Greatest Hits (CD - 2001)

Compilation producer: Kevin Flaherty.

Recorded between 1983 & 1993. Includes liner notes by Ben Edmonds.

Digitally remastered by Kevin Bartley & Keith Forsey.

Personnel: Billy Idol (vocals, guitar); Mark Younger-Smith, Steve Stevens (guitar); Julian Beeston , Keith Forsey (programming).

Liner Note Author: Ben Edmonds.

Photographers: Peter Gravelle; Neal Preston.

Billy Idol's recording career did such a fast fade in the early '90s that his beleaguered record label Chrysalis (since absorbed by Capitol) didn't even put out a best-of in the U.S. (Idol Songs: 11 of the Best was an interim report issued in Great Britain in 1988.) But the rise of the '80s rock radio format and Idol's own interest in a comeback make this belated hits collection timely. With one caveat, it is a well-chosen collection of the singer's most successful recordings. The exception, oddly enough, is his biggest hit, "Mony Mony," which is presented in a 1983 studio version rather than the 1987 live take that topped the charts. (The annotations claim "This version was never released as a single." Actually, it was -- as Chrysalis 2543 -- but it flopped.) Otherwise, all of Idol's big hits are here, among them "Cradle of Love," "Eyes Without a Face," "To Be a Lover," "Rebel Yell," and "White Wedding," each of which reached the Top Ten on one side of the Atlantic or the other. Also included are an "unplugged" live version of "Rebel Yell" and a newly recorded cover of the 1985 Simple Minds hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which was co-written by Idol's producer, Keith Forsey. The only omitted chart singles are "Prodigal Blues," a track from Idol's 1990 album Charmed Life, and "Speed," the title song from the 1994 film; both missed the American pop charts. In his day, Idol seemed to some a commercial sellout of the punk ideal, having abandoned Generation X for a slicker image and sound. In retrospect, he seems more like a logical successor to the kind of portentous baritones who preceded him, particularly Jim Morrison and David Bowie, while Forsey's new wave/disco sound, anchored by guitarist Steve Stevens, holds up well. ~ William Ruhlmann

Though he made his initial splash as the singer for UK pop-punks Generation X in the late-'70s, Billy Idol's greatest success came as a solo artist. In the '80s, Idol took punk's bad-boy attitude and merged it with the pop accessibility of new wave to produce a stream of huge hits. All of Idol's biggies are included here, and when they're gathered together in one place, they serve as a reminder of just how strong his popcraft was.

From the turbo-charged R&B of "Mony Mony" to the goth-tinged "White Wedding" and the somewhat surreal balladry of "Eyes Without a Face," this is Idol at his finest. With his Elvis sneer, Jim Morrison baritone, and Iggy-on-steroids image, he was the ultimate '80s rock poster boy, and GREATEST HITS proves that he had the tunes to back up that carefully constructed image. minimize