Billy Idol - Greatest Hits

All of the songs have been "24 Bid Digitally Remastered" and sound fabulous. Kudos to Capitol Records for giving this Artist the treatment he deservs. Idol helped define the 80's MTV Generation & is still a powerful force in the industry as his version of "Don't You" will attest. An album of all new material is expected by year's end & if the last track on this album is any indication we have alot to look forward to......This is an essential purchase for any Idol fan/80's Music fan-


With a rebel yell, he cried "MORE! MORE! MORE!"   March 4, 2005
Ian Vance (pagosa springs CO.)
22 out of 34 found this review helpful

The irony of punk - its prominence in the Billboard top-40, its safe-angst popularity and ubiquitous mediocrity - can trace its roots to the MTV staple and pop-icon that is Billy Idol. To wit: a movement all about rage and rejection, about being the "outsider," would in a few short years be totally embraced by the mainstream, its image and aesthetic carefully packaged for those seeking easy rebellion; punk found the ultimate desecration in the man who sold out and sold big-time, the poseur who incorporated all the tics and trash-glamour, the posture and the sneer, swathing punk superficialities upon banal synth-rawk and deeming it good: Billy Idol epitomized the irony of punk - and the real punchline, of course, is that his music held more honesty in its playful hedonism, in its celebration of nothingness, than the resultant dirge-work of most of his "peers": the brute atonality of the Swans or the stupid misanthropy of the Fear; in that his music stands up stronger two decades later than all that oh-so-serious dross. Pretty Vacant indeed!

Now that I've eliminated the hardcore faithful with these opinions, let us delve a little deeper into this fascinating figure, the man and myth that is the Idol. It's been many years since I viewed Billy in his incarnation on MTV, gyrating suggestively on the stage, resplendent in punk cliches: the peroxided coif (so carefully mussed) and those crucifix-earrings, the leather pants and chest hair a-bristle, the Cali-tan and everpresent sneer augmenting his Aryan-worthy features: to those few of us that take pride in being pop culture navigators and sardonic social critics, Billy Idol is both a hero and a point of damnation, the savvy thief and hardcore necronerd Anti-Christ, someone to secretly worship and feel shameful about it. It is thus interesting to note that Billy began as a "true" punk, attending Sex Pistols shows in his raconteur youth, playing part in seminal excursions like Chelsea and Generation X. He left the latter band with one indelible single, 'Dancing with Myself,' power-pop with a lyrical punk motif. Jury, turn your attention to Exhibit A: "Your empty eyes seem to pass me by/when there's nothing to prove and nothing to lose, I'm-a Dancing with Myself," etc. Spearheading the jaw-dropping oxymoron that is disco-punk, 'Dancing with Myself' refuted the origins of the genre (after all, punk began as a rejection of the soft rock sensitivity and disco-glut that dominated the late-70's) and established Billy Idol as the cartoon artiste, equal measure sex-swagger and romper-stomp, punk menace with a silly preen. Simply brilliant!

*Rebel Yell* further refined the music and the stance, as Billy Idol embraced the Me-decade ethic of the 80's, defining the greed and excess and o'erweening confidence of the era via visual splendor and sublime lyrical poignancy. Jury, I point to Exhibit B: "With a rebel yell, she cried MORE! MORE! MORE!" Says it all, folks. *Rebel Yell* contained the three-punch knockout of the title track, the blistering 'White Wedding', and the soulful 'Eyes Without a Face' that perhaps predict Billy's eventual incarnation as a Vegas crooner. Indeed, examining Idol's roots and method - taking the sound of the downtrodden and exploited and using it as top-40 fodder - why, Idol was nothing short of a New Wave-era Elvis, a role he would come to embody and gleefully pay tribute to, climaxing with the 50's Stax/Volt mewlings of 'To Be a Lover' and 'Sweet Sixteen'.

The late 80's were not so kind to Idol: drug addiction put a low ebb to his creative fire, and this greatest hits package neglects the more edgy material of this period (such as a raging 'World's Forgotten Boy,' one of Idol's best songs) in lue of the borderline parody of 'Don't Need a Gun' or insubstantial fluff like 'Sweet Sixteen'...wait a minute, parody, fluff...perhaps I exaggerate, for it can be argued that ~all~ Idol's material is encompassed by these descriptive terms...but I digress. Idol had a major comeback in 1990 with the album *Charmed Life*, which produced the girl-writhing-on-the-bed video-hit of `Cradle of Love' and a cover of the Door's 'L.A. Woman' which (and I know this is considered unforgivable heresy) I prefer to the original: at least Billy comes off as sincere, in contrast to Morrison's very apparent drunken ramblings.

