Extreme – S/T (Release Year – 1989)
Extreme’s debut CD hit the hair metal scene in 1989. I always thought their debut CD was a little hit
and miss. There are some good songs, and there are a few tunes that feel like filler material.
The one thing that propels Extreme past many of their peers is the superb guitar work of Nuno Bettencourt. Without Nuno, I often wonder if this band would have been a blip on the musical radar.
Bettencourt adds a funky groove to Extreme’s music that helps seperate them from so many of the bands that oversatured the music scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The band broke out in 1989 with several videos on MTV that launched a fairly solid career for Gary Cherone and company.
This self titled debut isn’t the band’s strongest effort by any means, but it is definitely worth a listen. Check out the songs Wind Me Up, Kid Ego, or the Play With Me, and you will certainly have a rocking good time.
This is one of those discs that you have to get out from time to time, if only to hear Bettencourt shred. His guitar work on Play With Me is worth the price of admission, all by itself.
Extreme has reunited in 2007, and will play the first show of their 2008 tour, at the Rocklahoma music festival in July. For more information on Extreme, check out their myspace page.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Little Girls
2. Wind Me Up
3. Kid Ego
4. Watching, Waiting
5. Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go To School Today)
6. Teacher’s Pet
7. Big Boys Don’t Cry
8. Smoke Signals
9. Flesh ‘N’ Blood
10. Rock A Bye Bye
11. Play With Me
Extreme is:
Gary Cherone – Vocals
Nuno Bettencourt – Guitars
Pat Badger – Bass
Paul Geary – Drums
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Hard Rock Hideout 
20 years on it´s really strange, to stumble over this song again…
in my opinion, there were the one or other , i preferred to “motha”.
what a pitty, they never perform at the same time in the same country i´m living in …
Good review Rob. I like this album, but I agree with you when saying that there is filler on it though. Bettencourt is one of the best of the genre. Kide Ego and Mutha are probably my favorite songs on the album. I too think Pornograffitti is a better release overall.
I’ve always LOVED Extreme. For me, Pornograffiti was better than their debut album, but the debut album wasn’t bad. It had some great songs on it, and it introduced the world to Nuno Bettencourt. And you’re right, Nuno certainly made this band stand out from all of the other bands that flooded the market at that time. Not to say the rest of the band wasn’t talented, but Nuno was, and still is, a guitar god. He’s soulful and skillful, and that’s hard to find in a guitar player these days.