Extreme
Extreme II: Pornograffitti

THE REVIEW

Can a single song represent both your greatest success and your greatest misfortune? It seems like a paradox, but in some cases, that's exactly what happened... and the case of Extreme is perhaps one of the most striking in this sense.

Formed in Boston in 1985, after the necessary period of apprentice work, the four members arrived at their debut in 1989 with the self-titled album that hinted at great potential, in the form of an energetic hard rock indebted to the glam prevalent in those years but musically connected to deep funk roots. Despite not achieving significant success or reaching high levels of popularity, the record label decided to continue betting on them, so much so that the following year they released the second album, "Pornograffitti". Preceded by two singles, the album seemed destined for the same fate as the previous one, meaning going almost completely unnoticed, until... on March 23, 1991, "More than Words" was released on the market, and from there, the story changed, literally igniting the Extreme-mania, with constant airplay of the video on music TV networks, headlining tours around the world, a rockstar life...

The much-desired (and deserved) recognition therefore seemed to finally arrive... only to then turn into the group's greatest curse, from then on labeled as "the ones of More than Words", thus being reduced to a mere commercial product by MTV, with an easy and crowd-pleasing tune (or panties-ripper, as often the line between the two is thin...), completely losing sight of the group's true nature. In fact, never like in this work did the combination of the raw and explosive energy of hard rock with the contagious rhythm of funk appear so apt and perfectly blended, creating a true masterpiece. Tracks like "Decadence Dance", "Get the Funk Out", "It ('s a Monster)" highlight the band's ability to write adrenaline-fueled pieces, where the biting riffs of Nuno Bettencourt's six-string marry the ever-vibrant and pulsating bass of Pat Badger creating an engaging groove, supported by Paul Geary's drums and on which the defiant tone of charismatic Gary Cherone's voice reigns.

A melting pot of the most disparate ingredients, from the country style of the closing "Hole Hearted" to the jazz piano style of "When I First Kissed You", interspersed with the obligatory ballads: besides the well-known "More than Words", delighting the souls of the more romantic rockers is "Song for Love", accompanied by an orchestra and supported by the choruses and counter-choruses of which Extreme were true masters. In between, hints of rap ("When I'm President"), horns frequently make their appearance ("Li'l Jack Horny", the title track itself) and notable guest appearances: Pat Travers on the chorus in "Get the Funk Out" and especially Dweezil Zappa, author of the reinterpretation of "Flight of the Bumblebee" opening "He-Man Woman Hater", another explosive blend of funk-tinged metal. In short, many things that were there under everyone's ears, and are still present, clearly showing that Extreme were really much more than "the ones of More than Words"... and never mind if the album's lyrics all revolve around somewhat "raunchy" themes of a journey in a society guided by the "sex-politics" duo; after all, isn't this rock'n'roll too?!