Rebel Yell (album)

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Rebel Yell
BillyIdolRebelYell.jpg
Studio album by
Billy Idol
Released10 November 1983 (1983-11-10)
Recorded1983
StudioElectric Lady Studios
RPM Studios
Mediasound
(New York City, New York)
Genre
Length38:10
LabelChrysalis
ProducerKeith Forsey
Billy Idol chronology
Billy Idol
(1982) 		Rebel Yell
(1983) 		Vital Idol
(1985)
Singles from Rebel Yell
  1. "Rebel Yell"
    Released: 24 October 1983
  2. "Eyes Without a Face"
    Released: 29 May 1984
  3. "Flesh for Fantasy"
    Released: 13 September 1984
  4. "Catch My Fall"
    Released: 7 November 1984

Rebel Yell is the second studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 10 November 1983 by Chrysalis Records. After the release of his 1982 eponymous debut album, Idol continued his collaboration with producer Keith Forsey and multi-instrumentalist Steve Stevens. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Initially recording without a drummer, utilizing only the electronic drum machines LinnDrum and Roland TR-808,[2] Forsey and Stevens later decided to hire Thommy Price to play drums on some of the songs.[3] Musically, Rebel Yell is a rock album with a strong influence of new wave music. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Brian Griffin. Idol got the idea of the album's title after attending a party with the Rolling Stones and drinking the Rebel Yell whiskey.

Background and recording[]

The album reunited the hit-making team of Idol, Steve Stevens and Keith Forsey after their success with Idol's 1982 solo debut, Billy Idol. Idol got the idea to name the album "Rebel Yell" after attending a party with The Rolling Stones. He explained on VH1 Storytellers that people were drinking "Rebel Yell" bourbon and thought that would be a great title for an album.

The title track was recorded in only three days at the Electric Lady Studios in New York City.[3] Idol was battling Chrysalis Records over creative control, and decided to steal the master tapes. Keith Forsey stated in an interview with Mix magazine that Idol stole the wrong tapes. Idol battled the label and returned to the studio victorious. Forsey then informed him that he had taken the wrong tapes.

Working with Forsey were guitarist Steve Stevens, bassist Phil Feit and later Steve Webster, drummer Gregg Gerson, and keyboardists Judi Dozier and Jack Waldman. Drummer Thommy Price was brought in towards the end of the recording sessions.[4]

In 1999, EMI Music reissued the album as part of their "Expanded" series. The new version of the album included previously unreleased bonus tracks and expanded liner notes. In 2010, audiophile label Audio Fidelity reissued a 24-karat CD remastered in HDCD by Steve Hoffman.

All of the singles, but particularly "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without a Face" and "Flesh for Fantasy", had successful music videos on MTV. Idol's longtime girlfriend Perri Lister can be seen in the front row during the "Rebel Yell" video.

Release and reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[5]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide4.5/5 stars[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[8]
The Village VoiceC[9]

Upon its release, Rebel Yell received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. In the United States, it peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and also peaked into the top ten in other countries, such as Canada, Germany, and New Zealand. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it double platinum for shipment of two million copies across the United States. Four singles were released from the album. The accompanying music videos for all singles received heavy airplay on television channel MTV.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Billy Idol and Steve Stevens, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rebel Yell" 4:45
2."Daytime Drama" 4:02
3."Eyes Without a Face" 4:58
4."Blue Highway" 5:05
5."Flesh for Fantasy" 4:37
6."Catch My Fall"Idol3:42
7."Crank Call" 3:56
8."(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows" 3:10
9."The Dead Next Door" 3:45
1999 expanded edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Rebel Yell" (Session Take) 5:27
11."Motorbikin'" (Session Take)Christopher Spedding4:16
12."Catch My Fall" (Original Demo) 4:11
13."Flesh for Fantasy" (Session Take) 5:09
14."Blue Highway" (Original Demo) 5:00

Personnel[]

  • Billy Idol – guitar, vocals
  • Steve Stevens – lead guitar, bass guitar, guitar synthesizer, synthesizer, keyboards
  • Steve Webster – bass guitar
  • Judi Dozier – keyboards
  • Thommy Price – drums
  • Sal Cuevas – bass guitar on "Eyes Without A Face"
  • Jack Waldman – additional keyboards
  • Gregg Gerson – drums on "(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows", "Rebel Yell" (Session Take), "Motorbikin'" (Session Take) and "Flesh For Fantasy" (Session Take)
  • Mars Williams – saxophone on "Catch My Fall"
  • Perri Lister – background vocals on "Eyes Without A Face"
  • Phil Feit - bass guitar on "Rebel Yell" (Session Take), "Motorbikin'" (Session Take), and "Flesh for Fantasy" (Session Take)
  • Keith Forsey – drum programming (uncredited)[2]

Technical

  • Keith Forsey – producer
  • Michael Frondelli – engineer, mixing
  • Dave Wittman – engineer, mixing
  • Gary Hellman – engineer
  • Steve Rinkoff – engineer
  • Pete Thea – engineer
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Brian Griffin – photography
  • Michael McNeil – cover design
  • Stephanie Tudor – production co-ordination
  • Bob Norberg – mastering (1999 expanded edition)
  • Kevin Flaherty – compilation (1999 expanded edition)

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Certifications for Rebel Yell
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Huey, Steve. "Rebel Yell – Billy Idol". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Idol, Billy (2014). Dancing With Myself. London, England: Simon & Schuster. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-85720-559-9. We tracked everything to Keith's patterns ... We used both the Linn and a Roland 808 that had a much softer sound. ... Keith's drum patterns were very distinctive and usually ended up as the hook in the song.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Reesman, Bryan (1 June 2006). "Classic Tracks: Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell"". Mix. Archived from the original on 20 September 2006.
  4. ^ Idol, Billy (2014). Dancing With Myself. London, England: Simon & Schuster. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-85720-559-9. At the eleventh hour of finishing the album, we knew we needed a real drummer. As good as the Linn was, it still sounded a bit too unreal at times ... All the parts were there; they just had to be copied and played by someone. That someone ended up being Thommy Price.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  6. ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (19 January 1984). "Rebel Yell". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Billy Idol". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 402. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (28 August 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  10. ^ Kent 1993, p. 147
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4471a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  13. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2 no. 6. 11 February 1985. p. 9. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Charts.nz – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Billy Idol Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  19. ^ Kent 1993, p. 436
  20. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41 no. 17. 5 January 1985. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  21. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1984". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1984". Billboard. 31 December 1984. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Music Canada. 20 October 1986. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  26. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Idol; 'Rebel Yell')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  27. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  28. ^ "British album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". British Phonographic Industry. 19 November 1985. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  29. ^ "American album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Recording Industry Association of America. 14 January 1985. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

Bibliography[]

  • Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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