Pride

Living Colour

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 14, 1995)
• Original Release Date: November 14, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029GK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,625 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars incomplete compilation/afterthought of a great band, October 5, 2003

By	S. Baker "sdbaker70" (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Released in late 1995, after the band disbanded, 'Pride' suffers from an identity crisis likely brought on by fulfilling contractual obligations.

First of all, there are 13 tracks that form a sort of "Best of" compilation of their three records. Predicaably, there are six tracks from their most successful, Grammy-winning debut, 'Vivid' (1988) - the hits "Cult of Personality", "Open Letter to a Landlord", and "Glamour Boys", along with "Funny Vibe", a live version of "Memories Can't Wait", and an extended mix of "What's Your Favorite Color? {Theme Song)". Also included are the hits "Type", "Solace of You", and the remix of "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" from the follow-up, 'Time's Up' (1990). What is grossly underrepresented is their most underrated third record, 'Stain' (1993), as there is only one single, "Nothingness", and a disposable instrumental, "WTFF". The later-era singles "Leave It Alone" and "Auslander" are conspicously nixed for less-memorable album cuts from earlier records, "Time's Up" and "Pride", which hurt the overall quality of this as a compilation.

When Living Colour disbanded, they were also left with four tracks in the mould of their third record, 'Stain' (1993) - "Release the Pressure", "Sacred Ground", "These Are Happy Days", and "Visions" - all of which are included here, but only one of which warrants inclusion on a "Best of" compilation.

A perfect compilation would have included:
1. Cult of Personality
2. Middle Man*
3. Open Letter to a Landlord
4. Funny Vibe
5. Glamour Boys
6. Which Way to America*
7. Elvis Is Dead*
8. Type
9. Should I Stay or Should I Go*
10. Solace of You
11. Love Rears Its Ugly Head
12. Bi*
13. Auslander*
14. Leave It Alone*
15. Nothingness
16. Visions

Sony knew that hardcore fans would buy this record for the last new output of the band, and casual fans would buy it because it has enough of the hits. Unfortunately, it is a poor representation of a great band's work. Fortunately, this will not be their last word (i.e., fast forward to October 2003).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Great Living Colour Hits (1988 - 1993) on 1 CD", October 7, 2003

By	Alex Shuris (Princeton, MA. (USA)) - See all my reviews

This is probably the only Living Colour CD that any true rock fan needs to own. Their 1988 debut "Vivid" is also essential, but only includes a few true hits. "Pride" compiles 17 tracks, ranging from 1988's smash "Cult of Personality", "Pride", "Type", "Solace of You", and "Nothingness" to 1994's "Sacred Ground." A live version of the Talking Heads song, "Memories Can't Wait" is also featured, along with a remix of 1990's "Love Rears it's Ugly Head", and 4 unreleased tracks, that were principally recorded in October of 1994. Vernon Reid is an under-rated guitar god, and his playing is un-parallel to any wannabe in today's world of rock. Pick this disc up, and you will never need to purchase another Living Colour album, unless you want a bootleg of their live show (I have a few of these very rare recordings).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fond memory of a truly great band., March 8, 2000

By	D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

What happened to Living Colour? Its songwriting was strong, its musicianship superlative, and its message clear-headed and intelligent. I suppose Living Colour's music was just too "difficult" for its listenership.

It didn't help that the band's second and third albums, 1990's Time's Up and 1993's Stain, were less hooky and more experimental than the band's rousing, catchy debut, Vivid. But even within those albums there were tuneful and satisfying moments ("Type" is possibly Living Colour's most dynamic song, switching from kickin' riff monster to ironic commentary to sweet vocal harmonies without missing a beat) to match the grinding power of "Cult of Personality" or that beautifully melodic intro to "Open Letter (To a Landlord)".

Pride isn't an entirely accurate representative of the band's work for, like so many '60s and '70s rock bands, Living Colour chose the album as its unit of choice. As a result, many hidden gems (eg. the original version of "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" and "Leave It Alone") are missing from this collection. Still, it's nice to be reminded of just how good this band was: Corey Glover added a subtlety and depth to hard-rock singing; Vernon Reid's guitar prowess was formidable; William Calhoun provided a mighty engine for the band, funky and hard-hitting at the same time; and both Muzz Skillings and replacement bassist Doug Wimbish served to both ground the music and to add melodic shades. Rarely did such a gifted collective of musicians work together so tightly, and their legacy should be cherished.