Extremely Live
Vanilla Ice
SBK Records, 1991
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/03/2000
There is a negative about being as into music as I am. I'm thekind of person who, once I start learning about an artist or likingthem, I have to grab as much of their discography as possible. Thiscan get damned expensive, as was the case when I got into Bob Dylanlast year.
When I gave Vanilla Ice's To The Extreme a fair shot on the tape deck, something in mytwo-volt brain decided that I should be willing to check out therest of Ice's back catalog -- not the hardest thing to do, seeinghe has a total of four albums on the market, and two of those we'vealready covered in these pages. So, into the eBay pool I dove, andcame out with a copy of Extremely Live, Ice's 1991 release.
In one sense, it was really a stupid marketing move for SBK toput out a live album, meaning Ice (born Robert Van Winkle) wastouring in support of one -- count 'em, one -- album. (Okay, not entirely true -- if you include Ice'simpossible-to-find debut Hooked, which was essentially the same as To The Extreme, you've got two albums. So there.) So, if youwore out your copy of To The Extreme back in the day when it was actually hip tosay you liked Ice without the fear of getting hit over the headwith your own boom box, Extremely Live is going to sound real familiar.
In fact, there are times when the whole live feel of the showseems to dissipate. I don't know if it's because the crowd isburied in the mix or that a little studio trickery might have beenused -- but judging from the screams of teenage girls throughout agood portion of the album, it's hard to believe that they'd shut upjust to hear one song. (I don't claim to have any special knowledgeabout how this album was put together - but if Ice was dancing theway I saw him on VH-1's "Behind The Music," I wonder why he neversounds out of breath.)
Click here to read complete Review