Extreme (Extreme album)

Last updated
Extreme
Extreme ( Extreme album - cover art).jpg
Studio album by
Released1989
Genre
Length45:00
Label A&M
Producer Mack, Extreme
Extreme chronology
Extreme
(1989)
Extreme II: Pornograffitti
(1990)
Singles from Extreme
  1. "Play with Me"
    Released: February 1989
  2. "Kid Ego"
    Released: March 1989
  3. "Little Girls"
    Released: July 1989
  4. "Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)"
    Released: September 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 6/10 [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Extreme is the first studio album by the American glam metal band Extreme, released in 1989 by A&M Records. The album reached No. 80 on the Billboard 200, [4] and produced the minor Mainstream Rock hit "Kid Ego". [5] The single "Play with Me" is featured on the soundtrack for the comedy film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure , [6] an opening episode of season 4 of Stranger Things , [7] and the 2007 rhythm game, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s . [8]

Contents

Music

The album has been primarily described as glam metal, [9] [10] but has also been described as funk-metal, [11] and hard rock. [12]

Reception

The album sold modestly well at around 300,000 units, [13] and was favored by heavy metal fans, but did not achieve significant mainstream success. [14] Three of the album's singles, "Little Girls", "Kid Ego", and "Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)", received medium airplay on Headbangers Ball .

Extreme was met with mixed reception. AllMusic gave the album three stars saying,"Extreme's first album shows the band struggling to shed their influences, particularly Van Halen, and develop a style of their own; consequently, it's wildly uneven, but guitarist Nuno Bettencourt is always worth hearing". [1] In his review for Extreme II: Pornograffitti , Bryan Rolli called the album "rote glam metal". [9] Rolling Stone writer Kim Neely gave the album three stars, but called it an "extremely good listen". [3]

Track listing

All songs written by Cherone & Bettencourt, except "Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)" by Cherone, LeBeaux & Hunt.

No.TitleLength
1."Little Girls"3:47
2."Wind Me Up"3:37
3."Kid Ego"4:04
4."Watching, Waiting"4:54
5."Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)"4:52
6."Teacher's Pet"3:02
7."Big Boys Don't Cry"3:34
8."Smoke Signals"4:14
9."Flesh 'n' Blood"3:31
10."Rock a Bye Bye"5:57
11."Play with Me" (not present on any vinyl releases except Australia and New Zealand)3:29
Total length:45:00

Personnel

Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Album

Chart (1989)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [15] 97
Billboard 200 [4] 80

Singles

YearSingleChartPosition
1989"Kid Ego"Mainstream Rock [5] 39

Accolades

PublicationYearCountryAccoladeRank
Guitar World 2008USTop 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties [10] 8

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme (band)</span> American rock band

Extreme are an American rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1985, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They have released six studio albums, two EPs and two compilation albums since their formation. The band was one of the most successful rock acts of the early 1990s, selling over 10 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Cherone</span> American singer

Gary Francis Caine Cherone is an American rock singer and songwriter. Cherone is known for his work as the lead vocalist of the Boston rock group Extreme and Van Halen. He has also released solo recordings. In 2007, he reunited with Extreme.

<i>Look What the Cat Dragged In</i> 1986 studio album by Poison

Look What the Cat Dragged In is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 23, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 on May 23, 1987. The album spawned three successful singles: "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You".

<i>Extreme II: Pornograffitti</i> 1990 studio album by Extreme

Extreme II: Pornograffitti is the second studio album by the heavy metal band Extreme, released on August 7, 1990, through A&M Records. The album title is a portmanteau of pornography and graffiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Badger</span> American musician

Patrick John Badger is a musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist in the band Extreme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuno Bettencourt</span> Portuguese guitarist

Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt is a Portuguese-American guitarist. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. Bettencourt has recorded a solo album and has founded rock bands including Mourning Widows, DramaGods, and Satellite Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Bites (Def Leppard song)</span> 1988 single by Def Leppard

"Love Bites" is a song by English glam metal band Def Leppard from their album Hysteria. The power ballad is Def Leppard's only number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a top-10 hit in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. On the UK Singles Chart, the track peaked at number 11.

<i>III Sides to Every Story</i> 1992 studio album by Extreme

III Sides to Every Story is the third studio album by the American rock band Extreme, released on September 14, 1992, through A&M Records. It was the follow-up to the very successful Pornograffitti album. It was the last album that fully featured the band's original line-up: Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Badger and Paul Geary; Geary later left, and was replaced by Mike Mangini.

