Extreme - III (3) Sides to Every Story

The more I study "typical" hair metal bands, the more I realize that there were no "typical" hair metal bands. Underneath the makeup and big hair, there was talent aplenty. The vast majority of these bands were populated by very good musicians and, more importantly, knew how to write great songs. The band Extreme was no exception.

On their 1989 debut album, Extreme presented the listener with a sound that effectively mixed the guitar pyrotechnics of Van Halen, the swaggering hard rock of Aerosmith and the art-rock of Queen. Pornograffitti, their second album, built and expanded on the groundwork laid down by their debut, creating a masterpiece that was more than just "More Than Words" (a brilliant song but there was more to Extreme than that). Enter Extreme's third album, III Sides to Every Story.

Though they were hair metal, Extreme was more. They had elements of funk metal and progressive rock in their sound from the beginning and this was fully realized on III Sides to Every Story. III Sides is also a concept album divided up into three parts: Yours, Mine and the Truth. This album tackles just about every social and political problem you can think of and, in some ways, it is a bit pretentious and overbearing. But, if you take the songs one at a time, this album ends up being great.

YOURS (or the funk metal part of the album)
1. "Warheads" - This song opens with a father giving orders to his son in a military manner. The beginning is amusing but fortunately guitarist Nuno Bettencourt comes in and gives us a good, funky opening guitar riff. Vocalist Gary Cherone treats us with catchy vocal melodies and, as always, his vocals are perfect.
2. "Rest in Peace" - Opens with violins, does this song. That's something I've always enjoyed about Extreme: the use of orchestra instruments. Bettencourt, again, gives us a shot of funk metal. The lyrics are political (again) and the vocal melodies are funk-based. Another good funk metal tune.
3. "Politicalamity" - An awesome guitar riff opens this song. Bettencourt is an unbelievable guitarist, truly one of the best. The vocal melodies on this song are extremely infectious and the entire song "bounces" with energy. A horn section adds to the funk throughout. Great song!
4. "Color Me Blind" - Another funky, bouncy song with great guitar work and awesome vocal melodies and vocal harmonies. Where as the previous three songs were sassy and irreverent, with this one, the album begins to move in a more serious direction.
5. "Cupid's Dead" - We temporarily are thrown back to the fun and sass of the first three songs on this funk metal outing. Gary Cherone is fun and amazing as he tries to get too many words into this song. It's difficult to explain, I'll just say he's rap-sings at the speed of light here. And speaking of rap, we get a tasteful rap solo at the end of the song by, oddly enough, a rapper (not a member of Extreme). This song also contains a very long guitar "solo". "Cupid's Dead" is another fine song.
6. "Peacemaker Die" - Funk, funk and more funk. This is another fine song with beautiful vocal melodies and vocal harmonies. And as always, Nuno Bettencourt is at the top of his game. This song picks up with the more serious tone established on "Color Me Blind".
MINE (or the pop-rock part of the album)
7. "Seven Sundays" - This is a beautiful, sweeping song with incredibly gorgeous vocal melodies. An orchestra and piano (courtesy of Nuno Bettencourt) are the instruments used on this song. The members of Extreme sure know how to present the listener with very pretty vocal harmonies on this fantastic song that has a sad/melancholy tone to it.
8. "Tragic Comic" - This tune opens with a really cool bass solo which is soon joined by Bettencourt on acoustic guitar. This is a very catchy song, pop-rock all the way. And a testament to the most diverse band I've ever heard.
9. "Our Father" - This song continues the pop-rock-ish tone of the middle third of III Sides but this song also has a touch of funk to it. Good song with tight playing and excellent vocal melodies.
10. "Stop the World" - The pop-rock and pleasing but melancholy vocal melodies continue. Extreme, or more specifically, Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone, knew how to write great songs. This song is a precursor to the more sad and tragic songs that will finish the album.
11. "God Isn't Dead" - If this song doesn't make you cry, then you ain't human. This is likely the saddest song I've ever heard. Gary Cherone is crying out to God asking him why the world is so sad and evil. A piano and string section accompany Cherone's sad plea and his cry for help. Man, this short but powerful song really hits you in the heart.
12. "Don't Leave Me Alone" - Again, Cherone pleas with God, asking him for help. Piano and orchestra come in giving us a powerful and emotional song. You cannot get this song on cd format. It wouldn't fit onto to the cd version because the cd had to be under 74 minutes (more than 74 minutes and you risk having the cd skip) so it was cut. Bettencourt said this was like cutting off his left arm when they left this song off the cd version. It is on the cassette tape version, though, and it is worth having both versions. This is a great song.
& THE TRUTH (or the symphonic/progressive rock part of the album)
13. "Rise 'n Shine" - Well, maybe life isn't so bad. At least, that's the message of this tune. Nuno Bettencourt shares lead vocals with Gary Cherone on this song. Bettencourt is an excellent vocalist and the vocal interplay between he and Cherone is simply fantastic -- not unlike their interplay on "More Than Words". Acoustic guitar and an orchestra give this semi-prog tune a very hopeful and powerful tone.
14. "Am I Ever Gonna Change" - Well, maybe life is bad. Cherone (or the character/voice he is portraying) is trying to make changes in his life but keeps falling back into bad habits. The chorus tells the story: "Am I ever gonna change, will I always stay the same, if I say one thing, then I do the other...". Another moody song with a sad undertone. The vocals melodies are very catchy and Bettencourt is giving us some really good straight-ahead guitar work. Great song.
15. "Who Cares?" - Every band makes that special song, usually epic and sweeping in nature, that is so powerful and emotional that it represents everything we love about a particular band. Queen has "Bohemian Rhapsody", Savatage has "Chance". Extreme has "Who Cares?", the best song I've ever heard. A quiet but sad piano starts off this epic, followed by an urgent-sounding string section which moves into a full-blown sweeping and grand orchestra. Then things quiet again and Cherone starts pouring out his soul in a prayer to Jesus asking Him if we (humankind) have lost sight of the really important things in life. The orchestra picks up again and goes silent as Cherone continues pleading. Then Bettencourt hits us with a very soulful guitar solo, which is very reminiscent of Queen and an orchestra joins in toward the end of the guitar solo. The finale follows with a lone Cherone pouring out his heart and soul with only the lonely wind accompanying him in the background. Soon, the orchestra rejoins and gives us the saddest, heart wrenching ending I've ever heard. Cherone again sings the "Am I ever gonna change..." line from the previous song while Bettencourt sings his lines from "Rise 'n Shine" -- and then, abruptly, the album ends and we are left with only a music box playing. This is a very progressive song, unusual in structure and innovative in style and one helluva ride.