Customer Reviews

The Best Of Extreme: An Accidental Collocation Of Atoms

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Extreme was one hell of a band, make no mistake. Gary Cherone (Van Halen III aside) was and still is one of the most talented singers ever to grace a record, Nuno Bettencourt's guitar work rivaled, and at times exceeded that of his idols, Eddie Van Halen and Brian May, Pat Badger was a phenom on bass, doubling Nuno's parts with ease, and Paul Geary... well, I'll leave him alone but their second drummer, Mike Mangini, is simply one of the greatest skin-pounders today.

So why was this band almost completley overlooked, save for two songs (More than Words and Hole Hearted) that barely showcased their real talent? Who knows, the music industry works that way. This CD is a nice introduction to the REAL Extreme, but it's simply not enough, for the casual fan or the dedicated one. There's no new or unreleased material at all, save a much-needed remix of Cupid's Dead, so people who already own the original albums (and most extreme fans already do) have no use for this collection.

As for new fans, they'd be better off buying either Pornograffitti or III Sides for an introduction. Yes, both these albums had mainstream hits that are on this collection, but the fact is Extreme made ALBUMS, not SINGLES. Extreme's songs were designed with an entire concept in mind, as opposed to just one or two hits surrounded by filler. Each album was a completley different work, and this 'Best of' collection is very incoherent, as the original song contexts are lost.

Not to say there isn't a lot of great material on here. These songs are fantastic, because the band was fantastic. But this compilation is unneccesary. If you want a better intro to Extreme, buy either Pornograffitti or III Sides to Every Story, then move on to their remaining two albums.

Murphy's 1st Law of Rock and Roll: The best bands with the best records will languish in relative obscurity to the general public. In the case of EXTREME, this "Best of..." compilation only makes us miss them even more. This is a GREAT band that never got the recognition it deserved, save for the brisk sales of their second album, driven by the ballad "More than Words". Ironically, they were dismissed bysome critics as pop-metal balladeers because of that song, which was a grave injustice. This CD is a good introduction to this band for the otherwise uninformed (or misinformed). But to truly appreciate the breadth of the songwriting and performing skills of EXTREME you need to buy the entire catalog of 4 studio CD's. Many of the Van Halen fans who booed at Gary Cherone getting the Lead Singer job were only familiar with Cherone through "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted". But those of us more familiar with his range as a singer ("Get the Funk Out") and songwriter/lyricist saw some potential in his selection. As a live act, the Cherone-led Van Halen was the best live Van Halen concert I've seen/heard in the 12 times I've seen that band, in all its incarnations.

I already own every song on this "Best Of..." disc, so a few bonus unreleased tracks would have been nice. But the song selection on this CD provides a pretty good overview to introduce new fans. This band can rock/funk as good as any band out there, past and present.

And Extreme guitarist god Nuno Bettencourt is married to Suze DeMarchi, former lead singer of the now-defunct Australian band Baby Animals. Check out the two discs by that band, and grab Suze's solo disc "Telelove", which features the songwriting and producing hand of her hubby Nuno. Some if not all of those 3 discs are available through Amazon.com

This "Best of Extreme" is simply awesome from Hard Rock to some Classical touches here and there. Members of this group Patrick Badger (bass guitar, vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion and vocals), Gary Cherone (lead vocals), Paul Geary (drums, percussion and vocals) and Mike Mancini (drums) were way ahead of their time. A style that is distinctly their own, hard to soft sounds come from this phenomenal rock band.

Some stand outs need to be mentioned - "MORE THAN WORDS" classic tune with great lyrics - "CUPID'S DEAD" non-stop rhythm with a beat - "PLAY WITH ME" with a heads-up classical touch - "HOLE HEARTED" cause' there's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you!

Music junkies, don't miss the most overlooked band of the '90s. After the first track you will be convinced this is one of the greatest rock bands of the last decade.

Total Time: 67:38 on 13 Tracks/ A&M Records Inc - 069 490 556 2 (2000)

I've just recently gotten into "Extreme", and I'm so glad I did. I'm amazed at how good these guys were, and I'm suprised they weren't more popular. They seem to get grouped in with alot of the hair bands, but they sound like more of a "Van Halen/Chili Peppers" hybrid to me. So many good songs here, including "Decadence Dance", "Rest In Peace", "Get The Funk Out", and "Hip Today". Plus the two big hits "Hole Hearted" and "More Than Words". There's actually not one weak track here. The singing and guitar playing are excellent. The only track I really miss is "He Man Woman Hater". But overall, this is perfect for the person wanting to get "Extreme".

