Extreme (band)

History

Extreme got its start in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1985. Before that, singer Gary Cherone and drummer Paul Geary had already played together in two earlier bands: Adrenalin in 1979 and The Dream in 1980. When CBS Television bought the rights to the name The Dream for a short-lived TV show called Dreams, the duo needed a new name for their next project. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt had been in a band called Sinful, and bassist Pat Badger had been playing with a Berklee College-based group called In The Pink. Bettencourt joined Cherone and Geary in 1985, and Badger came on board the following year. The four musicians settled on the name Extreme because it sounded like "ex-Dream," a nod to Cherone and Geary’s former band. Cherone and Bettencourt started writing songs together, and the band played constantly around New England, building a strong local fan base. That popularity earned them the title of Outstanding Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Act at the Boston Music Awards in both 1986 and 1987.

By the time A&R director Bryan Huttenhower signed them to A&M Records in 1987, Extreme had a solid collection of original material. Their self-titled debut album came out in March 1989. The first single, "Kid Ego," was a song Cherone later admitted made him cringe. The album’s final track, "Play with Me," ended up as the mall chase music in the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Sales of that first record were strong enough to justify a second album. For Extreme II: Pornograffitti, released in 1990, the band brought in producer Michael Wagener, who had previously worked with Dokken and White Lion. The album blended funk, pop, and glam metal, with Cherone handling lyrics and Bettencourt showcasing his guitar work. Singles "Decadence Dance" and "Get the Funk Out" were released; "Get the Funk Out" hit number 19 on the UK charts in June 1991. Neither single took off in the United States at first, and the album had dropped off the charts by the time A&M sent a third single to American radio stations. That song was the acoustic ballad "More Than Words." It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 81 on March 23, 1991, and eventually climbed to number one. A follow-up acoustic track, "Hole Hearted," also did well, reaching number 4 on the same chart.