Vernon Reid: My seven favorite Living Colour guitar riffs

[@kickbaktube]

When this band came out Vernon Reid stood out amongst all the other shred guitarist at the time. The Cult of Personality solo is to this day still one of my all time favorites because of how unique his style was, his note choice, whammy bar nuances and free flowing speed runs. Thank you Vernon

[@erasenegatedelete]

It’s one of my top 3 favorite solos of all time! I seriously get chills when the solo goes from the spastic, almost cacaphonic stuff he does over the verse riff into the melodic, open notes over the chorus riff.. god help anyone who may be within arms reach whenever I hear that solo because I will shake them like a rag doll in time with the music 😂 It’s so freaking good

[@chrisjackson9626]

Always loved the solace of you riff.

[@thomaslutro5560]

Me too. In my view this is one of the mot unfairly overlooked gems in pop history. Beautiful song, every little part of it the words, the singing, the drums, the bass, the guitar.

[@msmoniz]

Vivid is still an astounding all killer no filler album that still sounds as fresh and vital today as it did when it came out. Been a fan since then.

cult of personality will forever live rent free in my mind and my heart

[@lordstanley34]

Been a fan since I was in high school - to this day, still love their music. Thank you GW for this upload and for giving the fans some time with Vernon. And Vernon, thank you, Sir, for sharing your time with us.

[@tymanngruter1808]

Love rears its ugley head is the song that opens all the mouts off our audience the most times, what a gem! ♨️🎸♨️

[@dprescigno]

Vernon Reid is one of the most creative, bold, and incendiary guitarists (and songwriters) of our time. Shout out to @GuitarWorld for shining a spotlight on him so that younger musicians can discover his body of work. Oh, and a secret: Vernon is a spectacular human being.

[@edwinh7908]

Met Vernon Reid At NAMM A While Back-Great Player & Super Nice Guy!!! Thank You Vernon For Being So Cool To Me!!!

[@Bodyknowledge77]

When I was in high school ( specifically Curtis High School on Staten Island) in 91' I was standing on the sidewalk blocks down from my school when I saw a guy in a sports car sitting at the red light who I said to;" Hey are you Vernon Reid!?" he replied; "Yeah, gotta go". This was immediately followed with him pointing forward.. It was time for him to ride because the light had changed! Legend! Living Colour what a band!

[@TheFireDucks-h2h]

So cool. I’m about to see him live again. Minnesota. What car?(nowadays He is not a sports car guy by on line persona.)

[@Bodyknowledge77]

@@TheFireDucks-h2h Enjoy the show. I don't recall the type of sports car( Lamborghini?). I'm not a car guy. I don't even drive! :-0 I also saw on a couple of occasions another S.I guitar hero back around that time driving his sports car. Vito Bratta. Never spoke to him though.

[@user-ci3hb4qo2u]

The cult of personality is one of my favorite songs!!! Man that guitar sound was incredible!!!!😊❤

[@DavidBall333]

Love all of these, but Desperate People riff gets me going every, single, time.

[@davidewing6394]

In my humble opinion, Vernon and the band are extremely underrated.

[@SHIFTYCHEF]

Love the "Ignorance Is Bliss" little bridge-type part at the intro. I remember woodsheddin' to the entire Stain album I had on cassette back in the day, playing along and learning it., and lovin' every minute of it.... no, wait....that's Loverboy. 😝😝😝😝 🤟👽 🎸

[@mikegallagher4388]

Love this guy so much! Can't wait to see them live again!

[@zakkwyldesliver]

For all the attention that Cult of Personality riff gets, the bass line underneath is 10x as killer.

[@PohlLongsine]

Love you, Mr. Reid, and your musical mind. I wish I had a nickel for every time a note you've chosen has given me chills. Mistaken Identity is in my top 5 desert island albums. Thank you for sharing your talents.

[@tastedup]

Been a Vernon Reid fan since Vivid came out, and have seen the band live 3 times. Cult of Personality and Type are 2 of the tastiest riffs ever, I spent untold hours trying to nail those. After watching this, I picked up a guitar and dusted off Solace of You, which I haven't played in a while, and it came right back to me. Love it!

[@tonymazz1721]

Burnin' Vernon still doing it. Been a fan 35 years

[@samivellamo3995]

Glamour Boys' message is still relevant. Maybe more than ever before. My fave.

[@markydee4683]

I love Vernon. Underrated if you ask me. Living Colour should be in the Hall of Fame.

