Overall disappointment; one remarkable song!
Well the first song I heard off of this album on the radio was 'Midnight Express', I was blown away. Some time later I found the album at a CD store and decided to take the chance and buy it. The best thing about Extreme has definitely got to be Nuno Bettencourt, he surely knows how to strum a six-string. The album also features Mr. Mike Mangini on drums (Steve Vai, Mullmuzzler). So we have four great musician, however we do not have good songs, unfortunately. There are some 'OK' songs, such as 'There is no God', 'Leave me Alone' and 'Unconditionally', but the title that really stands out is 'Midnight Express'. This songs is a gem, featuring Bettencourt at his best. A 4 min. long piece of soft instrumental rock, with acoustic guitar. This song makes up for the overall blunders in the album. Then we've got songs like 'Naked', with the dumbest lyrics ever, nothing but album fillers. Don't expect much of the vocal arrangements either, plain yelling, quite reminiscent of an early 90's mediocre grungre tune. There are few great Bettencourt guitar solos throughout the album which kind of save some bad songs, however the sound isn't as crisp as it should have been. That leaves us with much to think about the production. Well, you cannot have high hopes about everything that comes out. So, downloading the only unforgattable tune in the album ('Midnight Express', of course) and just a few others to catch the gist of what the rest is like, would suffice.
The last album?
Extreme's fourth major release was a move that threw most of their longtime fans for a loop. Their self-titled debut toyed around with childhood through a mature perspective, their second album "Pornograffiti" raised the bar a little bit by emphasizing a little stronger on the concept apprpoach. It dealt with finding love in a cynical world. The music was more fun, the band had grown more comfortable playing together, and Cherone had fully matured as a vocalist. III Sides to Every Story (their best work in my opinion) was talent pure and simple. I still play that one at least once a week. In 1994, the band released "Waiting For a Punchline". The fourth installment featured a new drummer, a darker, more serious tone and an almost-angry overall feel. It was too late by then. The music scene had changed drastically by then and with the masses preferring Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, no one really gave Extreme the full attention that they deserved. It's really a shame. There are some really great songs on this record. "Shadow Boxing", "There Is No God", "Leave Me Alone", and "Unconditionally" are just a few of the songs that many, many people missed out on. Now, if you can find this album, you've really found something special.
It may be somewhat drier than their previous efforts, but upon multiple listenings, you will get the full jest of it. Man, I hope these guys get back together.
Quite Good
Extreme was a band that was maddeningly confusing. Were they pop schlock balladeers ("Hole Hearted") ambitious progressive rocksters ("The Truth" section of III Sides to Every Story), blues based hard rockers, straight up metalheads, or symphonic world musicians incorporating Portuguese folk music into their musical stew?
The answer is all of the above and more. Let me tell it to you straight: this is an excellent album, played at a very high musical level, and lyrically very strong. Not overproduced or overengineered, this is also a record that allows the players to showcase their considerable musical skills.
Are there elements of "grunge" on this record? It depends how that question is asked, the last track ("Waiting for the Punchline") which is embedded in the "Unconditionally" track certainly could pass for it in some circles. In my mind, this is still Extreme, however. They were making heavy guitar based music with fattt blues basses a few years before the Seattle explosion (witness "Get the Funk Out").
The world is still catching up with Extreme. Someday, perhaps, it will get there.
I warmed up to it.
When this album first came out, I felt jilted. But I recently had an oppertunity to listen to it for what it is and I think its a great album. Make no mistake, if you're a die-hard 80's rocker, you'll hate this album. The production is raw, and the songwriting is lean and mean as opposed to elaberate and detailed. But that doesn't mean that the musicianship is lacking on this record. If you can keep an open mind, I think this ablum is one that you'll love.
The Worst of Extreme
You'd think that after releasing 3 albums, these guys would have honed their craft. Sadly, this album is their worst release. Seems they tried to strip the sound back a bit on this album, fewer guitar overdubs being the obvious change. This album sounds a bit empty to me, I preferred the fuller sound of their earlier releases. The first 3 albums are great. Being a fan of Nuno Bettencourt, I'd also recommend the first Mourning Widows album (the second one is not quite as good).
