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III Sides To Every story is the defining masterpiece from the long forgotten 90's Band Extreme. Split into three distinct sides (Yours, Mine & The Truth) Each set contans a distinctive style of song. Yours concentrates on War & peace with songs such as Warheads, Politicalamity and Rest In Peace. Mine changes the mood towards a more romantic view of the world with songs such as Seven Sundays & Tragic Comic. But the real masterpiece is the Truth section, a 21 minute prog rock epic with full Orchestration from the Sydney Orchestra, three songs about the life of one man and how he realises he has to change. A little of somthing for everyone, this is a truly brilliant album. 5 Stars
Having been a fan of Extreme since the early days, and in particular, their guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, Extreme branched out and matured somewhat on this album. Previous recordings such as Extreme II - PornoGraffitti showed a more "fun" side of the band, but the songwriting was top-notch, just different. III Sides To Every Story shows a more thoughtful and "serious" side to the band that kinda suprised me at first, but I quickly realized that the band had really hit their mark, found their feet, and truly developed into an amazing band with a style that was 100% their own. The fact that I am writing this review 14 years after I first heard this album should tell you something. In my opinion, it is a masterpiece. Extreme never topped this album. Their fourth and final record, Waiting For The Punchline, was the complete opposite in that the production was sparse, stripped-down, almost empty. It didn't do much for me personally, but maybe that's down to my taste. I loved the rich orchestra and more complex sound of III Sides, and I also loved the raw, funked-up edge of Pornograffitti. It's not a bad thing for a band to cahange, and Extreme never explored the same territory twice, but if you want Extreme at their best, this album is the one you need to hear. The songs have a lasting quality, they will still sound great in another 14 years time. Produced by Nuno Bettencourt, this album sounds terrific. Everything is right, and achieving such a fine balance between the instruments when working with a large orchestra can't be easy. This album has it all... from the up-tempo opener, Warheads, to the lush chords of Seven Sundays, to the fully orchestrated closing epic and the "essence" of the whole record, there is so much variation, yet one unique style. It's a blinder! I can also confirm that, after seeing the band live twice -- first in a small club, then in a large arena once they had become a little more successful, they could really perform amazingly well, too. It's a shame that they split after Bettencourt decided to concentrate on his solo career. This album can be found on eBay for next to nothing. I bought a replacement copy of my battered original for a mere 25p. It's almost an insult to such a great album, but I couldn't pass it up. This is one band I will never forget, and II Sides is still as fresh as ever. Pick it up!Read full review
To anyone now in their early thirties, who like me enjoyed learning how to play the guitar in their late teens, this was a must have album. Extreme had the guitar hero member, but also a fabulous lead singer and a great sense of melody that many other rock bands of this era did not. Extreme often spoke of being great fans of Queen, and the semi operatic / orchestral overtones of III sides are very reminiscent of Queen. The last three tracks in particular have this air, with each track blending into the next to end the album on a 15 minute crescendo. Listen to this Album and enjoy - I still do and always will.
A bit of fun if you grew up in the 'Hair-rock' generation. Develops the funk rock elements of Pornograffiti (the earlier album) with more of a concept/prog rock feel - something akin to a Queen meets Dream Theater meets Living Colour meets Mr Big mash-up! A variety of different styles breaching pop/rock/funk... I enjoyed the over indulgent 'cheese'... "Who Cares" is great (including Brian May style solo)... Cupid's Dead is fun... Peacemaker Die is cool too.
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