[@ChrisPuckett]

@@markydee4683 he was the most popular and biggest guitar player in the world in 1990, so I don’t think he’s that underrated

[@andrewpappas9311]

Agreed

[@ShawnStradamus520]

Been listening to Vernon play since the days of the Sony Walkman! His music has been the soundtrack of my life ❤

[@adamodimattia]

I am so fortunate to have met him in person! He is a truly lovable and friendly man. He helped me to get an autograph from the great Ronald Shannon Jackson after their concert in trio with Melvin Gibbs (whom I had already known from before xd). Amazing concert, I think it was 2003 during Warsaw Summer Jazz Days festival, and the very next day I could see Vernon perform with Living Colour in the Old Town (I could be directly under the stage podium in front of the audience gates because I was able to get myslef a stage hands plaque :P, what a concert it was! Corey went into the crowd at some point, literally he mixed with the crowd, dissappeared for half an hour or more, never stopped singing! There were a lot of funny moments during that concert (like Corey climbing the stage towers, or wearing a t-shirt of the only black guy in the polish soccer team that scored the first goal against US during soccer championships in Korea that year), but my favorite was during "Elivis is dead" piece, when at some point Corey sang to the audience: "Elvis! - " and they would respond "- is dead!" multiple times, but I don't know whether it was the crowd that intentionally changed words of the song, or what the crowd kept responding was somehow distorted, but I kept hearing "- is gay!" instead of "- is dead!". And suddenly Corey made a break stopping the band and the crowd and said super clearly and solemnly to the mic: "Elvis is gay." - and the whole crowd me included burst into laughter, it was so damn funny. Maybe it's a Living Colour fans's thing to change the response in this particular song (I wasn't a fan yet back then, I knew only about Vernon from his jazz stuff, but I become one after that concert). I wish they'd done a recording of that concert, because it was better than any other live recording of them I had ever listened to. The energy was incredible.

[@danihellz]

Love Vernon and his “creations”, also - what an insanely beautiful guitar!!!

[@blackfishgaming7145]

Vernon has such a unique way of holding his pick.

[@jeffgutierrez8796]

Vernon is one of the most underrated human beings on the planet, aside from his God level guitar skills. He took the time to talk to the fans, signed everything put in front of him and posed for pictures. A humble and generous person who genuinely appreciates his fans. He talked guitar lingo with all of us for longer than expected.

[@FrankieStans]

Vernon all the way! ❤ Think that 'Type' was one of your greatest riffs!

[@cr4957]

I have loved Living Colour since the Vivid album. Vernon Reid is incredible, to me he is a mix of Hendrix, Zeppelin, African and avant-garde music. He is also very knowledgeable, I remember reading an interview where he mentioned Edgar Varese as an influence. Still today when I listen to the solo of Cult of Personality, this incredible explosion of energy with rapid and unusual intervals, I am ecstatic. His should get much more recognition.

[@galvarro77]

God Bless Vernon!!!!!!

[@kirstinline]

always liked his super bright tone.

[@tomhill9066]

I am glad that there’s nothing but love I see in the comments for Vernon and the band. And nothing about sloppy playing or about his extremely saturated and clipped guitar tone which he makes work so well in the live mix

[@erikgeiser8226]

Legend! Love the Desperate People riff

[@padistedor]

Dr. Vernon Reid! Living Colour will always be one of my favorite bands. Still listen to your songs today, saw you guys live in St. Pete FL back in around 2013. Thank you for your amazing music!

[@BC99]

One of the greats.

[@nicksideris2600]

time's up is a near masterpiece. great tour too!

[@ChrisPuckett]

Vernon’s jazz stuff is so amazing too

[@adamodimattia]

At first I knew him only from his jazz stuff, then I discovered Living Colour during their open air concert and I fell in love with the band too!

[@reneedegon1891]

Have been a fan from the beginning & have seen LC every time they’ve come through. Killer live band, great records thru & thru. Best part is, they are great people too. Vernon’s always been super cool every time I have had the pleasure to chat with him. Thanks for showcasing an incredible musician, human & band.

[@titaniusanglesmith6177]

One of my favorite bands....STILL.

[@ellisonlowrimore7751]

I saw Vernon And my eyes lit up!! Underrated guitarist!!

[@jaynerdrum3546]

You guys were amazing. I saw you at the LA Colosseum about 40 years ago. Your band opened for Guns and Roses and the Stones Steel Wheels tour. It was an all around incredible day. Thanks for the tunes. I have always been a big fan.

[@LuizAlexandre_lalex]

I am fortunate enough to have been in many many many shows, from McCartney, Rush, Maiden, Sabbath, Megadeth, Whitesnake, Purple, Judas, and many others. Living Colour show in Rio de Janeiro, in a small venue is in the top five . Vernon is such a superb player, creative and talented. Thank you Guitar World to bring him to the stage here.

[@jeffisabel1987]

A younger version of myself bought Vivid as soon as it came out. Vernon Reid's playing still does it for me. What a singular talent.

