ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 392 BILLY IDOL - REBEL YELL (1983)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

Billy Idol takes center stage this week in CRB's Album of the Week forum.  Back in 1983, Idol released his sophomore effort titled Rebel Yell.  You remember it, I'm sure.  At least, you remember several songs from it. We'll get to that in a moment.  

Rebell Yell was a smash for sure.  It hit number 6 on the US chart, which was a 39 spot improvement over his self-titled debut album.  To this day it remains the biggest selling album of Idol's career, being certified Double Platinum by the RIAA.  

Now, let's get back to those songs you remember.  Four singles were released from the album, all being at least moderately successful.  Those singles were the title track (#46), Eyes Without A Face (#4), Flesh For Fantasy (#29) and Catch My Fall (#50).  Of course, as you also remember, all of videos for these songs received a lot of airplay on MTV.  Besides all of these well known songs, I am a big fan of the second track on the album Daytime Drama.

Fun Fact:  Idol attended a party in which Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were drinking Rebel Yell whiskey, which sounded like a great song title to Billy.

Tracks:

1. Rebel Yell

2. Daytime Drama

3. Eyes Without A Face

4. Blue Highway

5. Flesh For Fantasy

6. Catch My Fall

7. Crank Call

8. (Do Not) Stand In The Shadows

9. The Dead Next Door

[Jon]

With all the airplay from that title track, you would think it charted higher than 46. Well, at least it wasn't that song about dancing with oneself, you know the one which played every 15 minutes on MTV and made me sick of Billy Idol. But then this album came out and, even though I still detested that song about self dancing, I really dug this because it really rawked. Introduced me to that SS dude as well. Great album.

[TageRyche]

I remember three of the singles from the album and liked all three of them. Beyond that I never had this album or really felt the need to own it.

[Scott]

I got no issue with his Debut album really like it actually.  White Wedding and Hot In The City still get cranked up around here.  That other song Jon referred to never really bothered me, not a favorite but not bad, also, I have no idea what its about either so I'm naive about that song.  

I like the guitar work on here.  I remember SS saying something about the lack of guitar solos on Idols songs, I guess these songs are all about him and he's ok with that - so maybe that one song is about BIlly Idol or something who knows - anyway, the riffs are great and his solo at the end of Blue Highway is pretty cool, not blazing hot, but pretty cool in a melodic kind of way!

The only song that was just OK was (Do Not) Stand In The Shadows, it had the same beat as that one song Jon referred to that we don't the meaning of, but less interesting ...  Also The Dead Next Door is also just OK, but it held my attention I don't know why.

Never owned this, any have to rectify that...