''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. The album title is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[pornography
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,](_blank) 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" 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 ...
's
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 and
Pete Prown, 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 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
*
Nuno Bettencourt - guitars, piano, percussion, backing vocals
*
Pat Badger - 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 - backing vocals on "Get the Funk Out"
* Jeanine Moultrine - backing vocals in "Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?)"
*
Dweezil Zappa - 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