*Charmed Life* was Billy Idol's career peak, a fact given credence by this greatest hits package: only one song from the much maligned, ill-conceived *Cyberpunk* album makes the cut, 'Shock to the System,' and this compilation is rounded out by a live version of 'Rebel Yell' complete with acoustic guitar (!) and a hard-edged cover of Simple Mind's 'Don't You (Forget About Me).' Yes, by all appearances Idol has now been relegated to `has been' status (greatest hits packaged are usually a sure sign of it), but then again, you never can tell... perhaps the current neo-retro trend that has dominated pop culture in the last few years will see a re-emergence of the Idol; the time seems ripe for ego-driven synth-rock to kick emo and sensitive-alternative in the seat of the pants, to establish male-centric posturing back into the Zeitgeist.

And I for one certainly hope so! It may seem by the tone of this review that I'm contemptuous of Idol's career, but I'm not so much disdainful as I am ~amused~, and, lest I forget, consistently entertained by the pop-gems the man has so meticulously forged. Three-quarters of this packaged contains some of the most braindead delightful escapism the 80's have to offer, and I can never resist dancing with myself when the kick-drum hits and the guitars milk every last ounce of power-chord emotion; when coupled with Idol's catalogue of 'yeah!' 'babe!' and miscellaneous grunts, I find myself in nostalgia's seventh heaven. It's certainly better than 90% of the power-punk on the charts these days: for Idol can be considered both the spiritual father and musical titan that these suburbia-hooligans, with their trendy tattoos and anatomically-correct piercings, aspire in vain to surmount. Essential!



First US Compilation   March 29, 2001
T. C Lane (Marina, CA USA)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful

Although a 1988 Import, "Idol Songs", has been easy to find since its release, this is Billy Idol's first US compilation. All the big hits are here, although the version of "Mony Mony" is NOT the live version that went to #1 (Idol's only #1 single) in 1987 but the studio version from Don't Stop that received just as much airplay as the live version. The live version is on "Idol Songs" as well as a various artists compilation called Rockin 80's Vol. 2 on Madacy. Tacked on to this compilation are a great acoustic version of "Rebel Yell" and a not-quite-as good version of the Simple Minds #1 "Don't You Forget About Me", which was orginally written for Idol. The sound on this CD is superb and they've included up-to-date liner notes, as well. A must for Billy Idol newbies and for die-hards who want to have a career spanning compilation.


Pure unadulturated bliss   May 1, 2001
Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Back in the '80s I wasn't really into Billy Idol's music. It wasn't until VH1's Behind the Music episode on Billy that made me gave Billy's music a chance. His greatest hits is a solid compilation of all his hits plus a killer cover of Simple Mind's "Don't You [Forget About Me]". The live acoustic version of "Rebel Yell" is just amazing. It rocks out just as much as the studio version. "Rebel Yell" is probably my all-time favorite Billy Idol song. He has a snarl that just cannot be imitated. "Sweet Sixteen" is a awesome ballad while "White Wedding" brings back memories when music videos were actually entertaining. Even "Mony Mony" sounds good on this cd and that isn't one of my favorite songs from Billy. All his songs on this cd doesn't sound dated and actually sounds invigorating in this day and age of teen pop and rap/metal. This is one of the best greatest hits cds I have heard in a long time and usually there are a few tracks that I don't like but on Billy Idol's greatest hits, every track is a real winner.


The ULTIMATE Rocksinger since ELVIS died   April 11, 2001
Super RED (Italy)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

Billy Idol is a kind of obsession for me. He's really one the best singer of all the times. He's my own legendary figure !!!. Billy was "THE" rockstar of EIGHTIES. His success was a beautiful shine in the darkness, he began to collect hits since DON'T STOP (1981) and he stopped the parade with CYBERPUNK. This last album was a failure in America, yes, but it also was a RESOUNDING SMASH HIT in Europe and everyone knows "Shock to the system" too. By my side, CYBERPUNK is a masterpiece in a way of discovery. The nineties was a decade of celebration. Thanks to SPEED, THE WEDDING SINGER, the MP3 scandal, Tommy Iommi & HEAVY METAL 2 Billy Idol returned to the credit he deserved. Now, the man is popular again. This GREATEST HITS is not the end. This is the beginning. Do you remember when GENX died ? It was the beginning. Same story. I'm ready to see it...i'm only 24 years old. IDOL IS THE BEST !!! - Tiziano Caliendo