A comprehensive look at the iconic American Black rock band Living Colour and their timeless 1990 album.

The clash of sounds in Living Colour’s sophomore offering Time’s Up—from confrontational hardcore thrash metal to human beat boxing—wasn’t an immediate fit for the listening public. But the unconventional blend of form and style results in brilliant, barely controlled chaos—and isn’t that what rock and roll is all about? In this book, music critic Kimberly Mack blends elements of oral history, biography, memoir, and cultural criticism to take a comprehensive look at the album and examines its place in the rock canon.

With forward-thinking politics and lyrical social commentary on racism, classism, and police brutality, Time’s Up remains as relevant and timely as ever. A musical and lyrical triumph, it features collaborations with artists as varied as Little Richard, Queen Latifah, Maceo Parker, and Mick Jagger. Through interviews with band members and others involved in its creation, Kimberly Mack explores the artistic effort behind the album, while examining the greater cultural legacy of this groundbreaking American rock band.

33 1/3 is a series of short books about popular music, focusing on individual albums that influenced music history.

Kimberly Mack is a music critic and associate professor of English at the University of Toledo in Ohio. She is the author of Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White.