Billy Idol – Idolize Yourself
Details : 2008, EMI, CD
A new compilation sees former “Generation X” frontman Billy Idol celebrate his career collecting together all of his solo hits and adding a couple of new tracks for good measure. Due out on July 17th there is also a deluxe edition that adds a DVD with 13 promos most of which will be remembered from heavy music television rotation towards the end of the 80s.
I’ll be honest and say I was never a huge fan of Idol. His MTV friendly pop-rock anthems and ’soft rock’ compilers dream tracks like the painful “Hot In The City“, “Rebel Yell“, “White Wedding” and the god-awful “Mony Mony” (all appearing on this collection of course) recall bad memories of a time when television dictated music and a memorable video seemed to shift more discs than a decent tune. I did go to see him live once, at his alleged prime, thinking my wife (then girlfriend) was a fan of Idol’s. Turned out she wasn’t and he remains the only headline act I’ve walked out on, choosing the early train home unable to buy into the snarling, ego-centric, cartoon punk image being portrayed from the stage.
Consequently I nearly passed on listening to this disc let alone writing about it but I did recall someone who’s opinion I value mentioning that Idol’s last studio album (2005’s “Devil’s Playground”) was actually pretty good. Unfortunately only one track from it makes this collection. Instead, once I’d forced my way through dated, eighties electronic sounding fare like “Flesh For Fantasy” and “To Be A Lover“, marvelling only briefly at guitarist Steve Stevens fretboard trickery I only found a couple of redeeming tracks. “LA Woman” has a decent, near psychedelic breakdown that recalls the songs originators “The Doors” quite nicely and at least sounds like a band played affair than a computer backing track with Idol singing over it. “Speed” seemed a pretty good track too but I have to say it was the music rather than the singing that impressed me.
It’s that one track off the 2005 album that actually made this collection worth a listen. “World Comin’ Down” with its rapid fire, expletive laden, vocal delivery and edgy guitar actually moves away from the Idol sound that sold in the 80s and seems to revel in the freedom of not trying to conform to a sound that sells. And unfortunately it didn’t sell so the two new tracks revert to the Idol template. “John Wayne” sounds like a slowed down “White Wedding” musically and isn’t particularly impressive, whilst the slightly better “New Future Weapon” also harks back to the big drum sound and electronically enhanced sequencing of days long passed. A shame but unsurprising given the context the songs are being offered in.
So much of this has aged badly (and didn’t do much for me in the first place). Overall a collection I’d avoid but then its only my opinion. You watch though… this’ll tap into a nostalgia market, sell millions and he’ll be headlining Download next year!
Highlight : World Coming Down
Score : 1/5
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BL
