gojiro: The Vinyl of the Day is ‘Rebel Yell’ by Billy Idol, 1983. Billy’s sec
gojiro: The Vinyl of the Day is ‘Rebel Yell’ by Billy Idol, 1983. Billy’s second full solo studio album after his debut ‘Billy Idol’ (and his EP ‘Don’t Stop’, his first release after leaving Generation X), it reunited the hit-making team of Billy, Steve Stevens and Keith Forsey, and it became a monster success with some of his biggest hits, including ‘Eyes Without A Face’, ‘Flesh For Fantasy’, ‘Catch My Fall’, and of course the title hit ‘Rebel Yell’ which became THE song you would slip the club DJ $20 to play. This is the album that turned Billy Idol into one of the most popular solo artists of all-time, and one of the founding pillars and most important figures that defined the ‘80s sound, fashion, and new wave/post punk culture. Billy’s perma-sneer and his perfect matinee-idol blond hair made punk rock acceptable for MTV and the masses, by watering down punk’s aggressive attack with dance grooves and stretches of keyboards where no self-respecting punk would’ve dared. Essentially, he made pop music with a spare razor blade tossed in for fun. ‘Rebel Yell’ actually shows a wide range of styles, more so than most people today associate with Billy Idol; yes you’ve got the high-energy explosion of ‘Rebel Yell’, but Billy showed a willingness to experiment with different musical styles and the latest advances in recording technology with the new-wave sound of “Daytime Drama,” the unsettling noir-minimalism of “The Dead Next Door” and the quite uniquely, sensual robo-funk of “Flesh for Fantasy.” Rounding things out, the saxophone-powered “Catch My Fall” had hit single written all over it, and Idol achieved precisely that with the distinctly unconventional, rather artsy ballad, “Eyes Without a Face” – a smash hit driven home by a highly stylized music video that became another MTV staple.Virtually everything about Idol’s ambitious vision worked to perfection on ‘Rebel Yell’, and it’s still top-notch pop-punk and as fun to listen to today as it was ALMOST 35 YEARS AGO!! Rolling Stone original review from 1984 By Parke Puterbaugh Equal parts hard rocker, glam rocker and punk rocker, Billy Idol has managed an estimable synthesis of the music of three decades on Rebel Yell, his second solo album. From the Sixties, he’s brought a fair measure of pop economy and a kaleidoscopic palette of sound effects. From the Seventies, he’s taken the larger-than-life sound of big guitars, thunderous drumming and industrial-strength singing. And from the Eighties, he’s adapted the sonic Bauhaus architecture of new music, with its straight, streamlined edges. In short, Rebel Yell is a ferocious record, sharp as a saber, hard as diamond, as beautiful and seductive as the darker side of life with which it flirts. Idol must share some of the credit with guitarist Steve Stevens, with whom he’s established a partnership whose chemistry is not unlike that between Iggy Pop and James Williamson. Idol’s lyrics partake of our deepest subconscious, sexual and nocturnal drives; his saturnalian cravings find musical expression in the wide array of sounds Stevens is able to coax from his instrument, be it the unnerving metallic march of “Daytime Drama,” the lurching, out-of-focus psychedelia of “Flesh for Fantasy” or the skittering, arpeggiated runs that frame “(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows.” Rebel Yell occasionally toys with decadence, taking fleeting glimpses behind doors that are better left unopened. But this is part and parcel of Idol’s lust for life, which seems almost indiscriminate in its thrill seeking yet full of boundless pleasure with each new world that rolls over the horizon — and this isn’t decadent at all. At a time when too much of what comes over the airwaves is all sweetness and light, or mere undifferentiated head-banging, Rebel Yell is an intelligent assault upon the senses, and a rallying cry to the reckless enthusiasm of youth. Worth a good, lusty holler for sure. -- source link