(U.K 1973 - Present)
Along with Duran Duran,
Billy Idol was one of the first young pop/rock artists to achieve massive success in the early '80s due to the advent of MTV. Mixing his bad-boy good looks with an appealing blend of pop hooks, punk attitude, and dance beats, Idol quickly rocketed to stardom before hard living briefly derailed his career and almost proved fatal. Born William Michael Albert Broad on November 30, 1955, in Middlesex, England, the youngster relocated with his family for a brief spell to New York before returning back to England. After a stint at Sussex University only lasted a year, Broad found himself part of a group of teen punk rockers who befriended and followed the Sex Pistols, informally known as the Bromley Contingent. (Another member of the group was Siouxsie Sioux, eventual leader of Siouxsie & the Banshees.)
It wasn't long before Broad realized that he too could be the frontman of a punk band, and assumed the name Billy Idol shortly thereafter. After a stint playing guitar in a group called Chelsea (interestingly, the group featured future Clash guitarist Mick Jones and future Damned guitarist Brian James), Idol put down the guitar and picked up the mic; he then recruited bassist Tony James, drummer John Towe, and guitarist Bob Andrews to form Generation X in 1976. Named after a 1960s paperback, the band signed a recording contract with Chrysalis shortly thereafter (Towe replaced with new drummer Mark Laff) and released the anthemic "Your Generation" late in 1977. An appearance on Top of the Pops helped the single and their 1978 self-titled debut, the latter produced by Martin Rushent. The band released two more LPs, Valley of the Dolls in 1979 and Kiss Me Deadly two years later before splitting up.
Disappointed with Generation X's demise, Idol relocated to New York City, where he pursued a career as a solo artist. Hooking up with Kiss manager Bill Aucoin, Idol issued the 1981 EP Don't Stop (comprised of a cover of Tommy James' '60s hit "Mony Mony" and a pair of remixed Generation X tracks), which helped the singer score another record deal with his former band's label, Chrysalis. Idol found the perfect collaborator and partner in guitarist and Johnny Thunders look-alike Steve Stevens, and issued a self-titled debut in July of 1982. A pair of eye-catching videos for the tracks "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself" (the latter a remake of a Generation X composition) scored major air time on MTV, with both clips focusing on Idol's spiky, peroxide-blonde hair and Elvis-like sneer. The debut eventually obtained gold certification, and set the stage perfectly for Idol's big commercial breakthrough, 1984's Rebel Yell.
Rebel Yell became the singer's best-selling album of his career (eventually going double platinum), spawning such big-time MTV/radio hits as the album's anthemic title track, "Eyes Without a Face," and "Flesh for Fantasy," establishing Idol as an arena headliner stateside. But with massive success came its many distractions, which prevented Idol from issuing a new studio album until three years after Rebel Yell.
Billy Idol Interview By Alexander Laurence
(6/02/2008)Billy Idol is a punk legend. He was the singer in Generation X, one the original London based punk bands. They were the first punk band to be on Top of The Pops and tour Japan. He was also one of the first UK rock stars to move over to the USA and have another solo career over here. He became one of the first stars of MTV, with his signature blonde spiked hair. His album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major success.
Billy Idol, now 52 years old, looks as good as ever. He plans to release a greatest hits collection with four new tracks, and more tours in the summer of 2008.
I asked him if he ever saw any of the Bromley Contingent. He said that he played with Siouxsie and The Banshees a few years ago at Inland Invasion. It was an early morning for Billy. He was waking up and we were chatting during his wardrobe changes and makeup.
He was born William Broad in 1955. England was still bleak back then, still affected by World War II. When Idol was three years old, his family moved to Long Island, New York for five years. He remembered America back then having much more color. He said “We had two channels on TV, and in America you had five.”
When he returned to the UK, Billy was a Beatles fan. The first single he bought was “She Loves You” in 1963 and it was number one for two months. He was depressed when the Dave Clarke Five knocked it off the top of the charts. Back then, Billy told me, there were no record stores. So you bought records at places that had washing machines for seven pence.
He remembered a time when JFK visited London and he saw him driving by. Billy Idol had also seen Black Sabbath before they came out with their first album.
When they started Generation X, Tony James was 24 and the guitar player Bob Derwood was 17. Back then Tony James seem much older. They called him “Old man Tony.” Generation X was on the Marc Bolan show. They got to meet Marc Bolan. Their gear didn’t arrive to the studio so they were able to borrow gear from the other bands. Derwood got to use Marc Bolan’s guitar on the live version of “Your
Generation.” Most of the producers were more worried about David Bowie, who was living in Berlin, and was doing his TV show in a while. Marc made sure that Generation X still went on. Bolan died a few weeks later.
I have always wondered who invented the spiked hair look. Idol claimed that Johnny Rotten was the first one to do it. Billy Idol is definitely one of the originators of the punk movement.
Generation X is one of the few bands that young kids discover year after year when they get into the punk rock culture. [extract from
portable-infinite blog]
This post consists of FLACs ripped from five 12" and one 7" single in my collection, featuring extended versions of his most popular hits, including "White Wedding", "Hot In The City" and "Mony Mony". Full artwork and label scans are included for all singles, along with a custom made cover for my 67" compilation (see left).
Not sure where the title comes from? Then just do the Maths !
My only regret is that I never bought the 12" release of "Flesh For Fantasy", but did buy the 7" release.
I played White Wedding to death when it was first released in 1982 and it was my first introduction to Mr Idol (Generation X were not on my playlist at the time).
I have decided to make each single available for download, for those of you looking to fill holes in your collection. Otherwise, you'll find all singles in my 67" compilation.
67" of Billy Idol [Compilation] (569Mb)
Link
All links below refreshed 17/12/2023
White Wedding (12" Single)A - White Wedding (Parts 1 & 2) [Extended Version]
B - White Wedding (Part 2)
A - Rebel Yell
B1 - White Wedding (Parts 1 & 2)
B2 - Crank Call
Dancing With Myself (12" Single)A- Dancing With Myself [Extended Version]
B - Love Calling [Dub Version]
Eyes Without A Face (12" Single)A - Eyes Without A Face
B1 - The Dead Next Door
B2 - Hot In The City [Extended Version]
A - Mony Mony [Hung Like A Pony]
B1 - Shakin' All Over [Live]
B2 - Mony Mony [Live]
Flesh For Fantasy (7" Single)A - Flesh For Fantasy [Edit]
B - Daytime Drama
This month's WOCK on Vinyl post features a Radio Special recorded for their Daddy's Coolest' compilation, featuring several original members of Daddy Cool being interviewed by Paul Holmes from the 25M Radio Station in amongst the original songs The interview was released as a double album by the Wizard label in the same year and has quickly become a collectors item. I was fortunate enough to come across a copy and as far as I can tell, it has never been made available in digital format before.
