It's Time This Forgotten '80s Rock Band Finally Gets The Spotlight They Deserve

There are many artists with whom you can pinpoint a specific era. While the songs may remain popular and appealing, it's clear they belong to a certain period of time. Not Living Colour. The rock band transcends space and time, standing out from all fads and trends and refusing to fit in with contemporaries. It's a true embodiment of the spirit of the genre, establishing Living Colour as indisputably one of one. Not only does the music withstand the test of time, but so too do the lyrics, acting as a reminder that there's still a lot of work to be done to fix society's fractures.

The reluctance to jump onto the latest bandwagon has a side effect, though: the band isn't as well-known as other artists from its biggest era. While "Cult of Personality" — off 1988's "Vivid" — secured the group a Grammy Award in 1990, the truth about Living Colour is that it never received its proper due from the music industry. Look at the other nominees from that year — Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, and Mötley Crüe; they all continue to be big names to this day, so why not Living Colour?

From 1995 to 2000, Living Colour broke up. However, since its return to stage and studio, the New York-founded group has persevered, even if it has never reached the pinnacle of the scene. While history can't be changed, the future is there to be written. So, let's shine the spotlight on Living Colour.

Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" remains the band's biggest hit. Professional wrestler CM Punk has used it as his theme song for years, while it's the track that laid the foundation for another famous group: Rage Against the Machine. "Tom Morello once told me that he had been thinking about forming a band when 'Cult Of Personality' came out — it prompted him to do so," guitarist Vernon Reid told Classic Rock. "We were part of a genuine cultural change."

Take nothing away from it, because it's one of the rock songs we'll be blasting on repeat 'til the day we die, but Living Colour deserves as much love for its other catalog of work. "Type" — off the 1990 record, "Time's Up" — stomps with a gargantuan groove and a buzzing guitar riff that should have been all honey and money. Fast-forward to the opening song from 2017's "Shade," "Freedom of Expression (F.O.X.)," and it's astonishing to see how the group hasn't missed a step, despite having been around for decades at that point.

Even more impressive is the fact that every band member in Living Colour is over 60 years old, and their live shows rock harder than some of the limp trouts claiming to be rock stars in the modern era. So, sure, praise the group for "Cult of Personality," but let's finally elevate Living Colour to the pantheon of greats, where the rock band truly belongs.