Extreme (Extreme album)
{{More citations needed|date=February 2011}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Extreme
| type = studio
| artist = Extreme
| cover = Extreme ( Extreme album - cover art).jpg
| border = yes
| released = 1989
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| length = 45:00
| label = A&M
| producer = Mack, Extreme
| next_title = Extreme II: Pornograffitti
| next_year = 1990
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Extreme
| type = Studio
| single1 = Play with Me
| single1date = February 1989
| single2 = Kid Ego
| single2date = March 1989
| single3 = Little Girls
| single3date = July 1989
| single4 = Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)
| single4date = September 1989
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Extreme - Extreme {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/extreme-mw0000653330|access-date=April 16, 2021|website=AllMusic}}
| rev2 = Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal
| rev2Score = 6/10{{cite book|last=Popoff|first=Martin|author-link1=Martin Popoff|title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties|publisher=Collector's Guide Publishing|date=November 1, 2005|location=Burlington, Ontario, Canada|isbn=978-1894959315|page=113}}
| rev3 = Rolling Stone
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Neely|first=Kim|date=July 13, 1989|title=Extreme: Extreme - Music Reviews|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/extreme/albums/album/110203/review/5944789/extreme|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024135742/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/extreme/albums/album/110203/review/5944789/extreme|archive-date=October 24, 2007|access-date=March 26, 2015|url-status=dead|magazine=Rolling Stone}}
}}
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, and produced the minor Mainstream Rock hit "Kid Ego".{{Cite magazine|title=Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart|url=https://assets.billboard.com/charts/hot-mainstream-rock-tracks/1989-04-29|access-date=2021-08-08|magazine=Billboard}} The single "Play with Me" is featured on the soundtrack for the comedy film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,{{Citation|title=Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - Original Soundtrack {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bill-teds-excellent-adventure-mw0000199013|language=en|access-date=2021-08-08}} an opening episode of season 4 of Stranger Things,{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Evan |date=2022-05-27 |title=The 'Stranger Things' Season 4 Soundtrack Is an '80s Nostalgia Trip |url=https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40119050/stranger-things-4-soundtrack-songs/ |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Men's Health |language=en-US}} and the 2007 rhythm game, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.{{cite web |last1=Bergman |first1=Kieth |title='Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s': Complete List Of Songs Revealed |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/guitar-hero-encore-rocks-the-80s-complete-list-of-songs-revealed |website=Blabbermouth |date=4 July 2007 |access-date=11 August 2022}}
Music
The album has been primarily described as glam metal, but has also been described as funk-metal,{{cite web|last=DeRiso|first=Nick|date=August 7, 2015|title=Revisiting Extreme's Path to Success With 'Pornograffitti'|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/extreme-pornograffitti/|access-date=April 17, 2021|website=Ultimate Classic Rock}} and hard rock.{{cite web|last=Draper|first=Jason|date=March 14, 2021|title=Extreme – And The Debut Album That Tapped Their Maximum Potential|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/extreme-debut-album/|access-date=April 17, 2021|website=uDiscover Music}}
Reception
The album sold modestly well at around 300,000 units,[https://www.onamrecords.com/labels/a-m-records/146447/history#1989 A&M Records History]. A&M Records. Retrieved March 3, 2021. and was favored by heavy metal fans, but did not achieve significant mainstream success.{{Cite web|title=Extreme: More than metal|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/08/02/extreme-more-metal/|access-date=2021-08-08|website=EW.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808184122/https://ew.com/article/1991/08/02/extreme-more-metal/|url-status=dead}} 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". In his review for Extreme II: Pornograffitti, Bryan Rolli called their debut album "rote glam metal".{{Cite web|date=July 1, 2021|first=Bryan|last=Rolli|title=Top 30 Glam Metal Albums|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/glam-metal-albums/|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|language=en|quote=Extreme built upon the rote glam metal of their self-titled debut}} Rolling Stone writer Kim Neely gave the album three stars, but called it an "extremely good listen".
Track listing
All songs written by Cherone & Bettencourt, except "Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)" by Cherone, LeBeaux & Hunt.
{{track listing
| title1 = Little Girls
| length1 = 3:47
| title2 = Wind Me Up
| length2 = 3:37
| title3 = Kid Ego
| length3 = 4:04
| title4 = Watching, Waiting
| length4 = 4:54
| title5 = Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)
| length5 = 4:52
| title6 = Teacher's Pet
| length6 = 3:02
| title7 = Big Boys Don't Cry
| length7 = 3:34
| title8 = Smoke Signals
| length8 = 4:14
| title9 = Flesh 'n' Blood
| length9 = 3:31
| title10 = Rock a Bye Bye
| length10 = 5:57
| title11 = Play with Me
| length11 = 3:29
| note11 = not present on any vinyl releases except Australia and New Zealand
| total_length = 45:00
}}
Personnel
- Pat Badger – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nuno Bettencourt – guitar, synthesizer, piano, backing vocals, percussion, orchestration, mixing
- Gary Cherone – lead & backing vocals, design, logo design
- Paul Geary – drums, percussion, backing vocals, logo design
;Additional musicians
- The Lollipop Kids – background vocals (tracks 5, 11)
- Rapheal May – harmonica (track 1)
;Production
- Mack – producer on all tracks, except 2, 3 and 4, engineer, mixing
- Bob St. John – engineer, mixing
- Nigel Green – mixing on tracks 2, 3 and 4
- Howie Weinberg – mastering at Masterdisk, New York
- Jeff Gold – art direction
- Harris Savides – photography
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (1989) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
| align="center"| 97 |
|---|
| scope="row"|Billboard 200{{Cite magazine|title=Extreme by Extreme {{!}} Billboard 200 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1989-06-17?rank=80|access-date=2021-08-08|magazine=Billboard}}
|align="center"|80 |
Accolades
| class="wikitable" |
| Publication
! Year ! Country ! Accolade ! Rank |
|---|
| Guitar World
|2008 |US |align="center"|8 |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Extreme}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Albums produced by Reinhold Mack