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''Extreme II: Pornograffitti'' (also known as simply ''Pornograffitti'') is the second studio album by the heavy metal band Extreme, released on August 7, 1990, through
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
. The album title is a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of
pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
and
graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
. ''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. It is an acoustic rock ballad featuring guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and the vocals of Gary Cherone (with harmony vocals from Bettencourt). They both wrote the song, which was produc ...
" and "
Hole Hearted "Hole Hearted" is a song by American rock group 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'' Hot 100. It also charte ...
", reached No. 1 and 4 respectively on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Two other tracks, "Decadence Dance" and " Get the Funk Out", became popular on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's
Headbangers Ball ''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consists 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 obsc ...
.


Overview

''Pornograffitti'' is a concept album, its story is about lost innocence and uneasiness. Though the album " ocuseson the same funk-metal 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 topics from medicine and music to technology and terror. He is also a museum curator and musician, and has worked as a columnist, publisher, industry analyst, and video director. Career In the l ...
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 music editor for '' Vintage Guitar''. His writing has also appeared in ...
, 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 were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
,
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 ...
, etc.". The title track, as well as "More than Words" and "It('s a Monster)", have been played live since at least early April 1989, and date back to shortly after the band's self-titled debut was released.


Reception

The album received largely positive reception.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' 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 heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of '' Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has written over twenty books ...
, 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 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 terminal and fi ...
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. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. Bettencourt has recorded a solo album and has founded rock bands including ...
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. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' 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 European tour. In 2015, the band embarked on an extensive US tour commemorating the album's 25th anniversary. The Japanese rock band Porno grafitti got its name from the album.


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 (band), Extreme and Van Halen. Early life Cherone grew up in Ma ...
– lead and backing vocals *
Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. Bettencourt has recorded a solo album and has founded rock bands including ...
– guitars, piano, percussion, backing vocals, arrangements, producer on tracks 9 and 13 *
Pat Badger Patrick John Badger (born July 22, 1967) is a musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist in the band Extreme. He has also performed in groups such as Tribe of Judah and Dark Desert Eagles. Early life Badger was born in ...
– bass, backing vocals *
Paul Geary Paul Geary (born July 24, 1961) is an American drummer and artist manager. He was co-founder and drummer of the rock band Extreme, which he left in 1994 to pursue a career in artist management. Geary founded Global Artist Management in Bosto ...
– drums, percussion ;Additional musicians * Barbara Glynn – backing vocals on "Decadence Dance" *
Pat Travers Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s. Early life Travers was born and raised in Toronto. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, h ...
– backing vocals on "Get the Funk Out" * Jeanine Moultrine – backing vocals on "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, Zappa develo ...
– intro/outro lead guitar on "He-Man Woman Hater" (after "Flight of the Wounded Bumble Bee") * Li'l Jack Horn Section in "Li'l Jack Horny", "Get the Funk Out" directed by Andy Armer ** Bob Findley, trumpet **
Chuck Findley Charles B. Findley (born December 13, 1947, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is an American trumpet player known for his diverse work as a session musician. He also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone. His technical ab ...
, trumpet **
Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 alb ...
, trombone ** Dick "Slyde" Hyde, bass trombone **
Pete Christlieb Peter Christlieb (born February 16, 1945) is an American musician, playing tenor saxophone in the styles of jazz bebop, West Coast jazz, hard bop and pop music. Biography Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is the ...
, tenor sax ** Joel Peskin, tenor sax ;Production *
Michael Wagener Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German retired record producer, mixer and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many popular American hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly ...
– producer, mixing *Bob St. John – engineer *
George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...
– mastering at
Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...
, New York *Randy Badazz – orchestration *Ioannis/Third Image – art direction and design


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

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