When an artist has been around as long as Billy Idol, there are bound to be a ton of Greatest Hits Compilations. Billy is no exception to that rule. There are legitimate, very well thought out compilations and then there is not. This is the later. ’10 Great Songs’ is a Budget Compilation by the record companies that has been released over the years and a ton of artists have their own version. This particular package was originally released in 2009 on EMI with a different cover and slightly different track listing. My version is from 2010 on Capitol Records and it actually has the same track listing and even order as the 2014 issue that was called ’20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection’.
The 10 songs here are all from his prime period, The 1980’s. There was a collection released in 1988 in the UK called ’11 of the Best’ and that set has all the songs ’10 Great Songs’ does plus one extra (“Don’t Need a Gun”). That should tell you that this collection is nothing special and nothing you haven’t already seen before. There are only two people that buy this type of CD. One – the very casual fan that is willing to spend a lot of money for a basic set of hits to whet their appetite. Two – people like me who collect everything from an artist. I already have the ’11 of the Best’ CD’ and if I saw the 20th Century Masters’ one, I’d buy it too.
The opening track is the title song “Rebel Yell” which actually opened the ‘Rebel Yell’ album. It is a scorcher of a song, high energy and attitude. The opening of the song is all done with the guitar even though it sounds like both a guitar and a keyboard. Steve is showing off right out of the gate. Vocally, Billy is on fire and you can see his lip curling up while he is signing which is amazing as it is on vinyl. “Rebel Yell” was actually inspired by the Rolling Stones according to Billy on VH1 Storytellers. Billy was at a party thrown by the Stones and everyone was drinking Rebel Yell Bourbon Whiskey. I guess he loved that whiskey (along with a lot of drugs at the time).
The first single on ‘Whiplash Smile’ was a cover of William Bell’s “To Be A Lover” which was co-written by Booker T. Jones back in 1968. Billy completely modernized the song and turned it in to a dance track. It has some great soulful female backing vocals and fancy piano riffs and an all around fantastic track. The song is actually quite poignant in that with his longtime girlfriend leaving him since he “forgot to be a lover” with his drug use and sexcapades with other women. It felt like he was confessing that he screwed up.
One of the most recognizable Billy Idol songs ever is up next. “White Wedding (part 1)” became a massive hit for Billy thanks to MTV. With few videos to play in the early days, this one got on heavy rotation. A song that is not about a happy wedding. I have read different stories about what the song means. One, it is not about his actual sister. It is either about a “shotgun” wedding or about a woman he is in love with then marries someone else. Either way it is great with that now classic Steve Stevens guitar riff. “White Wedding (part 1)” is called part 1 because there is a part 2 which is a more synthesized version of the song. It was released as a 7″ dance version. Both versions can be heard together on his future release of ‘Vital Idol’.
“Eyes Without A Face” was up next. One of my favorite Idol songs. The hand clap, the groove, the slow ballady feel all worked gloriously against a darker feel from the lyrics. The song builds up in tempo and you get a fantastic little riff from Stevens and then some beautiful backing vocals by Billy’s girlfriend Perri Lister. She is singing in french “Les yeux sans visage” which means eyes with a face. The phrase was also the title of a movie directed by Georges Franju which was the inspiration for the song.
Next is a cover of Tommy James & the Shondell’s #1 song, “Mony, Mony” and is taken from the debut E.P. ‘Don’t Stop’. The song was a really good cover, but it didn’t really do much on the radio at the time. Especially compared to what was later to come from this song when he released the live version years later, this version is a little flat and doesn’t have the sonics and feel of that version. It is missing a little of that charm and energy. It is not a bad introduction to Billy, just kind of missed the mark as I know the live version so well.
The only song Idol wrote by himself on ‘Rebel Yell’ was “Catch My Fall” and it seems to be autobiographical about his struggles with drugs. His struggles with the fame and the relief from the drugs, but asking for help if he should hit rock bottom, which he does down the road. This is another heavy bass song with the opening riff and a lot of synths on this one as well. More upbeat with a great hook and some saxophone thrown in for good measure. Another great track.
Another Idol classic, “Flesh for Fantasy” is up next and this was from ‘Rebel Yell’. Hmmm, could this be about sex? Yes, I think so. It appears to be about going out and looking for love in all the wrong places and fulfilling any fantasy your little heart desires. This song has a great bass line through out and is more new wave than rock and totally kicks ass. Another of my favorite all time Idol/Stevens songs.
