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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Billy Idol looking for himself, June 28, 2000
Like a Polaroid picture, this EP (four tracks plus an MTV interview) catches Billy Idol at the beginning of his solo career - a furious young man, who tries to hide his emotion under the raw energy of punk music. Idol was not, by all means, unaccustomed with celebrity - his just-disbanded group Generation X had proven it - but upon this occasion, we see more of him than he realized. Giggling throughout the interview with Martha Quinn, the bad boy of British-American rock-and-roll candidly demonstrates how much of a facade his onstage persona is. In a way, the interview is touching - both the artist and MTV were at the beginning of their careers, and they show a charming lack of sophistication.Musically, The EP has little surprises. "Mony, Mony" featured here in its first incarnation, and "Dancing with Myself", one of Idol's first self-penned songs (strongly hinting at masturbation, critics say), are the strong points of the record. "The Untouchables" and "Baby Talk" represent tentative steps towards other styles of music, but somehow stop in mid-air and seem incomplete. Overall, this is a good album, but not a phenomenal one, and its interest is mainly for fans or music historians. Billy Idol was not only dancing WITH, but also looking FOR himself.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can't stop the punk rock, May 29, 2001
This is the album that started Billy's solo career in America. There are only 4 songs on this cd/EP. Two of the tracks are actually repeats of songs he did with Generation X- "Dancing With Myself" and "Untouchables", one is a cover song, "Mony Mony," and the last song (the only new song) is "Baby Talk." "Dancing With Myself" oddly enough has the same vocal track as the Gen X version but is performed by new musicians. This version is also shorter and has less rock n roll punk rock guitar than the original. The "Untouchables" has new vocals and is also performed by new band. It has less "bite" though than the Gen X version. "Baby Talk" is a fun pop song and is also the song that Billy would start his concerts with in the early 80's. The interview with Martha Quinn is fun to listen to. If you were wondering why he chose to cover "Mony Mony" or what his real name is, you're in for a surprise. I have the cassette tape and the record version of this album-and now I've got the cd.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More a "Hard-Core Fan Only" CD, April 6, 2004
This album only has four songs on it, it being an EP and all, so you're not going to get a lot of bang for your buck, especially when one of the songs is "Dancing With Myself" and another is "Mony Mony" (both of which you can find on more expansive Idol albums). The other two songs are enjoyable: "Baby Talk" is extremely catchy despite not being all that great of a song, and "Untouchables" is a cool remake of a song he did with his old band, Generation X. But the only thing that really makes this album worth buying is for the Martha Quinn (one of the original MTV VJs) and Billy Idol interview. Although Idol says a few funny things (including something I don't think I'm allowed to print here), it's still nothing more than a novelty. In other words, this is an enjoyable EP, but don't break the bank buying it.
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