Today, several of punk rock icon Billy Idol’s best-loved works are celebrated with the release of newly remastered vinyl reissues of Idol’s first two solo LPs, Billy Idol and Rebel Yell, plus the expansive double-LP greatest-hits collection Idolize Yourself: The Very Best of Billy Idol. Each release is available online now on high-quality vinyl with faithfully reproduced iconic original album art.
Billy Idol’s series of successes in the early 1980s brought punk attitude into the pop mainstream. With a career that stretched back to the original British punk scene as the front-man of trailblazers Generation X, the swaggering, charismatic Idol relocated to New York City at the dawn of the ’80s and reinvented himself as one of the era’s most consistently popular performers.
Initially released on July 16, 1982, Billy Idol first introduced Idol to mainstream American audiences and succeeded in launching his solo career. Teaming Idol with producer Keith Forsey and longtime guitarist/collaborator Steve Stevens, Billy Idol displayed a sleek, streamlined sound and includes hits such as “White Wedding”, and “Hot in the City”.
The following year, the multi-platinum smash Rebel Yell – originally released on November 10, 1983 – built on the foundation created by its predecessor, featuring Idol advancing and evolving his dance infused rock/pop sound. Once again working with Stevens and Forsey, with recording done at New York’s Electric Lady Studios, Rebel Yell was a commercial smash featuring songs including the legendary title track, “Eyes Without a Face”, and “Flesh for Fantasy”. Each of these hits are represented by iconic music videos that kept Idol in the public eye during the initial heyday of MTV.
While Billy Idol and Rebel Yell flash back to Idol’s formative days as a solo performer, Idolize Yourself: The Very Best of Billy Idol offers a widescreen overview of his entire storied recording career. First issued on CD in 2008, the 18-song Idolize Yourself features all of Idol’s vintage hits including his early club smashes “Dancing with Myself” and “Mony Mony,” plus “Cradle of Love”, “Rebel Yell”, “White Wedding”, “Eyes Without A Face”, “Flesh For Fantasy”, “Sweet Sixteen”, “To Be A Lover”, and more. The record concludes with two songs newly recorded just for this collection’s initial release: “John Wayne” and “New Future Weapon”.
Each of Billy Idol’s recordings retain their original power, despite many of them having been released over thirty years ago. There is no better way to hear them than on these classic albums, newly released on high-quality vinyl.
