Extreme

小簡介
“極端樂隊”——這一頭銜對那些對音樂本身持嚴肅態(tài)度的人來講至少應該意味著以下幾點：天才般的靈感與創(chuàng)意、出色的創(chuàng)作、演繹實力，執(zhí)著的價值觀以及聽眾瘋狂的喝彩與掌聲。Extreme正是以此區(qū)別于那些如Bon Jovi(邦·喬維)、Europe(歐洲)之類空洞無物的銷量冠軍，而成為新一代真正的重金屬/硬搖滾樂迷心中的偶像。成立于1986年的Extreme由樂隊靈魂人物、吉他手Nuno與主唱Gary阿低音吉他手Pat、鼓手Paul(后于1995年由Mike取代)組成。1989年他們的初試啼聲之作《Extreme I》專輯與單曲“Kid Ego”(少年自尊)一推出，評論界即對這專輯推崇備至，認為這是一張高水準的搖滾樂專輯，可惜叫好不叫座，當時的樂迷們似乎更愿意看到他們心中的偶像在電視中口吐臟話，在舞臺上叼著煙大摔吉他之類傲慢不馴的舉止，而Extreme的小伙子們則顯得過于文靜，缺少花俏的包裝與花邊新聞，這也使MTV等娛樂業(yè)的宣傳機器忽視了他們極高的音樂水準與嚴肅的立意。我行我素的樂隊成員們堅持著自己的分格并沒向媚俗的音樂傳媒和樂迷們屈服，于1990年推出極為經(jīng)典之作——《Pornograffitti》(風情畫)。這張專輯被公認為最佳的重金屬/硬搖滾唱片之一，在這張唱片中樂隊成員們充分表現(xiàn)了自己的天才和技藝，樹立了非常個性化的極端式重金屬風格。然而，這張專輯并非是一張純Thrash Metal(激流金屬)專輯，其中也有一些風格大異其趣的曲子。如令人心醉的抒情慢歌“More Than Words”，Garry富于情感的嗓音在木吉他的伴奏下唱出了一位渴望愛情而又靦腆的年青人的心聲，Gary的氣息控制得恰到好處，而Nuno的吉他在這種抒情的曲目中仍不忘顯示一下其技藝，干凈而果斷的切音，恰到好處的泛音無不反映出他良好的樂感。這首歌最后也被發(fā)行為單曲，而被電臺廣為播放最后竟打上Billboard單曲榜冠軍的位置，成為流行樂迷們心中Extreme的代名詞。整張專輯有令人嘆為“聽”止之感，銷量高達300多萬張。而Extreme事業(yè)上真正的高峰期并非如此而已，1992年的《III Side To Every Story》(故事的三面性)更加強烈地震撼了人們的心靈。這是一張概念性專輯，像Extreme這樣一只年輕的金屬樂隊所創(chuàng)作的這張專輯，水準甚至超越了那些老前輩。新作推出后評論界好評如潮，專輯中除保持了上張專輯中Extreme特有的演奏演唱風格之外，在音樂鋪排和作品內(nèi)涵的深度上均達到了一個新的高度。Extreme在95年推出一張更為自我的專輯《Waiting For The Punchline》。
Although guitarist Nuno Bettencourt's style was derived from Eddie Van Halen, his heart remained with the progressive hard rock of Queen, as well as Beatlesque pop and touches of lounge jazz. Consequently, Extreme's music was never easy to classify, since it rarely confined itself to heavy metal, hard rock, or pop. The Massachusetts-based band formed in 1985; Bettencourt had already played in a local band with bassist Pat Badger, while singer Gary Cherone fronted his own group with drummer Paul Geary. The two bands merged, and Cherone and Bettencourt formed a songwriting partnership that would eventually place Extreme atop the Billboard charts (if only for a short period).
Coupling the technical proficiency of Bettencourt's guitar with a funky rhythmic base, the band issued a self-titled debut album in 1989. It peaked at number 80, a modest feat for a new band, and the song "Play with Me" was used to orchestrate the chase scene during Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Extreme had begun to earn respect in the heavy metal world, but it wasn't until the arrival of the band's follow-up effort, Pornograffitti (particularly the the Everly Brothers-style acoustic ballad "More Than Words"), that a mainstream audience latched onto the group's sound. "More Than Words" became a number one hit, while its follow-up single, an acoustic-based pop/rocker named "Hole Hearted," hit number four. Extreme were now one of the most popular artists in the pop-metal genre, but the looming arrival of grunge music — not to mention the band's own shifting tastes — combined to make Extreme's reign relatively short-lived.
The band's third album, III Sides to Every Story, was an ambitious effort whose sales (while strong at first) couldn't match those of Pornograffitti. Geary left the lineup soon after, seeking a career in music business instead, and a revised version of the band (featuring the percussion of Mike Mangini, formerly of Annihilator) returned in 1995 with Waiting for the Punchline. It, too, suffered from a lack of sales. Accordingly, Extreme's bandmates announced their breakup the following year. Bettencourt went on to launch a solo career, issuing the Schizophonic album in 1997, before forming the band Mourning Widows, which released Mourning Widows in 1999 and Furnished Souls for Rent in 2000. Meanwhile, Cherone enjoyed a brief stint as the vocalist for Van Halen, but his one album with the band, 1998's Van Halen III, was slammed by critics and fans alike, resulting in poor sales and Cherone's eventual exit. A 13-track best-of collection named An Accidental Collision of Atoms kept Extreme's legacy alive in 2000, and the band quietly reunited in 2004 for a small series of shows. The reunion gigs continued into 2008, when a new album, Saudades de Rock, marked the group's first batch of new material in 13 years.