Catch both Idol albums for $19.84

Rip It Up, Issue 82, 1 May 1984, Page 9

Catch both Idol albums for $19.84

Take a bow, Billy Idol!

In these two offerings, •Billy Idol' and 'Rebel Yell', you present an ingenious mel-ting-pot of different musical genres. From the power pop of 'Rebel Yell'to the acoustic pop of 'lt's So Cruel', from the punk snarl of ‘White Wedding" to the moody introversion of ‘The Dead Next Door', there is a little something for everyone. The crazy thing is that it works, you clever old Idol vou.

It's thiseelccticism that is the two work's critical downfall. as well as their ultimate commercial success.' it seems. After all. there's nothing wrong with a bit of eclecticism, especially when it's mixed with lashings of healthy cynicism. he first album injected much-needed energy back into a popular music industry that

■vas being drum-machined into mediocrity by a floodtide of synthesiser bands. Not that Billy is averse to drummachines and synths himself, but he obviously believes in keeping them in their place, y’know. The second album smoothes out some of the inconsistencies of the first but sticks to the same basic formula for success get 'em going w ith a hard-driving beat, then throw in more hooks than Fake laupo in fishing season, and add Billy's hearty vocals to make it complete. Both albums are essentially danccable, and stand out as two of the great parts records of the eighties so lar. Feature tracks: ‘Hot in the City', ‘Love Calling’. ‘Eyes without a Face’. ‘Blue High wav'.