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33⅓ Main Series #174
Time's Up
The iconic Black rock band Living Colour's Time's Up , released in 1990, was recorded in the aftermath of the spectacular critical and commercial success of their debut record Vivid . Time's Up is a musical and lyrical triumph, incorporating distinct forms and styles of music and featuring inspired collaborations with artists as varied as Little Richard, Queen Latifah, Maceo Parker, and Mick Jagger. The clash of sounds and styles don't immediately fit. The confrontational hardcore-thrash metal - complete with Glover's apocalyptic wail - in the title track is not a natural companion with Doug E. Fresh's human beat box on “Tag Team Partners,” but it's precisely this bold and brilliant collision that creates the barely-controlled chaos. And isn't rock & roll about chaos?
Living Colour's sophomore effort holds great relevance in light of its forward-thinking politics and lyrical engagement with racism, classism, police brutality, and other social and political issues of great importance. Through interviews with members of Living Colour, and others involved in the making of Time's Up , Kimberly Mack explores the creation and reception of this artistically challenging album, while examining the legacy of this culturally important and groundbreaking American rock band.
Living Colour's sophomore effort holds great relevance in light of its forward-thinking politics and lyrical engagement with racism, classism, police brutality, and other social and political issues of great importance. Through interviews with members of Living Colour, and others involved in the making of Time's Up , Kimberly Mack explores the creation and reception of this artistically challenging album, while examining the legacy of this culturally important and groundbreaking American rock band.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2023
3 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 18, 2023
If listening to Time's Up feels, as Ed Stasium's son put it, "like reading a book," reading Kimberly Mack's book feels like hearing a vibrant, imaginative record by one of America’s greatest bands. It's beautifully written and tells the stories of the band and the album well—plus I learned a lot, despite following Living Colour pretty religiously since boyhood. Mack also manages to connect her personal memoir to the music in a way that builds the story, which is not something a lot of music journalists can pull off. Finally, the enlightening, startling and revealing book that Living Colour deserves.
January 24, 2024
Having recently rediscovered the delight of Living Colour's "Time's Up", I was intrigued when I read that there was a book about how it came to be/was made in Bloombury's 33 1/2 series. And it was available at the library.
Using the author's experience as a young Black woman growing up enthralled with Rock music, extensive interviews with the band members and others involved in making the album, and comments by other musicians and critics, Kimberly Mack approaches the music from many angles.
Obviously the full and varied musical backgrounds of the band members play a huge part. They came from mostly intact middle class families that valued both education and music and did not pigeonhole it as either "Black" or "White". Their communities were close-knit and supportive, with other musicians nearby to serve as mentors. Clearly having multiple strong foundations was important.
The segregation of music has not gone away. Rock is still considered primarily a White genre, as is Country and Classical, while Hip-Hop, Blues and Jazz are usually categorized as Black. Any crossover is noted, above and beyond the quality of the music. Interestingly, I never really registered when I bought the CD that the members of Living Colour were Black. Thin Lizzy? Arthur Lee? Fishbone? TV on the Radio? I had no idea these musicians were Black until I read it in this book. Because my experience of most music was always radio-based? I don't know. Perhaps I was just oblivious.
When Rancid was questioned about Living Colour's race after they asked them to open their tour, they replied with a string of expletives--basically, "they're here because they're a good band!!"
The fact is--although, of course, for context, Rock comes from Black pioneers like Little Richard and Chuck Berry--music has always borrowed from, and expanded upon, multiple musical streams. As does all culture. To put it in a box, say it "belongs" only to a certain group, limits everyone's creativity.
I really enjoyed the interviews about how the album was put together--each song is covered individually as "an expression involving advanced music theory, advanced harmony, and a bit of radicalism, taking known rules and conventions and purposefully stretching them beyond recognition but never losing the feeling which resonates with us as a band".
As Vernon Reid notes: "It's a radical act of humanity to find the common things that make us all human."
Both in sound and content, "Time's Up" feels current--oppression, environmental concerns, the dangers of technology, the need to really listen to and see each other not as symbols but as human beings--none of those issues have disappeared.
And as Ms. Mack points out--"This is the Life" is still "an excellent philosophy for living."
