Extreme Waiting For The Punchline Full Album

[Nikita Desjardins]

In1995, Extreme might not have been seen as the "hip" band thatscored a hit with "Hole Hearted"; their next effort, III Sides To Every Story was seen as a bit of a commercialdisappointment. Gary Cherone and crew had two choices: Go thecommercial route and aim for the next hit single, or continuemaking concept albums and hope for the best.

With new drummer Mike Mangini in tow, Extreme chose the secondroad and made what turned out to be their most challenging album oftheir career, Waiting For The Punchline. While this is not the easiestalbum to get through (especially if you're paying attention to thelyrics), there are moments on this album that demonstrate how goodthe band was.

I don't claim to have perfect knowledge of the plot, but thealbum seems to be the tale of an atheist who comes to discover Godin his life, yet still has difficulty accepting what he has nowseen. Right there, you know this isn't an album aimed for radio -not with tracks titled "There Is No God," a song guaranteed to makePat Robertson cringe.

What might be lost in the "controversy" of the material is thefact that Extreme sound funkier than they had in a long time.Former drummer Paul Geary makes his final appearances with the bandon Waiting For The Punchline, and his drumming finally movedaway from the robotic beat he seemed to be keeping on III Sides To Every Story. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourtcontinues to prove that he knows how to shred when the moment callsfor it (though I did find myself wishing I heard a rhythm guitarduring some of his solos), bassist Pat Badger acts as the backbonefor the band's rhythm section. And Cherone? His vocals are aspowerful as ever; no surprise there.

What is surprising on Waiting For The Punchline is that it does seem difficult tofollow the story line. "Cynical" obviously seems to be people'scriticism of the protagonist for his agnostic ways, while "HipToday" and "Midnight Express," despite the latter featuring some ofBettencourt's best guitar work, don't really seem to fit in withthe story.

Be this as it may, most of the music contained therein is strongenough to keep your interest. Cuts like "Tell Me Something I Don'tKnow," "Leave Me Alone" and "Shadow Boxing" all demonstrate whyExtreme gained so many fans in their career. Still, others, like"Unconditionally" and "Evilangelist" don't live up to theirpotential.

This brings us to the hidden title track - the final, confusingpiece in the puzzle. Does the song mean to suggest that theprotagonist's "revelation" scenes have all been a cruel joke? Or isthe reason it was uncredited was because it didn't fit with thestory?

Whatever the case, many fans found themselves waiting for thepunchline; the album hardly set the charts on fire. After months ofrumors, Extreme finally was laid to rest after this album, withBettencourt pursuing a solo career and Cherone making the leap intothe lead singer/ejector seat in Van Halen.

For a moment, let's cast away the story that intertwines thesongs on Waiting For The Punchline. What you're left with is acollection of songs that, more often than not, hit the target, andhit it hard.

If you're a fan of Extreme, Waiting For The Punchline is probably already in yourcollections. If it isn't, it's still worth picking up. Just beprepared to give it several listens in order for everything to sinkin.

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