By 1990's aptly named Charmed Life, Billy Idol was seemingly more well-known for his excessive lifestyle than his creative zenith of a few years prior. This made his channeling of Jim Morrison on a rowdy cover of "LA Woman" even more apt. He had done so before, of course, most memorably on 1986's Whiplash Smile…
Billy Idol's first hits collection, Idol Songs: 11 of the Best, was released in Europe in 1988, while he was still a commanding presence on the charts. The U.S. didn't see a compilation on Idol until 2001.
There's a cool aggression to 1983's "Rebel Yell," Billy Idol's second album that is equal parts new-wave, metal, punk, and pop. Although his debut was a hit and remains a classic, it was "Rebel Yell" that is his masterpiece. The album reunited Billy with the hit-making team of producer, Keith Forsey and the atmospheric guitarwork of Stevie Stevens that can only be called rock & roll nirvana. The album reached #6 on Billboard's Top 200 propelled by four hit singles including, "Rebel Yell," the eloquently gorgeous "Eyes Without a Face" with the haunting female backup singing of Perri Lister, and "Flesh for Fantasy" all of which were hit music videos. With a permanently snarled upper lip and the perfect matinee-idol blond hair, Billy Idol made punk rock palatable for MTV and the masses.
A slick, carefully crafted follow-up to his debut, Rebel Yell was Billy Idol's catchiest, most consistent fusion of synth-driven new wave pop and hard rock guitar pyrotechnics (courtesy of Steve Stevens)…
Call him a punk-pop icon, but Billy Idol is also a rock journeyman on 2025's introspective yet still swaggeringly fun Dream into It. Produced by Tommy English, the singer's ninth studio album moves deftly between blisteringly hooky pop-punk anthems and more atmospheric midtempo cuts, all of which nicely evoke the genre-crossing dance-rock of Idol's best work. As with all of his albums since his early-2000s renaissance, it also features plenty of sonic riffage from his longtime collaborator, guitarist Steve Stevens. English - who has worked with a stylistically varied mix of artists, including BØRNS, Foster the People, and blink-182 - brings a warmth to the production, kicking up the guitars when needed, but also adding in subtle synth and drum machine textures that smartly evoke an '80s pop atmosphere…
Vital Idol is a compilation of remixed singles from Billy Idol's first three albums. Peaking at number 10 on the Billboard 200, the album was supported by a live single version of "Mony Mony".
By 1990's aptly named Charmed Life, Billy Idol was seemingly more well-known for his excessive lifestyle than his creative zenith of a few years prior. This made his channeling of Jim Morrison on a rowdy cover of "LA Woman" even more apt. He had done so before, of course, most memorably on 1986's Whiplash Smile…