I’ll be posting my thoughts on this in a bit. I hope others have had a chance to hear this album because it is AWESOME!!!
Details to come . . .
When I was 14 Whiplash Smile was my favorite album and would listen to it repeatedly on my walkman.
Don’t ask me what Billy Idol’s been up to in the last 20 odd years though as I probably couldn’t tell you.
[:|]
In 1987, this was the greatestestest song evah…!
Sounds similar to Rat Race. “Save me now” is a big standout for me…for a first listen. I’ll be spinning this one for sure.
Don’t ask me what Billy Idol’s been up to in the last 20 odd years though as I probably couldn’t tell you.
I haven’t followed him closely or anything.
I really just picked this last one up on a whim but I’m really glad I did.
Just got it. Sounds amazing - FAR better than I would have expected. Thanks so much for the suggestion, Gunnar!
When I was 14 Whiplash Smile was my favorite album and would listen to it repeatedly on my walkman.
10 years old for me. Though I think “Rebel Yell” won out as my favorite, since I understood little of the sexually charged lyrics and was mostly into the freaky ‘run the guitar through 2,000 rack effects’ thing that Steve Stevens was then doing.
My brother and I used to blast the hell out of that one while playing Sega Master System games. Those were the days, my friend…
This was pieced together from several “real time” posts I was making on Tuesday throughout the day, so if it’s a bit choppy . . . well, tough. Anyway . . .
Got the album yesterday.
I love it. It’s not Billy 1984. It’s definitely an older, more mature Billy. But it’s really cool. It sounds VERY 80’s which I love. It’s very solid songs with great arrangements and writing. Not punk. Not metal. Just good 'ol 80’s style rock. I won’t complain if he plays these tracks live.
It sounds like a very “personal” album. I’m not picking apart lyrics closely at this point or anything, but it seems very logical that this would come out the same time as his autobiography, because it is kind of a looking-back story-of-my-life-and-what-I-think-of-it-all kind of album. Really solid.
It’s very rare that an artist can actually pull something like that off without just coming off as a jaded, boring old fart who’s just cashing in. Billy executed this album with style and grace and didn’t at all compromise who he was or what we love about him.
Steve Stevens is more restrained than I’d like him to be, but that’s okay. I get that it was likely intentional and complementary to the full body but still, I’d like him to just let rip with some scorching divebomber face-melting solos and riffs that rip my balls off.
“Whiskey and Pills” was a proper pub-destroying rocker. Standout tracks on the album for me were: “Bitter Pill”, “Postcards from the Past”, and “Can’t Break Me Down”.
I can already tell, though, that this is one of those albums that I’ll love even more on repeated plays.
The more I listen to it too the more I appreciate Stevens’ work on it. I think it’s easy not to really grab onto it right away because these songs are really full-bodied pieces of work and not just a vehicle for Steve or Billy to showboat on. I don’t remember if I got any other new albums in 2014 so this is definitely the top of the list, haha!
Vinyl version ordered!!!
SWEET!!!
Does that come with any special doo-dads or anything, Richiee?
I’ve been listening to this album quite regularly for the last couple weeks.
Listening now - Save Me Now and One Breath Away is classic Billy. The rest? Can’t Break Me Down shows promise and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the vocodered vocals on Nothing To Fear. But…Eeerrgh…not sure what to think about the complete package. It’s got that…80’s “duh duh duh duh duh duh” cool synth / guitar beat running through it and that’s way cool and something I’d hoped for. It’s trancey and dreamy and reminds me of being taken for long car trips when I was a kid, when I’d put my head out of the window while listening to my walkman and stare off into the distance.
Very nostalgic.
But there’s way to much…oh god, how to put it? The second half is so saccharine, so cliched and so forced. The title track is awful. Just horrendous. If I’m going to rip on Nickelback etc for their teary eyed, FM Radio fluff then I’m going to have to have a go at Billy.
Overall? Not bad but the middle of the album and final track Whiskey and Pills REALLY let this down in a big way. Had a couple of tracks been replaced more more captivating material then I’d be sold in a big way on this as I’m a big fan of 80’s pop.
I’m giving it a low 6.
But there’s way to much…oh god, how to put it? The second half is so saccharine, so cliched and so forced. The title track is awful. Just horrendous. If I’m going to rip on Nickelback etc for their teary eyed, FM Radio fluff then I’m going to have to have a go at Billy.
“Kings and Queens of the Underground” and “Ghosts in My Guitar” typically get the skip treatment from me.
Not a bad track on it…go figure!
Secured a vinyl preorder on ebay, amazon wants almost 60.00 for vinyl preorder, must be a very limited import, got mine!! Good luck finding one reasonable priced.
I purchased it on release, and still playing it. You all will think I’m retarded, after listening to it a few times, in spots it reminded me of the album Real Life by Simple Minds. Not any song in particular because I hadn’t listened to that in at least 15 years, but just the mood that album put me in at the time. Billy will be touring here in a few months and I want to go see him but it will be in February and I’m wondering what kind of weather Chicago will serve up on that day for driving two hours there.
On one of the Billy Idol hits compilations he does a cover of “Don’t You Forget About Me”. The Simple Minds reference isn’t completely left field. Plus this new album definitely has that 80s smoothness and feel to it’s production. There’s one track (I forget the name right now) that’s a decent enough song but I skip it every time because it sound too much like U2’s cheesey buttballad “With Or Without You”. I just don’t ever want to think of U2 when I’m rocking out with Billy.
Wow, just got the vinyl yesterday, must be different mastering, im hearing all these delicate instruments not heard otherwise, very high quality vinyl each notch you turn up the volume it just jumps up with very notible sonic step ups. This pressing should be used as a model of the perfection of vinyl. This thing is flawless in reproduction of sound…real sound. Cant say enough…
DAMN! You’re making me want to buy a record player, haha! Thanks for the review.
Were there any cool inserts or anything with it?
Lyric insert, digital download.
And a really killer etching of billy on side 4.
On billys site you can order 1st edition hardcover autographed for 28.00. The excerpts i read make it absolutely impossible to put down, penned in his own words, its really candid, and the wording is so eloquent and as spoken for instance. Its all the rave for the way it’s written, got my copy ordered, surely to sell fast and being 1st edition and all…