New Wave may have been on the way in and punk may have been receding (for a bit) when Billy Idol released this, his solo debut album, but both gained new ground because of this album's release.

Those may sound like strong words for a solo album from someone that many either revile or revere. But that is exactly the case.

Billy Idol announced his presence with a snarl. He was no longer a pretty boy stuck in a punk band (Generation X), nor was he a pretty boy playing synthesizers ala Duran Duran (who would come later). Billy Idol carved a niche for himself.

Today, many people consider his music to be hard rock rather than either punk or new wave. And while that is probably a fair assessment, Billy Idol never rested on his laurels and gave us the same type of music for too long.

On this album, as I said before, his solo debut, Billy gives us the chart topper - White Wedding - and a song from his former group (Generation X): Dancing with Myself. These are only two of the great songs on this album, but they are the most easily recognizable by those not familiar with his music.

This album no doubt gained even more popular play and attention due to Billy's snarling good looks and the fact that it was released just as MTV was debuting, allowing the world to experience the visual experience of White Wedding.

Not all of this albums songs are "hits", but none of them is bad. Often gritty, and frequently obnoxious, "Billy Idol" is a music "must have" for anyone serious about ground breaking music.

The original album's cover has Billy in an '80s Oriental shirt, and the last song was "Congo Man". Bring those elements back, and I shall grant this album 5 stars. Until then, I don't care how many times you remaster it, it's still being used as a tool to sell "Dancing with Myself", which stains the beautiful vibe of this album. Is there any guitar work on this planet that can match "Shooting Stars"? Billy, there ARE actually fans of "Congo Man" out here, and I'll even go so far to say it's "part 1" of "The Dead Next Door". I'm WAY beyond fed-up with the "attention shoppers" attitude of Billy's marketing dept., mostly because it puts us true fans in the back seat.

In 1981, after making a name for himself fronting the British punk band Generation X, Billy Idol relocated to New York City to make it on his own. While Generation X never broke though the mainstream to achieve massive success, and while the band was generally snubbed by many punk purists as being overtly commercial, Billy Idol was born to be a star. His charisma, photogenic good looks, and ultra-cocky persona were destined to make him an icon in the flashy, glitzy 80s. After three albums with Generation X, "Generation X," (1978) "Valley of the Dolls," (1979) and "Kiss Me Deadly" (1981) Idol unleashed his solo debut, the self-titled "Billy Idol" (1982).

For his new band, Idol hooked up with guitar virtuoso Steve Stevens, bassist Phil Feit, and drummer Steve Missal. While the album title says "Billy Idol," it should be emphasized that the greatness of Idol's early solo works rests on the fact that Idol had a killer, killer guitar player with Stevens and an excellent producer and collaborator with Keith Forsey.

There are a lot of Shredders and guitar virtuosos out there, but Stevens is one of the best and certainly most underrated. His playing is flashy, but also has soul, and is always fully captivating. The Idol/Stevens/Forsey combo produced some of the best, most memorable singles of the decade.

While Idol's sophomore classic "Rebel Yell" (1983) is his best album, the self-titled debut is almost as good. "Billy Idol" possesses the same radio-friendly pop-punk elements as Generation X, but Idol's solo debut is a far superior offering. For one thing, the songs are better written, with tighter, catchier hooks and unbelievable guitar work. "Billy Idol," with its ferocious riffs, strong melodies, cool synths, and stellar guitar work is equal parts punk, pop, and hard-rock. "Billy Idol" is probably Idol's most organic album, as the synths aren't a focal point and the album is generally more of a meat-and-potatoes affair compared to the more ambitious follow-ups.

While "Billy Idol" is generally given good reviews, it's still an underrated album. A common claim by both fans and critics is that the album has a few strong singles and a lot of filler. I would strongly refute this claim. While some songs are better than others, the entire album is quite strong. A lot of Idol's most memorable work can be found on this release.