<i>Cherry Pie</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Warrant

Cherry Pie is the second studio album by American glam metal band Warrant, released September 11, 1990. The album is the band's best-known and highest-selling release and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200. The album featured the top 40 hits "Cherry Pie" and "I Saw Red".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">More Than Words</span> 1991 single by Extreme

"More Than Words" is a song by American rock band Extreme. It is a ballad featuring acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and the vocals of Gary Cherone. They both wrote the song, which was produced by Michael Wagener and represented a departure from the band's usual funk metal style. "More Than Words" was released as the third single from the band's second album, Pornograffitti (1990), on March 12, 1991 by A&M Records. It was a number one hit in the United States, where it was certified gold, as well as in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The music video for the song was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

<i>Waiting for the Punchline</i> 1995 studio album by Extreme

Waiting for the Punchline is the fourth album by American band Extreme, released in 1995. It is known by fans as a distinctively raw-sounding record with a significant influence from grunge, especially when compared to the big production of the two previous albums. Due to its lyrics focused heavily on social matters it is often cited as a concept album. It is also the only Extreme record to feature drummer Mike Mangini. After the album's tour, Extreme disbanded in 1996 when Bettencourt informed the band that he was leaving to pursue a solo career. After the breakup, singer Gary Cherone joined Van Halen in the same year as their new singer, but left three years later.

<i>You Cant Stop Rock n Roll</i> 1983 studio album by Twisted Sister

You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in April 1983 in the UK and on June 17, 1983 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photograph (Def Leppard song)</span> 1983 single by Def Leppard

"Photograph" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It is the lead single from the band's third studio album, Pyromania (1983). Their lead vocalist Joe Elliott has described the song as generally about "something you can't ever get your hands on". When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for six weeks, and No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Other Side (Aerosmith song)</span> 1990 single by Aerosmith

"The Other Side" is a song performed by the American rock band Aerosmith, and written by Steven Tyler, Jim Vallance, and Holland-Dozier-Holland. It was released on June 6, 1990 as the fourth single from the band's highly successful 1989 album Pump.

<i>Mechanical Resonance</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Tesla

Mechanical Resonance is the debut studio album by the American hard rock band Tesla. It was released on December 8, 1986, by Geffen Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)</span> 1990 song by Mötley Crüe

"Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" is a song by Mötley Crüe. It is the tenth track from their 1989 album Dr. Feelgood and was released as the album's fourth single in May 1990. It peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the Mainstream rock charts.

<i>Saudades de Rock</i> 2008 studio album by Extreme

Saudades de Rock is the fifth album by the American rock band Extreme. Released on August 12, 2008, it was the band's first album of new material since 1995's Waiting for the Punchline, and also their first release with new drummer Kevin Figueiredo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get the Funk Out</span> 1991 single by Extreme

"Get the Funk Out" is the fourth track and second single from Extreme's second studio album Pornograffitti. Rock musician Pat Travers provides backing vocals. The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.

<i>Balls Out</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Steel Panther

Balls Out is the second studio album by the American glam metal band Steel Panther. It was released on October 28, 2011, on Universal Republic Records.

<i>Six</i> (Extreme album) 2023 studio album by Extreme

Six is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Extreme, released on June 9, 2023. It is their first studio album since Saudades de Rock, released in 2008.

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Extreme - Extreme | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  2. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 113. ISBN   978-1894959315.
  3. 1 2 Neely, Kim (July 13, 1989). "Extreme: Extreme - Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Extreme by Extreme | Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  5. 1 2 "Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  6. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2021-08-08
  7. Romano, Evan (2022-05-27). "The 'Stranger Things' Season 4 Soundtrack Is an '80s Nostalgia Trip". Men's Health. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  8. Bergman, Kieth. "'Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s': Complete List Of Songs Revealed". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 Rolli, Bryan (July 1, 2021). "Top 30 Glam Metal Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-07-16. Extreme built upon the rote glam metal of their self-titled debut
  10. 1 2 "Guitar World - Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties". Guitar World. December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  11. DeRiso, Nick (August 7, 2015). "Revisiting Extreme's Path to Success With 'Pornograffitti'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  12. Draper, Jason (March 14, 2021). "Extreme – And The Debut Album That Tapped Their Maximum Potential". uDiscover Music. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  13. A&M Records History. A&M Records. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  14. "Extreme: More than metal". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.