by Dawn St John

     Few people seem to remember that Extreme had more than just one album - Pornograffitti. In fact, they had one prior to that, and two after. The others, however, can't compare to their third effort, III Sides to Every Story. Pornograffitti may have been the album with all the radio singles, but the musicality of III Sides far surpassed either of its predecessors.

     III Sides to Every Story is a concept album. As such, no one single really springs to mind. The album was divided up into three sections: Yours, Mine, and the Truth. The lyrics for each section shared a poignant theme. With songs such as "Politicalamity," "Warheads," and "Peacemaker Die" in the first section, Extreme were certainly making a statement. The second section takes a spiritual stance with songs such as "Seven Sundays," and "Our Father," and the story resolves with three-part "Everything Under the Sun." There is no question that this CD was meant to be listened to all at once, rather than broken up by track.

     Each section had also its own sound. My favorite was always the third, with its string-heavy full orchestration. That full-bodied sound is what separated this CD from not only the other Extreme albums but from every other album of its time. The early 90s were all about grunge and hard rock, pushing the limits. Instead of falling into that pattern, Extreme took a radical turn in a different direction. Band member Nuno Bettencourt really shone on this album, finally having the chance to show off the many different instruments in his repertoire. Each band member, in fact, broke out from his mold a bit - no longer taking the roles that rock music of the era had forced upon them.

     In short, Extreme's third album was excellent because of its diverse and unique sound. Unfortunately, these same qualities may have been the reason it didn't sell as well as the previous effort. Without the radio play to back it up -- and how do you break this CD into radio-friendly singles? -- it just didn't sell.

     Still, it remains a favorite of mine even some 14 years later. They must've been doing something right!