[@TheGorillafoot]

Awesome band he has. Great stuff here!

[@elephantbarrestaurantalsch9940]

Mr. Reid, every song you play is gorgeous. Must have been hard to pick. I agree with others, this is the life, is mind blowing. Times up is untouchable. You are incredible. I like your influences that you mention. I grew up listening to you, Stanley Jordan , and kings x, and have seen live multiple times all. So good. This is the life and times up are my two favorite live.

[@joshuacrime]

My favorite player after Hendrix. Learned so much from you, my dude. Playing Cult in my first cover band was a highlight. That tone is so filthy as well. Thanks, Vernon!

[@terryread7347]

As a massive LC fan, we need more of this! MORE, MORE!

[@noone-t8y]

A unique and wonderful player. Vernon is a genuine monster!

[@paredair]

Such gold here 😮

[@kriscostello1786]

Chair in the doorway is an awesome album, wish you guys played more from it and focused on it more

[@sirtogii5216]

YES YES AND YES!

[@jasonrickett561]

That reverend guitar is hot!

[@popblender]

Man, that tone without the band is hard to listen to. Cult of Personality riff is broken when listening to it this way. I remember buying the Vivid cassette tape when I was a freshman in high school and was a huge fan of "Letter to a Landlord" and Glamour Boys. Of course Cult was the jam at the time. But as a drummer, I loved trying to emulate Will Calhoun's left hand high hat syncopation while playing the ride with my right hand during the bridge of Cult. Broken Hearts was such a jam, but I especially loved watching it on the Vivid VHS cassette I had. It was a live version on the VHS, which also had the videos from the band. Such good memories! Vernon is awesome. Muzz Killings is awesome. Corey Reid is awesome. And of course, Will Calhoun is amazing!

[@michaeldipietro5010]

Writers relate what they know. Ditto for musicians. More music, more to pull from to create upon. The beauty of all art.

[@CDin-xh1kp]

Thank you guys! Some inspired music for sure:)

[@bengalinsky4300]

There’s just an incalculable level of stank in every note he plays. Love the guy

[@kneedeepinthedoomed]

I saw Living Colour live in Kiel, Germany, in the late 80s, and I loved their music. I got an autograph from Muzz. Unfortunately, LC played right after a local punk band who made it a sport to get people to throw bottles at them, using their guitars like tennis rackets to deflect the improvised missiles. When LC came on stage, people kept up throwing stuff because they didn't get that this was a different band. And perhaps also because of racism. LC had to cut the gig short when something almost hit Corey. I feel sorry for that to this day. But it was awesome seeing them live. I went to the Steel Wheels tour later and was disappointed that the Stones had shifted another band in as the opening act, because I had hoped for Living Colour. Vernon Reid has always been an inspiring guitar player, and I'm glad the band is still together. Keep it up, guys. Plus, cool guitar! Oh yeah, one day I played Vivid to my entire high school class, because we got to bring our own music to sports class. I picked Living Colour. I dare say it was a bit of a challenge for all those white German kids, but I think they were diggin' it. Best wishes to the band. Sorry for the beer throwing. Most of it wasn't because of you, it was a leftover from the previous band.

[@Vulverine-thunder]

Great band and great live too…finally got to see them with Mr Big who were also amazing.

[@therealandrecorbin4050]

Some great music

[@Hupomone]

Simply tremendous.

[@jesserepp]

Vernon mentioned the mighty sparrow.... I love the song "lying excuses", I song I have fond memories of.

[@erasenegatedelete]

Vivid is such a great album. Cult of Personality and Which way to America have been on every single gym/workout mix I’ve made since I was in high school… and I’m 49 now lol.

[@wkamaub]

My absolute hero!

[@samsonthecurrent]

I love these and I also love Type & Love Rears It’s Ugly Head.

[@SausagefingersMcGee]

I love your mixed up brain Vernon. Keep em commin bro!!

[@ibanezortiz4494]

Good memories came back

[@MortuaryManor]

Dat geeetar 🔥

[@ramiroezequielmoreno1774]

When u hear a Vernon riff you know it's a Vernon riff. Much like when u SEE a Vernon guitar you KNOW it belongs to Vernon. 😋🎸

[@ramiroezequielmoreno1774]

PS the way Cult Of Personality and Glamour Boys *feel* right when you hear it from his fingers. If we needed even more evidence, guys, that it is definitely in the hands.

[@BILLIAM81777]

I got to chat with Vernon for a bit... Really nice guy!