There is one Gen X track and it is “Dancing With Myself” and they used the single version of the song. The album, ‘Kiss Me Deadly’, this was the first single and first track and it is now a classic. I say now classic because this song failed to chart upon its release and didn’t really do much. It wasn’t until Billy released it as one of his solo songs, but that is for another discussion. The song was inspired by what the band saw while on tour in Tokyo. They noticed at that dance clubs, the people were dancing more with their own reflections in the mirrored walls then they were with other people. The song is pure New Wave dance music with a slight punk edge…classic Billy Idol solo. It is so melodic and catchy. The guitars are a little louder on this version and not as much bass, but other than that it is the song you know.
“Hot in the City” comes next and keeps the run of great tracks going. The song is about Billy’s time in New York and his love for the city. It is a slower dance track with some lovely ladies assisting with background vocals. He uses some synthesizers on top of the fantastic bass and drum rhythm section. It is really a stellar track and his scream of “New York” towards the end is epic.
The third single on ‘Whiplash Smile’ was an acoustic guitar heavy ballad called “Sweet Sixteen” with a nice bass groove added in. It might just be the best song on the album. A nice change of pace and gave you a softer side of Billy. The story behind the song is based on a true story about Edward Leedskalnin who was dumped by his fiancée Agnes Scuffs the day before their wedding. To try and win her back, he built a monument complete with furniture made of coral, in Homestead, Florida called Coral Castle. Sadly, she still didn’t want him. Oh well, it is now a little tourist attraction…although quite weird. Edward’s nickname for Anges was “Sweet Sixteen”.
And that is a wrap and this budget conscientious CD set from Capitol Records. ’10 Great Songs’ is just that. It actually does contain 10 great Billy Idol tracks. But Billy has so much more and there are a ton of better compilations to get than this one. Yes, his 80’s output is unparalleled, but the stuff from the 90’s and 2000’s is just as good and worth exploring. Do yourself a favor and get a more comprehensive collection. My Overall Score is a 2.0 out of 5.0 Stars simply because this is not enough Billy Idol to have on a CD. You would be doing yourself a disservice if this is all you had. Trust me! I’m an expert (cough, cough).
THE BILLY IDOL SERIES:
- Generation X – ‘Generation X’
- Generation X – ‘Valley of the Dolls’
- Gen X – ‘Kiss Me Deadly’
- Gen X – “Dancing With Myself” 12″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Generation X – ‘The BBC Transcription Disc Series No. 126 1978’ (Bootleg)
- Billy Idol – Don’t Stop E.P.
- Billy Idol – Billy Idol
- Billy Idol – “White Wedding” – 12″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – Rebel Yell
- Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face” – 12″ Picture Disc (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – Whiplash Smile
- Billy Idol – “Sweet Sixteen” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – To Be A Lover – Single Review
- Billy Idol – Vital Idol
- Billy Idol – “Hot In the City” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – “Mony Mony Live” – 12″ Maxi-Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – Idol Songs: 11 of the Best
- Billy Idol – Charmed Life
- Billy Idol – “Cradle of Love” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
- Billy Idol – California FM 1990 (Bootleg)
- Billy Idol – Cyberpunk
- Billy Idol – “Shock To The System” – CD Single Promo (Floppy Disk)
- Billy Idol – “Speed” (song from the Speed Soundtrack)
- Generation X – K.M.D. Sweet Revenge
- Billy Idol – VH1 Storytellers (Live)
- Generation X – Anthology (2003)
- Billy Idol – Devil’s Playground
- Billy Idol – Happy Holidays
- Billy Idol – The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself
- Billy Idol – 10 Great Songs (2010)
- Billy Idol – Icon
- Billy Idol – Kings & Queens of the Underground
- Billy Idol – Dancing With Myself (Book Review)
- Billy Idol – BFI Live (#RSD 2019)
- Billy Idol – Revitalized
- Generation X – Your Generation (7″ Record Store Day Release)
- Generation X – Generation X Deluxe Edition
- Billy Idol – Rebel Waltz: Live (Bootleg)
- Billy Idol – Rebel Calling: Live (Bootleg)
- Generation X – ‘Demos 1977’ (Bootleg)
- Billy Idol – The Roadside E.P.
- Billy Idol – The Cage E.P.
- Billy Idol – The Albums Ranked From Worst to First
- Billy Idol – The Best and Worst Song From Every Album
- Grant’s Rock Warehaus – Billy Idol Career Retrospective
- Billy Idol – The Collection: Ep. 15 – “Vinyl Idol”
- Generation Sex – ‘Listen To This, Johnny!’ – Bootleg (2024)
- The Collection: Ep 15 – Billy Idol (2024)
- The Collection: Ep. 19 – Generation X (2024)
- Billy Idol – Dream Into It (2025)
- Billy Idol – “77” (2025) – Limited Edition Picture Disc (RSD Black Friday)
