Living Colour -Stain

In the late eighties/early nineties most black artist were considered either rap, hip-hop, or R&B in the music world.  Once Living Colour arrived on the scene that notion was shot to hell. They were rock, they were talented, they were black and they were here to stay!  Vivid was powerful, Time’s Up was eclectic, but 1993’s Stain was something different.  Aside from a new bassist in Doug Wimbish, this sounded like a culmination of some of the best parts of their previous releases.  Stranger still, it was one of their least commercially successful albums.  Luckily, that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable to revisit.  “Go Away” explodes right from the get go with Vernon Reid’s sonic assault with his guitar.  The bridges between chorus and verse allow Wimbish to show how funky his bass playing can be while Corey Glover sings of paying off your conscience’s guilt.  All the while Will Calhoun keeps the time both heavy and funky on drums.  This is a great opener and a good representation of the album as a whole.  “Ignorance Is Bliss” follows in a similar vein, but Calhoun really shines here.  Funky enough to make you want to dance, but heavy enough to make you want to head bang.  Lyrically it is another social conscience wake up call claiming ignorance to what is going on in the world is no excuse.  “Leave It Alone,” the lead single from Stain, follows the same aggressive tone but the sampling sets it apart from the first two tracks.  “We are always talking about peace, but it is pieces that we find” sings Glover over a bed of Reid guitar.  Next up is one of those more experimental songs similar to the material found on Time’s Up, “Bi.”  Easily the funkiest tracks on the album and not nearly as aggressive, this song feels like it was intended to let Wimbish shine on his bass playing.  Lyrically it is a bit comical referencing how being bisexual doubles the playing field.  “Mind Your Own Business” turns back up the intensity with it’s sludging off beat rhythm, it feels very influenced by Bad Brains.  It has that sort of media attack that even twenty some odd years later still feels relevant.  Another trash metal sounding song, “Auslander” has various rhythms from chorus to verse.  It’s not that it is a bad song, it’s just a little forgettable compared to the other heavier tracks proceeding it.  I would have liked to see the Prince cover “17 Days” placed here instead of it being a B-side.  It would have been a nice break before “Never Satisfied” jars you with Reid’s guitar playing.  Glover sounds angry and committed to never being satisfied about a lot of different things while Reid just shows off how gifted he truly is.  One of metal/rock’s more underrated guitar plays period.  What follows is one of Living Colour’s most beautiful songs to date that Calhoun wrote in memory of his late father.  “Nothingness” keeps the funky bass, but tones down the guitar to allow Glover’s words to harmonize and reach the listening audience.  The use of ambient outdoor sounds add to the listlessness of nothingness.  Switching gear quickly, “Postman” has the lyrical insight to a deranged killers’ thoughts.  By far the darkest track on the album.  Wimbish and Calhoun carry this tortured trip until the song’s end.  I feel these two work better than Calhoun did with former bassist Muzz Skillings.  “WTFF (What The Fuck Factor)” is the lone instrumental guided mostly by guitars and sampling.  Not quite as good as “What’s Your Favorite Color,” but it is a break from the heavy and a segue to the remaining tracks.  “This Little Pig” has a heavy police brutality quality to it.  Wimbish, again, keeps the bass funky while the drums are in the forefront.  It is also another off time rhythm that makes the listener feel off for the duration of the song.  “Hemp” is a very eclectic and almost out of place track amongst the political angst of the majority of Stain.  It features spoken word lyrics by Andrew Fairley.  Longing and a bit haunting as the guitar synthesizer guides you along the story being narrated by Fairley.  Then we get to my favorite track and the closer, “Wall.”  This intense number is all about overcoming the wall of hate that separates so many.  You get all the best parts of Living Colour in this one song; Glover singing with conviction, Reid being masterful on guitar, Wimbish letting the bass be funky when it needs to be, and Calhoun keeping everyone in time with his powerful drumming.  It feels like the darker side of “Type,” another personal favorite.  All the sound effects and sampling as the song draws to a close makes you realize that this is a the perfect song to end an album.  While it would be another ten years before the band would reunite and release Collide scope, Stain is a much better album than what it is usually credited for being.  Very political and heavy, it is a taste of what was to come once the guys got back together.  So as we wait for 2015’s Shade later this year, go back and enjoy one of Living Colour’s lesser known albums in Stain.