First launched in August 1990, Excessive’s second album Excessive II: Pornograffiti went High 20 on each side of the Atlantic and was later licensed double platinum within the U.S. But, whereas it stays the band’s best-selling title, its success was bittersweet, as its chart return was bolstered by an atypically light acoustic tune its creators felt wasn’t consultant of Excessive’s music.
“People who like “More Than Words” should not Excessive followers, they identical to that tune,” guitarist Nuno Bettencourt instructed Basic Rock in a 2014 interview. “That’s cool, that’s nice, but the actual truth fans know is we’re more than that song.”
On reflection, the way in which “More Than Words” helped Excessive break into the charts stunned each the band and its label, A&M. Although not a significant hit, their self-titled 1989 had nonetheless bought over 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 copies and A&M believed that the Boston rockers’ trademark funk-flavored laborious rock would discover a wider viewers with Excessive II: Pornograffiti.
Initially, that proved a good assumption, as Pornograffiti once more showcased Excessive’s predilection for sleazy, Weapons N’ Roses-style rock anthems (“Decadence Dance,” “Money (In God We Trust),”) and likewise funk-infused steel on songs equivalent to “When I’m President” and the swaggering, Chili Peppers-esque “Get The Funk Out.” Certainly, these songs did assist to lift the band’s profile. “Decadence Dance” acquired heavy rotation on MTV and “Get The Funk Out” grew to become a High 20 hit within the U.Ok. the place Nuno Bettencourt’s expertise drew reward from venerable Queen guitar legend Brian Could.
““Get The Funk Out” is a landmark in rock historical past,” Could enthused in a 2017 YouTube interview. “On pure technical ability alone, that is colossal. I could never do that. No way in a month of Sundays could I learn that [guitar] solo. It’s Nuno’s own thing and it’s stupendous.”
Nevertheless, whereas Excessive’s signature heavy rock was sprayed liberally throughout Pornograffiti, a tune of a really completely different stripe in the end bought the album to the plenty. Describing “More Than Words” as a “strangely melodic, but slightly twisted song the universe had delivered me” in a 2017 Fb put up, Bettencourt additionally recalled that his acoustic basic took simply “a matter of minutes” earlier than it was accomplished with assist from a lyric from vocalist Gary Cherone.
No matter its speedy creation, this lilting, heartfelt ballad had one thing actually particular and – with assist from an MTV-friendly promo video – “More Than Words” made its method to the highest of the Billboard Sizzling 100 in June 1991. With Pornograffiti’s different acoustic ballad “Hole Hearted” following it into the High 5 of the U.S. singles chart, the album received its second wind and rose again up the Billboard 200, the place it peaked at No. 10. Its success ushered within the mainstream success Excessive craved and the band even got here near repeating it with 1993’s gold-selling Excessive III: Sides To Each Story.
“Making [Pornograffiti] was an amazing time,” Nuno Bettencourt recalled in a 2014 Music Radar characteristic. “I’m still proud of it as it’s an album that broke the innocence for us. We were just a young-ish band that loved touring and we were doing it for all the right reasons. That success was what we had always dreamed of.”
Take heed to Excessive’s Excessive II: Pornograffiti now.
