Oh thank goodness for Extreme. This album repersents the birth of the band later to save us in the 90's from the horad guitar trash littering the FM airwaves. Couple of the songs on here we could live without but over all excellent music. Got to love Play With Me, which was in the movie Bill and Ted Excellent Adventure. Also has some good quality slower song like Watching Waiting, or Rock A Bye. Great stuff!!

In the late 80's and early 90's it was about how in your face you can get with your sound. Nobody was better at this art form then Extreme and this is where they started.

What I mean about "in your face" is not about speed, not about heavy and not about how popular you can get. It is about putting emphasis on every instrument including the vocals while still making the song melodic. Extreme did this, well to the Extreme.

What I find is a shame is that thier biggest hit and probably the only song Extreme will be remembered by is the Mega-hit "More Than Words" When it comes to music, does it really matter what the general public thinks. If you thought like them, you wouldn't even consider buying this CD no less be reading this review.

As for the record itself... read on

Even though this is probably the bands 3rd best recording, it still has a few stand out tracks. Mutha (Don't Wanna go to School Today) is a true 80's rock Anthem. Wind Me Up is filled with killer licks and overthe top vocal production. Play With Me shows off Nuno's A1 guitar skills. Not every track is top notch though(there are some weaker songs toward the end of the disc)

Overall this is one of the better releases from the late 80's hard rock genre. Ignore all who say Extreme was just a one hit wonder with a ballad and see for yourself.

When I first bought the "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Soundtrack"I was blown away by a song on there called "PLAY WITH ME".Right away I knew I had to go out and find out what EXTREME was all about,I was amazed by all the guitar work by NUNO it was fresh and exciting,after I heard this album I was hooked.This CD is much more RAW than their later ones and alot less overproduced with that funk-grove sound that later became their signature sound,so if you like good old simple sounding Rock this is the best of EXTREME

Yeah this album has its flaws, but it's still one helluva debut album. This was just a taste of what was to come from the most underrated, overlooked band who ever made the big time. One thing is for certain: There will never be another Extreme. Ever. I think it's a shame that more people weren't aware of the talent involved. It seems to me that their biggest audience was other musicians. Nuno Bettencourt started off great and even went so far as to surpass his influences. I own everything Extreme ever did, Nuno's solo album "Schizophrenia", and Van Halen's III. Extreme put out four major albums before their break-up, after Gary Cherone left to join Van Halen.

This is where it all started. Uneven? Yes. Still, there isn't what I would call a "bad" song on the whole album.

I can only hope that this band will one day re-unite.

Man is this record a lot of fun. The pride of Boston, MA, Extreme seemed superficially to be a typical product of the hair metal age and to be fair they did exhibit many of the cookie cutter traits of their contemporaries. They were however not afraid to explore prog or funk which set them apart from much of the rest of the pack. They showed on their debut how much of a supremely talented foursome they were. Nuno Bettancourt rang notice that he was a new guitar god and Gary Cherone had area ready pipes and the rhythm section of Badger and Geary completed the band, no slouches here. Much of the subject matter of `Extreme' ran to the joyous celebration of childhood and the band showed early on that they tended to write conceptually and this would be more apparent in later releases. Van Halen seemed to be one obvious early influence especially in regards to Nuno's playing. "Mutha" is probably the most Halenesque song with its full throttle guitar intro and the style of the central riff before the chorus. "Kid Ego", "Little Girls", "Wind Me Up" and of course "Teacher's Pet" round out my personal favorites. "Watching Waiting" is a very good power ballad type song and "Play With Me" concluded the LP at breakneck speed. Good to great metal from the late 80's that at least gives one another flavor as opposed to the same old stuff. Extreme would gain much fame and fortune with their next record.