Line #12 Music/Extreme


1	[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/extreme_330.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:280:Suzi sells seashells ...by the WHAT?]]
3
4	->''If you don't like, what you see here, get the funk out\
5	We won't try to, force feed you, get the funk out.''
6	-->-- "Get the Funk Out"
7
8	Among the last wave of [[TheEighties 80's]]/[[TheNineties 90's]] pop-metal "[[HairMetal hair]]" bands, Boston-based Extreme stand out from the pack thanks to an eclectic musical sensibility owing as much to Music/TheBeatles as to Music/VanHalen. Mostly classified as a FunkMetal band, Extreme nonetheless dabbled with several pop forms during their career, ranging from the pre-rock pop of Music/FrankSinatra to trendy mid-90's PostGrunge, meshing it all into a series of loose [[ConceptAlbum Concept Albums]]. Through it all, they've maintained a strong technical reputation as musicians, particularly for the soloing of Portuguese-born guitar wizard Nuno Bettencourt.
9
10	Then again, some may only know them for [[BlackSheepHit those two acoustic hits]]. And many of them only know them for their first acoustic hit...
11
12	Lead singer Gary Cherone is also infamous for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks his disastrous stint]] as the third Music/VanHalen singer.
13
14	!!Members
15	'''Current'''
16	* Nuno Bettencourt - guitar
17	* [[Music/VanHalen Gary Cherone]] - vocals
18	* Patrick "Pat" Badger - bass
19	* Kevin "kfigg" Figueiredo - drums
20
21	'''Former'''
22	* Paul Geary - drums
23	* [[Music/DreamTheater Mike Mangini]] - drums
24
25	----
26	!!Studio Albums
27	* 1989 - ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Extreme]]''
28	** Attempting to hit the big time after touring the Boston area, Extreme recorded ten of their fifty-song library for a mostly undistinguished debut album. The album's sound doesn't stand out from the rest of the Music/{{Poison}}-esque HairMetal of the time, and [[WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows 1989 did not need more hair metal]], but some of the later signatures - Bettencourt's precise lead guitar, well-placed three-part harmonies, and a consistent album-wide lyrical theme (centered loosely around childhood) - make themselves known. [[ClassicalMusic Classically-inspired]] [[BreakawayPopHit radio hit]] "Play With Me", a non-single from the ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' soundtrack added at the last minute, helped break Extreme out and point the way towards their later eclectic ways.
29	* 1990 - ''[[ConceptAlbum Pornograffitti]]''
30	** The breakthrough multiplatinum-selling album brought along the funky and mellow signature tendencies of the band. Described as "A Funked Up Fairytale", the album had a signifigant concept-album vibe surrounding it. Backed up with "Lil' Jack Horn Section" and truly groundbreaking guitar work, ''Pornograffitti'' was an dynamically diverse bunch of electrifying funk metal songs such as "Get the Funk Out", "Decadence Dance" and "He-Man Woman Hater" sharing the spotlight with the acoustic mega-hits "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted". There's even a [[Music/FrankSinatra Sinatraesque]] piano ballad, a mind-boggingly precise guitar solo and [[PissTakeRap tongue-in-cheek]] [[RapMetal rapping]] thrown in for good measure.
31	* 1992 - ''[[DistinctDoubleAlbum III Sides To Every Story]]''
32	** A three-sided album (hence the title) where all three sides are stylistically distinct. Side one, ''Yours'', focuses on the stadium rock the band is most associated with and features lyrics based on political issues such as the role of government, war, racism, and the media. The second side,''Mine'', is more personal lyrically and follows up on the pop style of "Hole Hearted" and "More Than Words". Starting from the light-hearted minor hit "Tragic Comic", the songs quickly grow darker, with the ballad "Our Father" addressing a runaway father (who may or may not be God) and expressing philosophical doubt. This sets the stage for the ProgressiveRock-oriented final side, ''The Truth'', a three-part suite heavy on biblical references which attempts to answer what the point of it all is.
33	* 1994 - ''[[FollowTheLeader Waiting For The Punchline]]''
34	** A seemingly-final effort mostly InTheStyleOf Music/{{Soundgarden}}, ''Waiting'' hews only very loosely to its narrative about a cynical atheist who finds religion. Mostly known for the somewhat more characteristic instrumental single "Midnight Express", a showcase for Bettencourt which still appears in the band's live set.
35	* 2008 - ''[[BilingualBonus Saudades de Rock]]''
36	** A reunion album whose title roughly translates as "Nostalgia for Rock" in Portuguese, ''Saudades'' lacks the unified lyrical themes of most of the band's work, instead emphasizing their FunkMetal style even on Music/PinkFloyd tribute "Comfortably Dumb". "Take Us Alive" also provided the title for their subsequent tour.
37
38
39	----
40	!!More than Tropes:
41	* AlbumTitleDrop: ''Pornograffitti'' and ''Waiting for the Punchline'' have their {{title track}}s.
42	** Having three sides to every story is also a recurring lyrical theme in "Cupid's Dead".
43	** ''Saudades de Rock'' has "Peace (Saudade)".
44	* CallBack: "A Song for Love" references the song "Big Boys don't Cry" from the previous album by name. That song itself is then referenced by the next album's "Rise N' Shine"
45	* ChristmasSongs: The B-side "Christmas Time Again", though it doesn't exactly praise Christmas time.
46	* {{Cliche}}: A lot of their lyrics revolve around taking a cliche and giving it a new or ironic meaning
47	%%* ConceptAlbum: ''Pornograffiti'' and ''III Sides to Every Story'' at least.
48	* CountryMusic: "Hole Hearted" has a countryish acoustic orchestration and four-on-the-floor bass drum beat throughout.
