Waiting For The Punchline Atlanta GA

Waiting For The Punchline

Extreme

A & M Records, 1995

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/15/1998

Wouldn't you know it... another band packs it in just as abreath of fresh air is injected into the band.

In 1995, 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.