Using the author's experience as a young Black woman growing up enthralled with Rock music, extensive interviews with the band members and others involved in making the album, and comments by other musicians and critics, Kimberly Mack approaches the music from many angles.
Obviously the full and varied musical backgrounds of the band members play a huge part. They came from mostly intact middle class families that valued both education and music and did not pigeonhole it as either "Black" or "White". Their communities were close-knit and supportive, with other musicians nearby to serve as mentors. Clearly having multiple strong foundations was important.
The segregation of music has not gone away. Rock is still considered primarily a White genre, as is Country and Classical, while Hip-Hop, Blues and Jazz are usually categorized as Black. Any crossover is noted, above and beyond the quality of the music. Interestingly, I never really registered when I bought the CD that the members of Living Colour were Black. Thin Lizzy? Arthur Lee? Fishbone? TV on the Radio? I had no idea these musicians were Black until I read it in this book. Because my experience of most music was always radio-based? I don't know. Perhaps I was just oblivious.
When Rancid was questioned about Living Colour's race after they asked them to open their tour, they replied with a string of expletives--basically, "they're here because they're a good band!!"
The fact is--although, of course, for context, Rock comes from Black pioneers like Little Richard and Chuck Berry--music has always borrowed from, and expanded upon, multiple musical streams. As does all culture. To put it in a box, say it "belongs" only to a certain group, limits everyone's creativity.
I really enjoyed the interviews about how the album was put together--each song is covered individually as "an expression involving advanced music theory, advanced harmony, and a bit of radicalism, taking known rules and conventions and purposefully stretching them beyond recognition but never losing the feeling which resonates with us as a band".
As Vernon Reid notes: "It's a radical act of humanity to find the common things that make us all human."
Both in sound and content, "Time's Up" feels current--oppression, environmental concerns, the dangers of technology, the need to really listen to and see each other not as symbols but as human beings--none of those issues have disappeared.
And as Ms. Mack points out--"This is the Life" is still "an excellent philosophy for living."
June 22, 2023
Living Colour's Time's Up, part of the 33 1/3 series, by Kimberly Mack is an invigorating dive into both the group and the album, all placed within the context of the time and the author's life.
Like most of the volumes in the series, the writer is part of the story of the album, namely a personal aspect of the album's reception. In this case the writer is also a music critic and academic who has studied the intersection of popular culture and society, so we get a somewhat more nuanced personal reflection than we sometimes get.
For those who didn't know very much about the members of the band and how they came to be Living Colour, the background plays a crucial role in showing how Time's Up responds to the world around them as well as the people who criticized them for, well, just about everything. Not that they weren't popular, but there were a few very vocal pockets that harped on one aspect or another of who they were rather than the music they played.
Of course, you'll see the reviews of people who think taking potshots at minute elements in the book makes them sound knowledgeable, ignore the poor thing. Yes, there were a couple instances where a band that didn't have "the" as part of their name were referred to as such. But if you're gonna call the writer "inauthentic" for doing it, then you should call both Vernon Reid and Will Calhoun inauthentic, since a few of those instances are quotes from them. But then the reviewer's ignorance would be a little too evident. Let the little boy pretend to be grown up, it makes him feel better, I guess.
If you enjoy reading about iconic and important music, you will likely enjoy this book a lot. If the social and political context within which music is created is an interest of yours, you will definitely find plenty here to satisfy you.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Like most of the volumes in the series, the writer is part of the story of the album, namely a personal aspect of the album's reception. In this case the writer is also a music critic and academic who has studied the intersection of popular culture and society, so we get a somewhat more nuanced personal reflection than we sometimes get.
For those who didn't know very much about the members of the band and how they came to be Living Colour, the background plays a crucial role in showing how Time's Up responds to the world around them as well as the people who criticized them for, well, just about everything. Not that they weren't popular, but there were a few very vocal pockets that harped on one aspect or another of who they were rather than the music they played.
Of course, you'll see the reviews of people who think taking potshots at minute elements in the book makes them sound knowledgeable, ignore the poor thing. Yes, there were a couple instances where a band that didn't have "the" as part of their name were referred to as such. But if you're gonna call the writer "inauthentic" for doing it, then you should call both Vernon Reid and Will Calhoun inauthentic, since a few of those instances are quotes from them. But then the reviewer's ignorance would be a little too evident. Let the little boy pretend to be grown up, it makes him feel better, I guess.