49	* CoverVersion: "[[Music/{{KISS}} Strutter]]", "[[Music/TheBeatles Help!]]", "[[Music/{{Queen}} Love Of My Life]]", and OneHitWonder Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music".
50	* DarkerAndEdgier: On a strictly lyrical scale, ''Pornograffiti'' has much weightier themes than the party metal lyrics of ''Extreme'', although the music is more or less on the same heaviness level. ''III Sides to Every Story'' is darker still, dealing with concepts such as war, racism, God, and one's place in the world. It also has some of their heaviest songs, a few of them approaching straight up [[HeavyMetal metal]] territory. The next album had similar lyrical themes, but with a slower, [[{{Grunge}} grungier]] sound.
51	%%* DistinctDoubleAlbum
52	* DualMeaningChorus: "Hole Hearted" can be interpreted as being a regular love song or about having a so-called "god-shaped hole".
53	* {{Foreshadowing}}: The song "Get the funk Out" references lyrics in almost every other song on the album, and since it is one of the first songs on the album, most of that is a sneak peak of what's yet to come.
54	%%* FunkMetal: Most songs fit under this genre.
55	* EpicRocking: The [[ProgressiveRock Prog tinged]] 3 part suite "Everything Under the Sun" is definitely this. In fact, each single part is pretty long in its own right, each one being well over 6 minutes, and the finale being over 8.
56	%%* ExtraExtraReadAllAboutIt: Used in "Cupid's Dead"
57	* GenreMashup: Now FunkMetal, now straight pop, now ProgressiveRock, now pre-rock pop, now Music/YngwieMalmsteen-like classical guitar!
58	%%* GodIsDead: The song "God Isn't Dead?" begs the question. It's left up to the listener, but the songs that follow seem to imply that He isn't.
59	%%* {{Grunge}}: Their fourth album, ''Waiting For the Punchline'', could probably be best described as 'funk grunge'.
60	* HairMetal: Extreme came in with the last wave of the trend and are usually lumped in, though their take on the pop-metal sound owes to plenty more than Music/VanHalen.
61	* HardRock: leanings towards this style are found all throughout their music, though ''Saudades De Rock'' is the only album that could be considered pretty much a straight up example.
62	* HeManWomanHater: Actually the name of one of the tracks on ''Pornograffitti''.
63	* {{Homage}}: The first comeback single, "Rock and Roll Man", to the late [[Music/{{Boston}} Brad Delp]]. Also, the guitar solo of "Rest in Peace" contains a snippet of "[[Music/JimiHendrix Voodoo Child]]".
64	* InTheStyleOf: Twice on ''Pornograffitti'' - "More Than Words" [[BlackSheepHit confused listeners]] with its [[Music/TheEverlyBrothers Everly Brothers-inspired]] sound while "When I First Kissed You" is a [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] Music/FrankSinatra homage. "Ghost" from ''Saudades de Rock'' is likewise a Music/{{Coldplay}} pastiche.
65	* IntercourseWithYou: A few songs on the first album, but it's actually pretty vague about it. Subverted with the songs on "Pornograffitti", while sexual references are made, it's more of a lament on how sex obsessed society is.
66	* LargeHam: Gary Cherone is a very enthusiastic singer, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnWCHt8-Pc0 as his infamous Van Halen stint handily proves]].
67	* LastNoteHilarity: "Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?)" is left unresolved...or not...
68	** The song "Flesh'N'Blood" ends with a belch.
69	* LighterAndSofter: ''Saudades'' is probably their least serious album since their debut album.
70	%%* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Nuno Bettencourt, full stop. (see MrFanservice below).
71	%%* MisogynySong: "He-Man Woman Hater"
72	* MoneySong: "Money (In God We Trust)", with lines like "Money, my personal savior/Money, material lord", is a fairly sarcastic take.
73	* MotorMouth: The words in "Play With Me" fly by as fast as the riffs, and "Cupid's Dead" [[RapMetal isn't the easiest song to keep up with either]].
74	* MrFanservice: Nuno Bettencourt, ''hands down''. As seen [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647251777666632377/ here]], his good looks have held up remarkably well with age.
75	%%* OminousMusicBoxTune
76	* PopStarComposer: Bettencourt did the soundtrack for Film/SmartPeople, even bringing in Gary Cherone for one track.
77	* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: PlayedForLaughs on "Get The Funk Out" while Pat Badger is playing his cool funk inspired bassline.
78	-->"Hey Patrick! Not bad, for a pasty faced white boy!"
79	* ProgressiveRock: Especially on ''III Sides to Every Story''. Nuno's guitar solos often have a neoclassical quality to them, as best seen in "Play With Me" on ''Extreme''.
80	* RapMetal: "When I'm President" is a curious example. "Cupid's Dead" also contains a rap section towards the end.
81	* RearrangeTheSong: Extreme have released "Horn Mix" versions of "Hole Hearted" and "Cupid's Dead" as B-sides.
82	* ShoutOut: "[[Music/TheBeatles I read the news today, oh boy]]/About a tragic comedy", from "Cupid's Dead". Pat Badger also uses Music/PaulMcCartney's [[IconicItem Höfner bass guitar]] in the "Tragic Comic" video. And then there's "[[Music/PinkFloyd Comfortably Dumb]]".
83	** The "[[Music/JimiHendrix Voodoo Child]]" snippet in the guitar solo of "Rest in Peace".
84	* VocalTagTeam: Gary Cherone has Nuno Bettencourt harmonizing with him on many occasions. Nuno sings significant lines in the songs too.
85	** Nuno and Pat Badger could be considered as one. Almost every Extreme song has them doing two-part distinct backing vocals.

Context Music / Extreme