[@jmatttheracer]

A great band

[@WilliamJames48]

Original. Uncompromising. Always inspiring

[@dartheejit6797]

Legend

[@andrewpappas9311]

Personality was the first song I heard from them and the one that I immediately fell in love with, such an absolutely badass riff and definitely one of Vernon's best riffs and that solo is fucking killer as well. Absolutely love that guitar as well, definitely gives me vibes of John Petrucci's early Ibanez RG he played in the early days of Dream Theater

[@frankiegutierrez5737]

I put "Vivid" (1988) and "Time's Up" (1990) as two of the best albums of the last few decades.

[@Houston123ABC]

The Cult of Personality solo !!!

[@plotevil5884]

Saw him on tour with Extreme. Guitarists tend to make faces in solos as they pour out their emotions. Vernon looked like Bill Cosby on acid. It was fantastic.

[@dcnative10]

Legend 🤘🏾

[@totallykoolyeah]

Just heard the zig zag band. Great stuff, reminds of the old Detroit band Death at times👍

[@jasongarber2346]

"Type" was always my favorite from them. The way there is that slight hiccup as the drums play straight through, while the guitar is just ahead of the start of every fourth bar is wrong on paper, but it really propels the song.

[@beasz1974]

MASSIVE!!!!!

[@sirtogii5216]

Does anybody know what that guitar is?!? Looks super cool but google isn't my friend trying to figure out what it is..... Edit: Scratch that, a Reverend guitar it seems

[@aqald01]

Reverend Guitars

[@ciachetti]

What brand and type of guitar is he playing in this video? It looks and sounds epic

[@ericgenestvideoclips]

The best riff is Type

[@chrdelgro]

The Picasso of guitar

[@Viper_555]

Excellent analogy. Abstract, whimsical and beautiful.

[@kevinmcguinness1113]

Every time I hear Vernon playing, it's like he's trying to harness a tornado and always running to try to catch up with himself. Barely-controlled chaos, but always comes perfect in the end. Have loved Living Colour for 30 years ❤. Can't listen to Flying without getting tears in my eyes.

[@invisigoth777]

when Living Color came out, my Glam rock band tried to get your sound

[@invisigoth777]

What kind of effects did you use on glamour boys?, because i am sure i didn't remember it sounding like that

[@spacetimecontinuum]

I love all your riffs Vernon, so pleased to see you looking so well...am here after watching your iconic Arsenio performance for about the 50th time. Hope to see the band live one day again soon.

[@brucewood6126]

I first heard Vernon Reid listening to Public Enemy's Sophisticated Bitch. V.R. guitar solos are Epic! One of my favorite Living Colour songs is PRIDE

[@ericgenestvideoclips]

Me too. Pride. I wish they wrote more like that.

[@invisigoth777]

i was piano, bass, and singer.. and lately i have tried to pick up guitar.. i must ask, how is it you seem to press the frets like piano keys? but when i try, i have to squeeze

[@warrengauthier4699]

The band is good along with the vocals.

[@mattiasjansson733]

Big fan of the first album but haven't really decided to this day if Vernon is sloppy or not.

[@PNNYRFACE]

Glamor Man

[@vitorbarbosa5656]

Fantástic Fredoonnnnnnn Trumpppppppppppp 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@athanatic]

Definitely think of this gentleman in the same mental breath as, for instance, Frank Zappa.

[@SpedTchr335]

💜🎶💜🎶💜🎶

[@sethmeyer2443]

My favorite is Type

[@spacetimecontinuum]

And can we talk about how "This Is the Life" is one of the greatest songs ever written, in any genre, in any period of history.

[@UphillGardener-ly5sh]

What's with the American accent? Vernon is a good ol Islington (North London) boy, His dad was an Arsenal supporter :o)

[@MrTurnerm]

Moved the US when he was two🙂

[@UphillGardener-ly5sh]

@@MrTurnerm I Know, was just joshing :o)

[@MrTurnerm]

@@UphillGardener-ly5sh ahhh, I should've probably guessed that 😄

[@UphillGardener-ly5sh]

@@MrTurnerm America definitely got the better deal, Vernon born in London, Boris Johnson born in New York :o)

[@MrTurnerm]

@@UphillGardener-ly5sh 😂 most definitely

[@luizg.6331]

Love Vernon Reid’s riffs. But honestly it feels like he wasn’t giving a fox about this interview. He can play better than that. Or he hasn’t played these riffs in a long time.

[@TheFireDucks-h2h]

He’s been criticized for being sloppy. (Shrug )He cares about soul more than technique muscles and tendons. Sometimes phones it in, even in his youth, At least he wasn’t hogging the spotlight... John 5 would be the opposite end of that spectrum where he doesn’t clean or doesn’t do it at all.

[@deanbibb3680]

I’m so glad Vernon is “weirdo”!

[@StevenEveral]

1:00 CM Punk likes this riff.