of Personality." In 1990, the follow up album's titular track "Time's Up" also won in the same category. While the group slowed down considerably after 1993's "Stain," all the members have been active with various projects over the years. Guitarist Vernon Reid has worked with Mick Jagger, Tracy Chapman, and recently K'Naan. Drummer Will Calhoun has contributed his talents to albums by Mos Def, Kaki King, Herb Alpert, and Wayne Shorter along with his own jazz oriented releases. Wimbish has also branched out considerably, working in many different genres including sessions with the Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, Placebo, Talib Kweli, BT, and Annie Lennox.

Glover says the perception over the years has been that Living Colour broke up and have entered a reunion stage of their career, but he's quick to dispel those notions. "Everyone sees the video and thinks we're a band from the eighties or we broke up or we're not together," he says. "But it's not a reunion thing. In some form or another, all of us have been playing with each other. Will and Doug have a band that I would sit in every now and then. Vernon had a band that I'd come in and do some stuff. Even in those times when we weren't together we were still playing together."

Long time fans of the band should be pleased with the new material, as "The Chair In The Doorway" retains Glover's signature, impassioned vocals, rounded out with a mix of hard rock, funk metal and blues-influenced arrangements. For Glover, the record's theme revolves around sentiments of introspection. "Because we are older, we got kids - that's the impetus for the name of the album, "The Chair In The Doorway." Sometimes it's the most ridiculous things are the most obvious. The most obvious thing to me is ‘Yeah we are older. Yeah we live in a post-9/11 world.' We do have these things. But we still got to eat. I can't let the world stop me from being me."

Here is the track list for "The Chair In The Doorway":
"Burned Bridges"
"The Chair"
"DecaDance"
"Young Man"
"Method"
"Behind The Sun"
"Bless Those"
"Hard Times"
"Taught Me"
"Out Of Mind"
"Not Tomorrow"

cdollaz

Hopefully it is better than the shitty Collide O Scope.

fiver

I didn't like their last album too much either at first, but I enjoyed it better after about 3 listens. I'm very much looking forward to this.

Michael

Jacoby Ellsbury

20 years, 1 good song, oh Im heavily anticipating this one.

A-aron

Awesome news! Collideoscope grew on me with repeat listens, and still gets some play in my Zune. Will buy this one on day 1.

huh?

Time's Up is a very good album. I actually think its their best. Only bad song is that stupid Elvis is Dead shit.

cdollaz

I would also have to include "What's Your Favorite Color" in the dumb song category.

johnbook

Will definately have to check this out, last one i got was Stain it grew on me after a few listens, first 2 albums were amazing stuff, looking forward to 9/15.

DarthMarino

The song "Behind the Sun" from the new album is available on their Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/livingcolourmusic

Obey The D

I didn't care for their last album, but I have to disagree with you. Vivid and Time's Up have some great songs on them. Even Stain, although a bit of a departure for them, has some solid tracks as well.

cdollaz

I don't really care for that song at all.

comanche_doyle

I've got Corey Glover's solo album "Hymns". I really dig that. Stain and Vivid are the only two Living Color albums I have, and Stain didn't grab me. Maybe it's time for another listen.

cdollaz

Try Time's Up. It's at least as good as Vivid, if not better.

A-aron

They're playing the Ram's Head in Annapolis on Sept. 12 .. gonna have to see them live again

A-aron

Wouldn't ya know it .. my dear brother backed out on me for tonights show .. anyone in the Baltimore/Annapolis area want to go with me?

cdollaz

They cancelled the Houston show. Thanks for nothin.

A-aron

Man can these guys still rock! They opened with some of their hits, performed the entire new album, then closed with Cult ... Encore was Love Rears ... just an absolutely wonderful show, and while they all look older - Corey sounded fantastic, and the rest of the band was in fine form.

I will admit that I haven't seen a lot of concerts, but Wil Calhoun did a drum solo that just about brought the Ram's Head to the ground. That man is amazing!

If you are/were a fan of LC - you have got to check them out when they come near you.

As for the new stuff, if the CD sounds anything like their performance tonight - I could certainly see at least 2 singles - though I don't think the "asshole" song will get radio play.

fiver

I'm going to the Michigan show in couple weeks. I've never seen them live before, but I started spinning their last disc and was really amazed with some of the songs on there and just had to see them since they're coming so close to where I live.

Now I'm really anticipating the show

Michael

dvduser6

I think I'll check out the show next Thursday at the Key Club in LA. Just got the CD today. It's a pretty solid effort. No real standout tracks right now since there is so much new stuff that I have to get through: Porcupine Tree, Megadeth, Living Colour, Muse, Alice In Chains (due on 9/29).

A-aron

I find myself singing "Asshole" all the time .. man that song has grabbed me

A-aron

FYI - Living Colour will be on Jimmy Fallon's show tonight

cdollaz

I finally got around to listening to the album and I really don't like anything about it. It's even worse than Collideoscope, which I didn't think was possible. Ugh.

dvduser6

Really? I thought just the opposite. I only found one or two songs from Collidoscope that I liked, but the new one I've been playing pretty much non-stop since I got it. Anybody in Los Angeles going to the show this Thursday?

Obey The D

I'm with Jippy on this one. I pretty much hated Collidoscope, however, I'm really digging this album. It's still too early to tell, but I think this may turn out to be my favorite thing they've done since Vivid.

sergtv

i've never been a huge fan.. but after tonight i am.. I saw them here in san diego and they rocked the house.. they played in a pretty small venue canes.. there couldn't be no more than 350 people.. they still killed it, i agree with the other poster, that drum solo was something.. i'll buy the new cd.