Iii Sides To Every Story

Extreme: Gary Cherone (vocals); Nuno Bettencourt (guitars, piano, keyboards, percussion, vocals); Patrick Badger (bass, vocals); Paul Geary (drums, percussion, vocals). This album is divided into three distinctly different sections: the aggressive "Yours" (the first 6 songs), the introspective "Mine" (the second 6 songs), and "The Truth," a 22 minute medley featuring a 70-piece symphony orchestra. Recorded at New River Studios, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Extreme's brand of hard rock balanced ambitious, progressive tendencies with catchy melodies owing more to the Beatles than anthemic arena rock; on III Sides to Every Story, the former tends to dominate. The album is divided into three "sides of the story" -- roughly speaking, "Yours" concentrates on politically oriented rockers showing off Nuno Bettencourt's virtuosity; "Mine" leans toward pop songs with warmly romantic sensibilities, plus an occasional philosophical lament; and "The Truth" tries to wrap things up into a coherent whole but dissolves into indigestible prog-rock excess. Thus, the thematic material can be likened to a less focused version of Pornograffitti. The album is wildly uneven, but amidst the indulgences there are some fine songs to be found: "Rest in Peace" displays both Bettencourt's technique and melodicism as a soloist, while "Seven Sundays" continues in their occasional lounge ballad vein, and "Tragic Comic" and "Stop the World" are two more intelligent, wounded-romantic pop gems. ~ Steve Huey