This is by far the best album from Billy Idol. Much more mature in musical terms than before. With a brilliant Steve Stevens, this disc puts Billy into my preferred musicians. Listen for example the "Man for all seasons" guitar solo, it's a jazz solo in a rock song, I never heard something similar so well done. Powerful and poetical, his chemical formula is present in their maximum expression.

Love it! Sexy.. one of those rare CD's that you can listen to from beginning to end and have no desire to skip a track.. it flows and moves you along with it..great for driving cross country,packing your suitcase or for a romantic night.....

You might have bought this album because you saw the album cover as a shirt in Hot Topic and thought it looked cool. If that's the case, you should go buy Idol's Greatest Hits instead, because this album only has a few truly great songs on it. "To Be a Lover" was the big hit here, but the best track is the six minute long "Don't Need a Gun" (which was subsequently trimmed down for radio; this album version is better). Also, this was Idol's follow-up to his uber-successful "Rebel Yell" album; "Whiplash Smile" seems to go out of its way to be edgier in stark contrast to his previous album. All the songs are OK, but nothing there's not enough to make you say, "That was AWESOME!" once you're done with it. Good title, though.

Whiplash Smile isn't Billy's best album, but it is probably right up there.

To Be a Lover is probably my favorite of all of his songs (or maybe it ties with Rebel Yell). It is so fully charged with animalistic sexuality that it is impossible to ignore. The title song is unbelievably danceable. Don't Need a Gun is another great dance song. Sweet Sixteen is a great accoustic presentation from this fantastic musician/singer, full of eroticism and feeling.

Billy Idol never suffered from MTV since his looks were perfect for the medium. But Billy Idol would have succeeded with or without MTV, because he's just a dynamic musician.

You really need this album!

It took repeated listens, but I eventually decided that 'Whiplash Smile' was indeed (and remains) the best album Billy ever put out.

It takes place approximately 3 years after the big boom of 'Rebel Yell', which was a monster album. Billy had a lot to live up to, and although he'd subsequently trash this album in interviews due to 'being on heroin during the making of it', his and Steve Stevens conviction is the big selling point.

It rocks, it rolls, it slinks, it roars, it growls, it whispers... everything that a BI album is supposed to deliver and more. "Sweet Sixteen", "To Be a Lover", and "Don't Need A Gun" might have been the singles, but this is Billy's most cohesive album yet. "World's Forgotten Boy" and "Man For All Seasons" boast Steve's best riffs on vinyl, and Billy sings like his life depends on it. "All Summer Single" is the hit that never was, with haunting almost-out-of-earshot fadeout riffs, and "Fatal Charm" anchors the faithful, who decided not to buy as many copies of this album as they should have.

Incidentally, '86 is also the year Steve would go on to win the Academy Award for Harold Faltermeyer's "Top Gun" theme, and a year later, Michael Jackson recruited him for solos on his 'Bad' album. Listen to this stuff, and then discover why.