Did you know the January 1992 issue of GW called Nuno Bettencourt the M.V.P.? If you’ve been following along for a while, you probably did. But if you’ve just joined the party, let us catch you up.
If we dial back to ’92, all things considered, being called the M.V.P. was major praise. Yes, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and Steve Vai were doing their thing, but old-guard types like Joe Perry, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page were scurrying about, too (as they are now).
So what made Nuno the M.V.P.? It’s simple: Nuno, in so many ways, propped up the world of rock guitar. In the early ’90s, most young guitar players had chosen to mosey down the path of the Seattle sound, but not Nuno.
When Nirvana and Pearl Jam released Nevermind (1991) and Ten (1991) respectively, Nuno answered with 1992’s III Sides to Every Story. It takes a special player to do that, and – make no mistake – Nuno is special.
That’s why more than 30 years later, he’s still blowing our minds with songs like Rise, Banshee and #Rebel. So, yeah, the reasons that Nuno is the M.V.P. are numerous, but let’s boil them down.
1. Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go to School Today) – Extreme (1989)
Before he ventured out to sonic pastures unknown, Bettencourt’s pastures leaned more toward hair metal than anything else. The entirety of Extreme’s first record proved to be a tour de force in guitar badassery, but one track stands out: Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go to School Today).
Bettencourt’s M.V.P. moment begins with using Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee before he pops the clutch, kicking things into overdrive. And then Nuno goes into full Edward Van Halen mode, properly opening Mutha with a riff reminiscent of Van Halen’s Unchained.
2. It (’s a Monster) – Pornograffitti (1990)
It’s generally agreed that It (’s a Monster) is one of Pornograffitti’s finest cuts. Its energy is infectious, and its riff is uber-dialed in and deftly designed to grab listeners and kick them square in the chest.
Nuno’s M.V.P.ism is in full swing as he alternates between pounding us over the head to careering off course. Moments like this are the kind of thing that probably led GW to deem Nuno the M.V.P. in the first place.
3. Strutter – Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved (1994)
Is this Bettencourt’s finest hour? If you’re a Kiss fan… maybe. For the uninitiated, the Kiss My Ass record was a tribute album loaded with many of the early ’90s’ finest, covering – you guessed it – Kiss! And during its last leg, Extreme join in for a rendition of Strutter.
There are several reasons why Extreme’s version smokes, but Nuno’s simple and tasteful licks are number one with a bullet. Few have covered Ace Frehley in such a worthwhile fashion, but Nuno did so with subtle swagger.
4. Note on the Screen Door – Schizophonic (1997)
If you followed Bettencourt in the ’90s, you came to know him as the hyper-talented genius who steered Extreme to worldwide acclaim. And you might recall the sticky proposition of him going solo, too. But no matter; it didn’t take long for Bettencourt’s M.V.P.-like ways to re-emerge, as Nuno crafted his most idiosyncratic material to date.
Throughout Schizophonic’s 15 tracks, he showed us an infusion of punk, funk, metal et al., shedding light on previously dust-covered corners of his talent. He not only maintained his M.V.P. status with tracks like Note on the Screen Door but redefined it.
5. Love Is a Cigarette – Mourning Widows (1998)
Nuno’s first post-Extreme band, Mourning Widows, was yet another sign-marking moment. What makes the band special is that Nuno managed to captivate listeners in new and exciting ways when some thought he wouldn’t.
Few could walk away from a band as successful as Extreme and still emerge as a winner. One listen to Love Is a Cigarette tells us all we need to know about Bettencourt’s never-say-die attitude.
6. Insanity Rains – Perry Farrell & Satellite Party (2007)
This Nuno-related moment isn’t here because of its technical greatness. And while Nuno pairing with Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction is intriguing and seems to lend itself to stunning results, that’s not why, either.
This Nuno moment is M.V.P.-worthy because it provided a ray of guitar-related light during some dark days. Coming out of the ’90s, save for a few brave souls carrying the torch, the fun had been sucked out of rock guitar.
Ergo, Nuno emerging to remind us of what he could do was nothing short of vital.
7. Skin – from Rihanna's Loud (2010)
Sure, Nuno has recorded more impressive solos than the one he laid down for Rhianna in 2010. But this time, it wasn’t about blowing minds. It was about crossing boundaries and continuing to blend genres without regard.
These days, we see shredders from all walks of life joining pop stars (oh, hello, Nita Strauss and Sophie Lloyd), along with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Jennifer Batten and Wendy Melvoin, Nuno certainly did his part to bridge that gap.
8. Fire Horse – from Derek Sherinian’s Vortex (2022)
If you happened to miss Derek Sherinian’s 2020 album, Vortex, we’ll clue you in: it was nothing short of a guitar smorgasbord. With Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather, Zakk Wylde, Michael Schenker, Steve Stevens and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal along for the ride, no one would have blamed Nuno if he’d gotten buried amid the chaos.
But that wouldn’t be very M.V.P.-like, now, would it? No, Nuno made the album his – even though he appeared on only one track – with his incendiary licks heard across Fire Horse.
9. Rise – from Six (2023)
Did Nuno’s searing Rise licks surprise you? They shouldn’t have. At least, that’s how Nuno sees it. He’s been quoted as saying his Rise solo is just “okay,” and that he’s “been doing this for over 30 years.” So it’s not such a big deal then, right?
Wrong. Yeah, the Rise solo aligns with what Nuno has been doing throughout his career. And that’s the point. Since day one, he’s been shocking and inspiring us. But for a minute there, people were shouting from the mountaintops “rock is dead”. Nuno reminded us that rock music and guitar-driven antics are alive, fun and ever-evolving.
- Six is out now via earMusic.
