Search - Extreme :: The Best of Extreme (An Accidental Collication of Atoms?)

Best Of Extreme

Bill Allison | 10/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Best of the Best band ever.Best of the best music."

Nice to have for any fan, serious or casual.

Bill Allison | Southwest Missouri, United States | 12/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this about three years ago from Harrod's department store in London. It was yet to be released in the U.S., and I didn't even know it existed. Anyway, it's a pretty strange "best of" from one of my favorite bands. Extreme is one of those rare bands that I actually enjoy EVERY song they've ever recorded. This cd almost makes me nostalgiac and I realize just how much I miss them. True, Nuno has done some solo stuff that's pretty impressive and Gary Cherone's short stint in Van Halen was less than successful. My feelings on that are that the masses just weren't ready. All that aside, if you are a fan of Extreme (be it casual or serious) this cd is for you. It's hard to call any of these tracks "highlights", but for anyone that never got around to hearing ALL of their albums, this is the cd for you. Only problem is that you may regret buying it because after hearing this, you will end up buying their four-album catalog and then this cd may be virtually useless."

Refreshing songwriting in an era of pop garbage

Kevin Ranville | Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada | 11/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Occasionally while listening to the radio and videos I get really depressed about the quality of music being released these days. It seems the songs are merely a slapped-together backdrop to promote some pretty face, or hip new dance style, or whatever.It's times like these when I go back to my old Extreme CDs. These guys were one of the last few bands who actually put thought and hard work into their music. Each and every song on every single album by Extreme is essential to the overall message of the work. There's no such thing as "filler", useless throw-away songs used to pad the 2 or 3 hits. Every song is great.I actually don't recommend buying this album as a "sample of the band's best work". You're missing so much great music if you think you're getting "just the best" here, and skipping the junk. There is no junk. I recommend buying all their albums and listening to them all the way through. Every song is an entity in itself. Every album tells a story. In fact, even listening to the entire collection of albums one after another tells a coherent story.Missing from this "greatest hits" package are songs that influenced my entire life, like Song For Love, Who Cares?, and Rock a Bye Bye. Songs that inspire. Songs that move your heart, both with their lyrics and music. Songs that make you think. You know you're dealing with a truly amazing band when even the guitar solos make you think.It's ironic that this band even came out with a "hits" package at all. One of the downfalls of Extreme as a band was their growing cynicism of being pigeon-holed by record execs and fans who only liked their "hits" (More Than Words, Get The Funk Out, &etc). This cynicism is smeared all over their last album which was an embittered "up yours" to the public who saw them as nothing more than a 1-dimensional pop hit machine. See "Hip Today" and "Leave Me Alone" for example.If you can only get one Extreme CD get this one I guess, but know for certain that these are only the tip of the ice berg. These are merely the songs that the mass media had time for. There is so much other gold in this band's repetoir.Enjoy"