“. . . is all you have to do to make it real” – Extreme

The acoustic ballad “More Than Words” by Extreme reached #1 on The Billboard’s Hot 100 in the US in March of 1991. A music ensemble formed out of a quadratic dressing room conundrum in the mid 80’s, EXTREME is still alive and acoustically well. This “heart song” (phrase stolen from Rivers Cuomo) still makes my eyes water, just as it did when I was seven…

Extreme: The Early Years… (via Wikipedia)

“Extreme was formed in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1985. Vocalist Gary Cherone and drummer Paul Geary were in a band called The Dream (“Extreme” is a derivation of Cherone and Geary’s former band “The Dream”, meaning “Ex-Dream“). Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt was in a band called Sinful, and bassist Pat Badger was playing with a Berklee-based outfit called In The Pink.

Following an altercation between the rival groups over communal dressing rooms, the four decided to form a new band together. Cherone and Bettencourt began writing songs together and the band played numerous shows in the Boston area. They gradually developed a strong local following, and were named “Outstanding Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Act” at the Boston Music Awards in 1986 and 1987.

The band Extreme had accumulated several original songs by the time A&R director Bryan Huttenhower signed them to A&M Records in 1988. The band then recorded their self-titled debut album which was issued in 1989. The first single was “Kid Ego,” a song that Cherone would later admit made him cringe. The final track on the album, “Play With Me,” was used as the “mall chase” song in the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

Shredded by Music Critics through the years and popping up on a majority of “Worst Bands of All Time” Lists, Extreme lives on in spirit and song. The band is still together, touring and creating new music, having just wrapped a touring schedule with band Ratt in the EAST MEETS WEST TOUR ‘09 and released a new album this year.

This song touched my heart and made tears stream down my eyes when I was seven years old. Odd, right? I know.   What can I say? I was an.. emotional child 🙂 Still, the acoustic guitar of Nuno Bettencourt and the harmonized vocals of Gary Cherone and Bettencourt still seem to embody that same sweet sadness of… love. I may not be Music Critic material, and that is just fine with me.

Consider my hat off to you in admiration and appreciation, Extreme!  Thank You for providing today’s Little Ditty.

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Now, as a Gulkin Gazette Gift of the Little Ditties variety . . .

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—————————> CHRISTMAS BONUS TIME!

♣ A live Weezer performance of “El Scorcho,” the first single from their second album Pinkerton, released in 1996 ♣

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“El Scorcho” Lyrics Excerpt:

“I’m a lot like you so please
Hello, I’m here, I’m waiting
I think I’d be good for you
And you’d be good for me

How stupid is it? I can’t talk about it
I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart
How stupid is it? Won’t you give me a minute
Just come up to me and say hello to my heart

 

How stupid is it? For all I know you want me too
And maybe you just don’t know what to do
Or maybe you’re scared to say: “I’m falling for you”

I wish I could get my head out of the sand
‘Cause I think we’d make a good team
And you would keep my fingernails clean
But that’s just a stupid dream that I won’t realize
‘Cause I can’t even look in your eyes
Without shakin’, and I ain’t fakin’
I’ll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon.”

 

– Songwriters: Cuomo, Rivers

Related Articles:

• Extreme – Take Us Alive: Boston 2009 (2010) CD & DVD (heavymetaladdiction.com)

• Extreme, ‘Run’ — Video Premiere (noisecreep.com)

• One of the Guys in Extreme: ‘Memba Him? (tmz.com)

• RATT – ‘Eat Me Up Alive’ Video Available (bravewords.com)

• Weezer played the ‘Pinkerton’ @ Roseland Ballroom w/ Free Energy (pics & setlist) (brooklynvegan.com)

• Music Review: All Aboard an Alt-Rock Time Machine (nytimes.com)

• Gary Cherone’s HURTSMILE Coming From Frontiers Records in January (hardrockhideout.com)