After leaving drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson’s Decoding Society, guitarist Vernon Reid blended his avant-jazz side with his love of hard rock and metal, added a heavy dose of funk, and created Living Colour. Wailing, theatrical post-soul vocalist Corey Glover was a compelling frontman, but the group’s compositional ambition and rock-hard rhythm section were what made this debut album one of the most powerful hard rock records of the late ’80s. Tracks like the anthemic “Cult Of Personality” and “Desperate People” were as heavy as any thrash act (check out drummer Will Calhoun’s double kick on the latter), while ballads like “Open Letter (To A Landlord)” and “Broken Hearts” display social conscience and florid romanticism. “Which Way To America” and “Funny Vibe” are funk-rock grooves the Red Hot Chili Peppers could only dream of laying down, and a jackhammer, shredtastic cover of Talking Heads’ “Memories Can’t Wait” is one of the band’s best deep cuts.