ARTIST: Living Colour
TITLE: Everything Is Possible: The Very Best Of
LABEL: Epic/Legacy
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 236kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 1h 16min total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-01-17
RIP DATE: 2006-01-11

Track List

01. Cult Of Personality             4:54
02. Open Letter (To A Landlord)     5:31
03. Funny Vibe                      4:21
04. Glamour Boys                    3:41
05. Middle Man                      3:48
06. Memories Can't Wait             4:31
07. Elvis Is Dead                   3:50
08. Type                            6:27
09. Solace Of You                   3:35
10. Pride                           4:54
11. Times Up                        3:06
12. Go Away                         4:02
13. Nothingness                     3:31
14. Burning Of The Midnight Lamp    5:29
15. Sunshine Of Your Love           5:14
16. Flying                          4:24
17. Love Rears Its Ugly Head        5:09
(Soulpower Hip Hop Remix)

Release Notes:

During the 1980s, rock had become completely segregated and predictable; the opposite
of the late '60s/early '70s, when such musically and ethnically varied artists as
Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, and Santana ruled the Earth. But bands such as
New York's Living Colour helped break down the doors by the end of the '80s, leading
to a much more open-minded musical landscape that would eventually pave the way for
future bands (Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust, etc.). The group (singer Corey
Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun)
first formed in the mid-'80s, with Reid being the only member with real prior band
experience; he was a member of Ronald Shannon Jackson's experimental jazz outfit, and
had recorded with Defunkt, Public Enemy, as well as issuing a solo album with Bill
Frisell, 1984's Smash & Scatteration.

It took the fledgling band a few years for their sound to gel, as they honed their
act at N.Y.C.'s famed CBGB's. But the group found an unlikely supporter in Mick
Jagger, who took the band under his wing, produced a demo for the quartet, and
helped them secure a record deal with Epic (just prior, Glover had to take a brief
leave of absence from the band, as he landed a role in Oliver Stone's Vietnam War
epic movie, Platoon). Living Colour's debut album, Vivid, was issued in the summer
of 1988, yet it would take a few months for momentum to build. By the winter, the
band's striking video for their anthem "Cult of Personality" was all over MTV,
pushing Vivid to the upper reaches of the charts and to platinum certification.
Living Colour also took home their first of several Grammy Awards, as "Cult" won
Best Hard Rock Performance at the 1989 ceremony, and the band supported the release
with a string of dates opening stadiums for the Rolling Stones' first U.S. tour in
eight years that autumn.

Starting with Vivid and continuing on future albums, the band showed that rock could
still convey a message (as evidenced by such tracks as "Open Letter to a Landlord,"
"Funny Vibe," among others). The quartet regrouped a year later for their sophomore
effort, Time's Up, an album that performed respectfully on the charts but failed to
live up to the expectations of their smash debut. An appearance at the inaugural
Lollapalooza tour in the summer of 1991 kept the group in the public's eye, as did
an EP of outtakes, Biscuits. Skillings left the group shortly thereafter (replaced
by studio vet Doug Wimbish), as their darkest and most challenging release yet,
Stain, was issued in 1993. Although it failed to sell as well as its predecessors,
it retained the band's large and dedicated following, as Living Colour appeared to
be entering an interesting and groundbreaking new musical phase of their career.
The band began writing the following year for what would be their fourth
full-length, but an inability to settle on a single musical direction caused
friction between the members, leading to Living Colour's demise in early 1995.

In the wake of Living Colour's split, all of its former members pursued other
projects. Reid issued a solo album, 1996's Mistaken Identity (as well as guesting
on other artist's recordings), while Glover attempted to launch a career as a solo
artist, issuing the overlooked Hymns in 1998 and finding time to appear as a VJ on
VH1 and acting in the 1996 movie Loose Women. Calhoun and Wimbish remained
together and launched a new outfit, the drum'n'bass-inspired Jungle Funk, who
issued a self-titled debut release in 1997 (Wimbish also issued a solo album,
Trippy Notes for Bass, in 1999). With Living Colour out of commission for several
years by the early 21st century, Calhoun and Wimbish teamed up once more with
Glover in a new outfit, Headfake, playing often in the New York City area. A few
days before Christmas in 2000, Headfake played a show at CBGB's, and were joined
on stage by Reid, which led to rumors of an impending Living Colour reunion. The
rumors proved to be true, as Living Colour launched their first tour together in
six years during the summer of 2001. Two years later, Living Colour returned with
a deal with Sanctuary and their most experimental release to date. Collide╪scope
was slated for an October release date.