No single CD can manage to capture all that there is to Extreme, but I am of the opinion that this CD comes about as close as one can possibly expect. Extreme was a phenomenal rock band inspired by great artists such as British rock act Queen. With a style purely their own, they are unafraid to show their soft sides, their hard sides, and a bit of political commentary. Sampling from their four previous albums, the compilation covers some of the best songs in their catalog. Soft favorites such as "More than words" and "Hole Hearted;" Along with harder, fatser songs, such as "Decadence dance," "Play with me," and "Cupid's dead" make this a good starting place for anyone new to the music of Extreme. However, some of their best songs are missing: "Mutha," "There is no God," "Color me blind," And many other great songs are missing. However, this flaw is less aparent on this compilation than most. An Accidental Collision of Atoms will definitely whet your whistle for one of the greatest rock bands of the '90s.

Songs like "Hip Today", "Rest In Peace", "Stop The World", "Hole Hearted" are highly intelligent pieces of music by this artist. Not only are they soically introspective songs, but they seem to carry a sense of purpose, and a message about the world around us. Concept, melodic rock is how you could best describe Extreme's music. Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone remain a musical powerhouse duo. They both sing very well, write intelligent lyrics and melodys very well, Nuno Bettencourt in my opinion is one of the very best Guitar players in the Universe. Pat Badger is a very overlooked bassist, and Paul Geary has a drumming style unique to his own. Mike Mangini who only played on three songs with Extreme, also holds his own here on this best of CD (Hip Today, Leave Me Alone).

I would have to agree with a reviewer here that Extreme's music happens to be incredible, with elements of hard rock, pop rock, metal, jazz, alternative rock, 80's rock, progressive rock, classical, grunge rock, acoustic rock, rap, even punk rock. They loved to experiment musically all the time which made them a very interesting band to listen to. This best of compilation is a good way for you to appreciate this bands wonderful, thought provoking, rocking EXTREMELY hip songs.

One simply cannot get by with saying that EXTREME was an above average rock band. That is, anyone that has any idea of what it takes to be "above average". Each of the indiviual members of EXTREME are so overwhelmingly talented that collectively, EXTREME was a band well ahead of its time.

As far as content, with a few notable exceptions, they picked most of the great ones for this collection. It's the perfect way someone who doesn't own all or any of Extreme's albums to get aquanted with their music. However, missing from this album are any new/unreleased tracks that may help to "lure" a fan who already has all of Extreme's CDs and then some. I heard that at the time of the Extreme break-up, they were recording 2 new songs for a "Best of" compilation. Where are these songs? Where are the b-sides? These things would entice me to buy this album more considering I already own every song on this collection. Because of this, I give this album only 3 stars. With a CD Recorder, I could make my own "Best of" collection and then some...

It's kind of hard to make a greatest hits record for this artist. Since most of their material is stitched together with a concept. Each song compliment's each other on & on and so forth. Each album has a life of it's own, a sound of it's own, and of course an idea of it's own. That said, this greatest hits compilation is a little disappointing to hardcore fans like myself. No pictures of the band in the liner notes, not even any of their brilliant B-Sides are included here. A live track or two would have been cool, but they did the best job possible admittedly with the assembled music part of the package. Still though, if your looking to check them out for the first time, go ahead and buy all their four CD's. Skip this one in that case. "Cupid's Dead -- Horns Mix" mixed with the funky metal horns, is the only attractive diversion tactic to even considering buying this package if you haven't heard that version. Or if your a fan it might be worth it. I am just reviewing the product I have at hand. Extreme happens to be an incredible band, with elements of hard rock, pop rock, metal, jazz, alternative rock, 80's rock, progressive rock, classical, grunge rock, acoustic rock, rap, even punk rock. You can only experience the musical elements of this artist if you listen to all four of their catalog titles. Either way "Get the funk out, cause I'm a Cynical f$%k, Am I Ever Gonna Change?, hey WHO CARES?, I am Lil' Jack Horny, and your Evilangelist, Rise 'n' Shine, Dancing to the Decadence Dance, Hip Today you'll be gone tomorrow, I'm still waitiing for the punchline, Color Me Blind so I can see no evil, I'm a Warhead(s), Money In God We Trust, please Stop The World from spinning round, I get No Respect none, Leave Me Alone, hey Kid Ego don't you know the bigger they come the harder they must all fall, there's a HOLE in my HEART(ED) that can only be filled by you, It's A Monster we all have within us, Tell Me Something I Don't Know, Mutha Don't Wanna Go To School Today, Please tell me God Isn't Dead, So you say There Is No God just a clever mans charade a once upon a fairy tales fraud has god made man or man made god??, There's a time for EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN...............

This is a GREAT! cd this is my 3rd time buying this cd since i was young. The deliver was fast then the time that it was suppose to be out. YYEEAA!!! Nuno Bettencourt can play the heck out of the guitar..Love U Nuno...lol...But this is a great cd to buy especially if you know the song "More than Words" back in the 90's.