''Extreme II: Pornograffitti'' (also known as simply ''Pornograffiti'') is the second studio album by the heavy metal band Extreme, released on August 7, 1990 through

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

. The album title is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordspornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

and

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

. ''Extreme II'' sold very well, peaking at No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was certified double platinum in the U.S. by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. It is the band's best selling album. Two singles from ''Pornograffiti'', "

More Than Words "More Than Words" is a song by American rock band Extreme, released as the fifth track and third single from their second album, ''Pornograffitti'' (1990), in March 1991. It is a ballad built around acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and ...

" and "

Hole Hearted "Hole Hearted" is a song by American Rock music, rock group Extreme (band), Extreme. The song was released as the fourth and final single and closing track from their successful ''Pornograffitti'' album in 1991 and reached 4 on the US Billboard H ...

", reached No. 1 and 4 respectively on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Two other tracks, "Decadence Dance" and "

Get the Funk Out "Get the Funk Out" is the fourth track and second single from Extreme's second studio album ''Pornograffitti''. It features rock artist Pat Travers. The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan ...

", became popular on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Headbangers Ball ''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consisted of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more obs ...

Overview

''Pornograffitti'' is a concept album, its story is about lost innocence and uneasiness. Though the album " ocuseson the same

funk-metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...

vibe as heir debut, it became massively popular due to the acoustic single "More Than Words". According to authors

HP Newquist HP Newquist is an American author whose books cover a wide range of topics, from medicine and music to technology and terror. He is also a museum curator and musician, and has worked in a variety of fields as a columnist, publisher, industry ana ...

and

Pete Prown Pete Prown (born 1963) is an American writer and magazine editor, painter, guitarist, and music journalist. He has worked as the editor-in-chief of ''Guitar Shop'' magazine and contributing editor for ''Vintage Guitar''. His writing has also appear ...

, the album has "a bewildering array of song styles— heavy metal,

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, etc.".

Reception

The album received largely positive reception.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Steve Huey gave the album four stars, and commented that " heband shows a strong desire to experiment and push the boundaries of the pop-metal format". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' placed the album at thirteenth on their list of the "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' ranked it at eighth in their "Top 30 Glam Metal Albums". Heavy metal author

Martin Popoff Martin Popoff (born April 28, 1963) is a Canadian music journalist, critic and author. He is mainly known for writing about the genre of heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has additionally ...

, in his book ''The Big Book of Hair Metal'', called the album, "a thinking man's

hair metal Hair is a protein filament that grows from hair follicle, follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick ter ...

album, with thoughtful lyrics and tasteful guitar work". Lead guitarist

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and businessman. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. He has also recorded ...

garnered admiration from rock guitar enthusiasts, as he was voted "Best New Talent" in a 1991 readers' poll by ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' magazine, and that magazine later named him "Most Valuable Player" of 1991.

Legacy

In 2010, after the band's reunion in the previous years, rumors started about possible commemorative shows given the 20th anniversary of the record. In 2012, the band played the entire album for four tour dates in Japan. In January 2014, the band confirmed they would be performing ''Pornograffiti'' in its entirety on their 2014 Europe and UK tour. In 2015, the band embarked on an extensive US tour commemorating the album's 25th anniversary.

Track listing

Personnel

;Extreme *

Gary Cherone Gary Francis Caine Cherone ( ; born July 26, 1961) is an American rock singer and songwriter. Cherone is known for his work as the lead vocalist of the Boston rock group Extreme and Van Halen. He has also released solo recordings. In 2007, he ...

- lead and backing vocals *

- guitars, piano, percussion, backing vocals *

Pat Badger Patrick John Badger, (born July 22, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts) is a musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist in the band Extreme. He has also performed in groups like Daemon, In The Pink, Super Trans Atlantic, Tri ...

- bass, backing vocals *

Paul Geary Paul Geary (born July 24, 1961 in Medford, Massachusetts) is an American rock and roll drummer and Artist Manager. He is a co-founder and drummer of the Rock band Extreme. He left the group in 1994 to pursue a career in artist management. ...

- drums, percussion ;Additional musicians * Barbara Glynn - backing vocals in "Decadence Dance" *

Pat Travers Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career in the mid-1970s. Early life Travers was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Soon after picking up the guitar at ag ...

- backing vocals on "Get the Funk Out" * Jeanine Moultrine - backing vocals in "Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?)" *

Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Dweezil dev ...

- intro/outro lead guitar in "He-Man Woman Hater" * Li'l Jack Horn Section in "Li'l Jack Horny", "Get the Funk Out" ** Bob Findley, trumpet ** Chuck Findley, trumpet ** Bill Watrous, trombone ** Dick "Slyde" Hyde, bass trombone ** Pete Christlieb, tenor sax ** Joel Peskin, tenor sax

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1990 albums Albums produced by Michael Wagener A&M Records albums Concept albums Extreme (band) albums Funk metal albums