If you enjoy reading about iconic and important music, you will likely enjoy this book a lot. If the social and political context within which music is created is an interest of yours, you will definitely find plenty here to satisfy you.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
May 27, 2023
Having read many of the books in the 331/3 catalog I understand and expect a fair amount of personal narrative along with the typical album discussion. Unfortunately I feel like this Time’s Up book attempts without succeeding to be 3-4 different books. Many of the points are made numerous times and Grammy wins are referenced heavily and often. The critics opinions chapter is really quite boring.
Perhaps the most egregious offense is the repeated mention of “the Bad Brains.” Ms. Mack comes off inauthentic and I cringed each of the many times Bad Brains were named with the incorrect clause preceding their name.
Lastly, large portions of the book are oral histories. I would have preferred them to have been labeled more like dialogue or a script rather than indented paragraphs within the flow of the book.
I will say, the book has lead me to spin this richly-creative record several times this month. I just wish the author would have more compellingly linked her personal story to the band and the album. Thanks to Net Galley for the advance read!
Perhaps the most egregious offense is the repeated mention of “the Bad Brains.” Ms. Mack comes off inauthentic and I cringed each of the many times Bad Brains were named with the incorrect clause preceding their name.
Lastly, large portions of the book are oral histories. I would have preferred them to have been labeled more like dialogue or a script rather than indented paragraphs within the flow of the book.
I will say, the book has lead me to spin this richly-creative record several times this month. I just wish the author would have more compellingly linked her personal story to the band and the album. Thanks to Net Galley for the advance read!
June 27, 2023
A great companion to one of the best albums of the 90’s. Way ahead of it’s time and taking an inspired and somewhat radical approach to a sophomore album, “Time’s Up” stands out as a clear progenitor to many ‘alternative’ rock albums of the period. Quick aside: I have always felt this album’s distant cousin is “Angel Dust” by Faith No More (which came out two years later but featured a similar ‘challenging sophomore release’ vibe). I digress…
Included in this book are revelatory interviews with all band members and participants as well as solid research & analysis of media reactions to the release. I gave it 4 stars because as a musician and recordist myself I desired more technical information on the gear used to make the record. However I am well aware that most folks don’t give two shits about that stuff. Lol.
Included in this book are revelatory interviews with all band members and participants as well as solid research & analysis of media reactions to the release. I gave it 4 stars because as a musician and recordist myself I desired more technical information on the gear used to make the record. However I am well aware that most folks don’t give two shits about that stuff. Lol.
June 2, 2023
I can’t think of an album more deserving of an in-depth analysis than Living Colour’s Time’s Up, and this book delivers. After crashing onto the music scene with their debut, Vivid, the band didn’t play it safe with their second offering, they brought forth a high-level though provoking piece which hits on many levels.
The author, who is obviously passionate about not only the band, but of rock music wholly, interviews past and present members of the band to gain insight into the creation of the album, and breaks down each track. This is exactly what you want from a book in this 33 1/3 series.
If you’re a Living Colour fan, you will enjoy this look into the backstory of Time’s Up greatly.
The author, who is obviously passionate about not only the band, but of rock music wholly, interviews past and present members of the band to gain insight into the creation of the album, and breaks down each track. This is exactly what you want from a book in this 33 1/3 series.
If you’re a Living Colour fan, you will enjoy this look into the backstory of Time’s Up greatly.
April 24, 2024
Of the more recent books in this series, this one ended up being pretty solid. There is some solid discussion on issues of race in rock n' roll (then and now), but perhaps the part I found most enjoyable was the way Mack tied up some interviews in a Please Kill Me fashion, and I'm always a sucker for that style. Also, it's pretty accessible and shies away from a style that might make some discussion difficult (terminology wise). A good quick entry.
May 26, 2023
Aside from current buzzwords - 'intersectionality', 'normative', 'lived experience', capitalising 'white' and 'black' - this is a great oral history of the band and the album, with touches of memoir and critical response.
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September 19, 2023My interview with the author: https://newbooksnetwork.com/living-co...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews