Waiting for the Punchline

Waiting for the Punchline is the fourth album by American band Extreme, released in 1995. It is known by fans as a distinctively raw-sounding record with a significant influence from grunge, especially when compared to the big production of the two previous albums. Due to its lyrics focused heavily on social matters (ranging from religion to fame) it is often cited as a concept album.^[3] It is also the only Extreme record to feature drummer Mike Mangini (on three tracks). After the album's tour, Extreme disbanded in 1996 when Bettencourt informed the band that he was leaving to pursue a solo career. After the breakup, singer Gary Cherone joined Van Halen in the same year as their new singer, but left three years later.

Waiting for the Punchline
Studio album by Extreme
Released	January 19, 1995 (1995-01-19)
Recorded	1994
Studio	Criteria Studios (Miami, Florida) Sound Techniques (Boston, Massachusetts)
Genre	Hard rock funk rock alternative metal
Length	65.35
Label	A&M
Producer	Nuno Bettencourt Bob St. John
Extreme chronology
III Sides to Every Story (1992) Waiting for the Punchline (1995) Saudades de Rock (2008)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10[2]
The Daily Vault	B−[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Gary Cherone & Nuno Bettencourt, except "There Is No God", "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" and "Naked" by Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt & Pat Badger, and "Leave Me Alone" by Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt & Mike Mangini.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"There Is No God"	6:07
2.	"Cynical" (listed as "Cynical Fuck" in the album liner notes only)	4:41
3.	"Tell Me Something I Don't Know"	6:25
4.	"Hip Today"	4:42
5.	"Naked"	5:46
6.	"Midnight Express" (instrumental)	3:58
7.	"Leave Me Alone"	4:47
8.	"No Respect"	3:51
9.	"Evilangelist"	4:49
10.	"Shadow Boxing"	4:34
11.	"Unconditionally"	5:01
12.	"Fair-Weather Faith" (not included on US release)	4:49
13.	"Waiting for the Punchline" (hidden track that follows after several seconds of silence)	6:00

Personnel

Extreme

• Gary Cherone – lead vocals
• Nuno Bettencourt – guitars, keyboards, vocals, producer
• Pat Badger – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Paul Geary – drums (except "Hip Today", "Leave Me Alone" and "No Respect")
• Mike Mangini – drums on "Hip Today", "Leave Me Alone" and "No Respect"

Production

• Bob St. John – co-producer, engineer
• Carl Nappa, Chris Carrol, Chris Nix, Michael Thompson, Scott Perry, Steve Robillard – assistant engineers
• Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5]	51
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6]	37
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7]	30
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8]	65
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[9]	13
French Albums (SNEP)[10]	10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11]	46
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12]	4
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13]	15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14]	29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15]	24
UK Albums (OCC)[16]	10
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[17]	1
US Billboard 200[18]	40

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[19]	Gold	100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Extreme - Waiting for the Punchline review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
2. Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
3. Christopher Thelen (1998-08-15). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Waiting For The Punchline". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
4. Chuck Eddy (1995-01-27). "Music Review: Waiting for the Punchline - Extreme". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
5. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 98.
6. "Austriancharts.at – Extreme – Waiting for the Punchline" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
7. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7754". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Extreme – Waiting for the Punchline" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
10. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – E". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Extreme from the menu, then press OK.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Extreme – Waiting for the Punchline" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
12. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
13. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
14. "Swedishcharts.com – Extreme – Waiting for the Punchline". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
15. "Swisscharts.com – Extreme – Waiting for the Punchline". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
16. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
17. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
18. "Billboard 200: Week of February 25, 1995". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
19. "Japanese album certifications – Extreme – Waiting for the Punchline" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 27, 2020. Select 1995年2月 on the drop-down menu