"Billy Idol" opens up strong with the hard-rocking "Come On, Come On." Idol's sneering; cocky delivery over the brutal assault of Steve Stevens makes this one of the album's strongest tracks. The MTV staple and 80s classic "White Wedding" follows next. Its eerie background sighs, tension filled verse, and contrasting dark imagery and pop-sensibility make "White Wedding" a triumph. The album takes a left turn with the popish, stylish, seductive ode to New York City with "Hot in the City." "Dead on Arrival" is a good-but-not-great middle of the road rocker. "Nobodies Business" is perhaps Idol's most underrated song. Its infectious sing-along harmonies, light-as-a-feather but strong melodies and crunching solos make it pure ear-candy. The off-beat "Love Calling" is another strong, underrated song. With its jungle beats, what sounds like Asian back-up singers, and horns, "Love Calling" comes out of left field, but it works. While its lyrics are completely nonsensical ("if you wanna rub-a-dub-dub-dub') and Idol's overtly sexual overtones are beyond dated and cheesy, it only adds to its charm. "Hole in the Wall" is a solid, memorable, somewhat dark atmospheric rocker. "Shooting Stars," a tale of innocence lost to drugs and indulgence, is both sympathetic and cautionary. The album's most relaxed, calmest moment comes with "It's so Cruel," a song of longing that also manages to be cocky (leave it to Idol). "Billy Idol" closes with the Generation X staple, the up-beat, catchy ode to masturbation "Dancing with myself."

If cool is defined as timeless, and hip as trendy, "Billy Idol," much like Miami Vice, is equal parts cool and hip. This album is dated, very dated, and while Idol's persona is cheesy and Idol is a relic of a bygone era, he's still cool as sh.t. Dated as it may be "Billy Idol" is very well-written, with killer hooks and grooves, and outstanding guitar work. If you are a fan of punk, new-wave, hard-rock, pop, or anything 80s, this album is sure to please.

To me there is very little 80's music that I can say is actually listenable. This album deserves an honorable mention for not only being listenable 80's music but being excellent as well. Billy Idol deserves a pat on the back for the music he produced which made the 80's a tad more bearable to listen to. When released in 1982 this album sold very poorly for whatever strange reason. Thanks to the wonders of MTV Idol was finally noticed nearly a year after the album's initial release in his 'White Wedding' Music video. The album was given a bit of a makeover changing the cover to a cooler picture of Billy and replacing the final track 'Congo Man' with a shortened version of a tune he did with Generation X called 'Dancing With Myself'. To me it was a smart move to replace 'Congo Man' with 'Dancing With Myself' (even if it wasn't the full version). I've heard 'Congo Man' and all it is is Billy chanting like an idiot and smacking a bongo for a few seconds. But come on come on! There's a hole in this album! Several Idol tunes are missing in action here as bonus tracks. Particularily the 1981 DON'T STOP EP songs 'Mony Mony' the longer version of 'Dancing With Myself' and the others 'Baby Talk' and 'Untouchables'. 'Congo Man' also could have been issued for release purposes or curiosity but it would have made little difference here. None the less this CD reissue is an excellent addition to anyone's cd rack.
My favourite songs are the hits 'White Wedding', 'Hot In The City' and 'Dancing With Myself'. However the filler here is excellent as well; 'Come On Come On', 'Shooting Stars', 'Hole In The Wall' and 'Dead On Arrival' being my personal faves. Other songs like 'Nobody's Buisness', 'Love Calling' and 'It's So Cruel' are great as well. BILLY IDOL is one of my favourite cd's in my collection. It's always in my disc man! It makes 80's music sweet! Buy this cd!

This album, his first full solo effort (with the exception of "Dancing With Myself"), lays the groundwork for the hits that would come later from the "Rebel Yell" album, and is in no way a poor album, but it hasn't aged very well.

Chrysalis had released "Dancing With Myself" on the "Don't Stop" single, and it got tremendous club play, and rightfully so, because it's a killer dance tune, even to this very day. The rest of the album is fair-to-middling pop gruel, the stand-out tunes being "Shooting Stars", "Hot in the City" (with it's motown-derived feel), and "White Wedding" (which got more mileage out of it's video than the song itself).

The rest of the album contains some amusing soul-posturing; the production levels aren't what they will become in later albums, and Steve Stevens isn't given much room to rip his enviable riffs out, but that changes when Rebel Yell gets released, and the world is much better for it.