Extreme

Suzi sells seashells ...by the WHAT?

A funk-metal act from Boston, Extreme are revered as one of the most musicially proficient bands of the late 80s/early 90s, mostly due to Portugese-born virtuoso guitarist Nuno Bettencourt. And there's that acoustic hit song too.

Singer Gary Cherone is also infamous for his short stint as the third Van Halen singer.

Members

Current

• Nuno Bettencourt - guitar
• Gary Cherone - vocals
• Patrick "Pat" Badger - bass
• Kevin "kfigg" Figueiredo - drums

Former

• Paul Geary - drums
• Mike Mangini - drums

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Studio Albums

• 1989 - Extreme
  • After gigging for several years on the Boston circuit, Extreme had written a respectable arsenal of over 50 songs. 11 of those songs ended up on the debut (the vinyl version does not contain "Play With Me" though). With juniveile lyric subjects and triggered snare drums, the overall atmosphere on the record is mostly un-Extremely generic Hair Metal, although filled with top-class guitar work and vocal harmonies as evident in the heavy "Kid Ego" and Van Halenesque "Mutha (Don't Wanna Go To School Today)" and "Teacher's Pet".
• 1990 - Pornograffitti
  • 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, "Porno" 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 sinatraesque piano ballad, a mind-boggingly precise guitar solo and tongue-in-cheek rapping thrown in for a good measure.
• 1992 - III Sides To Every Story
  • Concept album
• 1995 - Waiting For The Punchline
  • Grunge record
• 2008 - Saudades de Rock
  • Comeback album

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Extreme provides examples of the following tropes:

• Album Title Drop: "Pornograffitti" and "Waiting For The Punchline" have their title tracks
  • Having three sides to every story is also a recurring lyrical theme in "Cupid's Dead"
  • "Saudades de Rock" has "Peace (Saudade)"
• Christian Rock: Subversion. Song lyrics are inspired by Christianity here and there, but nothing is in-your-face about beliefs.
• Christmas Songs: The B-side "Christmas Time Again", though it doesn't exactly praise Christmas time.
• Country Music: "Hole Hearted" has a countryish acoustic orchestration and four-on-the-floor bass drum beat througout.
• Distinct One-And-A-Half Album
• Dual-Meaning Chorus: "Hole Hearted" can be interpreted as being a regular love song or about having a so-called "god-shaped hole".
• Funk Metal: Most songs fit under this genre.
• Genre Busting: These guys love this. Rock band playing a lounge ballad? Come on.
• Hair Metal: Arguably, the debut album in most places.
• Last Note Hilarity "Suzi (Wants Her All Day What)" is left unresolved. Or not.
• Misogyny Song: "He-Man Woman Hater"
• Motor Mouth: Just try to sing along in "Play With Me" and "Cupid's Dead"!
• Ominious Music Box Tune
• Progressive Rock
• Rap Rock: "When I'm President" is a curious example. "Cupid's Dead" also contains a rap section towards the end.
• Vocal Tag Team: Gary Cherone has Nuno Bettencourt harmonizing with him on many occasions. Nuno sings signifigant lines in the songs too.
  • Nuno and Pat Badger could be considered as one. Almost every Extreme song has them doing two-part distinct backing vocals.