Although Billy Idol boasted that ecstasy in his machine gave him the secret to life in Wasteland, the lead track off of 1993's Cyberpunk (an album loosely based around the modern technology movement derived from several books written by William Gibson) it was met with universal derision and scorn by nearly every rock critic in America. Because of the quality of most of the material on the album, the disdain for it seemed puzzling at the time and it is equally befuddling today. That being said, however flimsy a concept may be on the surface it is the actual musical content of a record that should be the main focus of any recording.

Though the brief segues or bridges between the songs which attempt to tie the cyberpunk concept together detract from the album somewhat and are by and large unnecessary, Cyberpunk is a set comprised of consistently good and adventurous techno-rock. There may be nothing technically groundbreaking here but the negative reputation that the record has garnered over the years is certainly not deserving. For example, the lead single Shock To The System is as immediately catchy and electrifying as Idol hits of yore while investing a more technologically driven and robotic sound. Mother Dawn, the last track on the album is a highlight unto itself for its relentless R&B-flavored industrial vibe which sounds as refreshing today as it did in 1993. Other standout tracks include Neuromancer which breezes by in a hard-rocking rave, the futuristic Tomorrow People and its ominous soundscape and the potent Then The Night Comes, a track providing a link to the straight-ahead rock sound of past Idol records. Concrete Kingdom continues the marriage of heavy rock to a warped, futuristic disco pulse while also serving as one of the more distinctive songs we've heard from Idol.

However, it is that distinctiveness and Idol's attempt to produce a record wholly apart from anything he's done in the past that got him into hot water with critics and fans in the first place. Unfortunately, fans and critics alike who were expecting another Rebel Yell or an album packed with White Weddings and Cradle Of Loves missed the boat on this one entirely. Most of the songs on this, Idol's most ambitious work actually work quite well most of the time despite the presence of the overly long track Shangrila and the disruptive bridges between songs which threaten to put a halt to the album's momentum on more than one occasion. Also of note is Idol's seven minute electro-dance interpretation of the Velvet Underground's immortal track Heroin which utilizes the infamous "Jesus Died For Somebody's Sins But Not Mine" lyric from Patti Smith's 1975 pre-punk classic Gloria for the song's chorus which oddly enough, fits rather nicely within the context of the song. For those purists out there, any cover of such a monumental song is blasphemy, however, listeners will be left to draw their own conclusions as to whether Idol's interpretatation is a blazing tour de force of danceable electronic new wave or just a plain disaster.

In a way, Cyberpunk is a fully more realized and logical extension of his greatest hits remix package Vital Idol and one must wonder whether this album would have received stronger reviews had it been released under the name of an artist with a much more musically varied reputation such as David Bowie or Beck. Unfortunately, pigeon-holed artists like Idol must carry the negative weight of preconceived notions of their work much in the same way that they are liable to benefit by them. All in all, this was clearly a record that Idol had been working toward his whole career though as sad as it may be, it also became his commercial undoing. Be that as it may, take the thirteen songs on this album at face value and you'll find that Cyberpunk is much better than advertised.

I disagree with Reviewer Keef. Cyperpunk is not your typical Billy Idol material. Cyberpunk is darkly creative beginning with the first song, Wasteland, to the last untitled song. The material takes you on an imaginary journey, telling you a story of first despair and loss and finally hope. While recognizable as Billy Idol, Cyberpunk is a clear departure from Billy's usual work and represents an important artistic evolution in Billy's discography. Many artists content themselves with producing the same sounds over and over for years; it took courage for Billy to go through with this experiment. Maybe if he had released the album a few years earlier or later, it would have generated more interest and a warmer reception. Nevertheless, Cyberpunk is my favorite of all he has done so far.

I have always loved BI's music and purchased Cyberpunk long after it was originally released. At first I was disappointed. However, the more you listen to this CD the more it grabs and hooks you like a bad habit. It is a theme oriented album of Billy's vision of a cyber world gone mad. There are songs that are shocking and haunting and others that are mood altering like Adam In Chains. Listen to Adam before your next important meeting or before you hit the first tee for your Club Championship. It is truly mesmerizing. Other favorite cuts are Then The Night Comes and Mother Dawn. My 9 yr. old daughter loves to sing along with the chorus on the uplifting Mother Dawn. This is definately BI's best work to date and I don't understand why so many critics hated this album. Probably because it only includes a couple of the normal screaming BI rock 'em, sock 'em tunes like Wasteland and Shock To The System. I like his departure from the norm and only wish there was more new tunes from this underappreciated artist.

I've never been able to understand why this CD got such a non-reaction in sales. It IS a different sound for Billy Idol...still rock, but more synthesizers, more complicated, faster beats, and even some eastern sounding melodies on Love Labours On and Shangrila. In my opinion it's a good departure. His voice is still classic Billy...ranging from throaty growl to smooth, soft bass. At first I tended to skip over the un-numbered tracks, wanting to get right to the music, but after listening to the whole thing several times I feel like they add to the overall vision of a futuristic techno world gone mad. My favorite tracks are Love Labours On, Adam in Chains, and Mother Dawn...all three combine semi-soft vocals with fairly hard beats and guitar. The only track on the CD that I didn't like as much is the too long remake of Heroin.

Billy Idol has taken tremendous flak for this album. Before Devil's Playground (an excellent album itself), Cyberpunk was seen as the 'end' of his career, his downfall.

Is it a departure from his previous albums? Yes. Is it, in typical Billy Idol form, a little bit cliched? Yeah. But it is also groundbreaking and outstanding at what it does, and it may be my favorite Idol album, which is saying something, because I love them all. It's well written... in many ways, ahead of its time, espousing the themes of a Matrix world well before 95% of Americans even had email. His voice sounds great, and the music itself is coherent and adventurous, in a pre-techno sort of way.

Don't be fooled by the popular condemnation. This might not be typical Billy Idol, but it's a tremendous album. If I had to throw away all my BI albums except for one, this is the one I would keep.