Extreme Album: “Hole Hearted [Universal International]”

No compilation of Extreme songs, ESPECIALLY this one, can truly give you enough of a glimpse into the songwriting talent evident on Extreme's four studio albums. Skip this compilation and the other ones, and invest your money wisely in "Pornograffiti" and "III Sides to Every Story", the band's second and third discs, respectively. If you like what you hear (and you will), go ahead and round out your collection with their first and last releases, "Extreme" and "Waiting For The Punchline". All the records have their merits, but their second and third discs are masterpieces that deserve your immediate attention. This "Holehearted" collection is only a half-hearted attempt at capturing the true spirit of the band.

I only really remembered the main Extreme songs that I saw the videos for on Much Music or heard on the radio. I liked what I heard of them but I didn't hear a lot from them. I thought I'd buy their Greatest Hits to get the ones I remembered and basically sample some of the ones I've never heard of. In the end, the ones I remembered were the best on the CD. The others are a little forgettable in my opinion. Again, I was never a dedicated fan.

Made in EU in 2002, Serial# 544-649-2, Playing Time 74:02

This compilation CD, entitled "The Collection", (I still don't see where the name "Holehearted" comes from, other than the fact it's track 9!) presents 15 tracks lifted from their 4 albums.

One can always critize the track selection, but unlike the other compilation, "The Best Of - An Accidental Collication Of Atoms?", this one has the decency of assembling the tracks in chronological fashion, which allows for a much better appreciation of their evolution. Unfortunately, it also has 6 tracks in common with "Accidental...", so there's some overlap.

Some of their best known tracks like "Kid Ego", "More Than Words", "Decadence Dance" and "Get The Funk Out" are included, and to the person unfamiliar with EXTREME, either (both not both!) compilation makes for a nice addition to the CD library.

EXTREME disbanded after the "Waiting For The Punchline" album, which was perhaps a little too "off-the-wall" for the general public. Some interesting arrangements, perhaps a little too complicated to get enough radio airplay.

If you don't want to invest into all 4 of their albums, this is an economical way to get a glimpse into the original music this band created.