Customer Reviews

Idol Songs: 11 Of The Best

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just recently purchased "11 of the best" and have noticed that I was very disappointed when I found out that both "Eyes Without a Face" and "Flesh for Fantasy" were edited. It wasn't necessary to sacrifice the original versions of these tracks, considering the cd is only 43:50 long, since you can fit at least 80 minutes of music on a cd! I guess many record companies will do just about anything to dissapoint us. (Many critics said the same thing about Duran Duran's "Greatest" album that should of been a double cd, too).

Over all, I'll admit that this cd has a great selection of tracks. I would have wanted more of his later stuff on here too, like many other Idol fans wanted additional tracks on this cd, but what many people don't understand is that the tracks they wanted such as, "Cradle of Love" and "LA Woman" were not included on this CD because those tracks were released later in 1990's "Charmed Life" CD and this compilation was released in 1988. Maybe it's time Billy Idol releases a more up to date compilation that features songs from his 1981 debut EP "Don't Stop" up to his latest 1993 release of "Cyberpunk". I would like to see that, but if he doesn't do it anytime in the near future, then you can always burn your own cd and have it your way!

This CD offers a wonderful selection of tracks, certainly, but they are edited versions in many cases, not the longer album mixes. Thus, for the casual Idol amateur, who is used to the shorter radio mixes, this CD would probably be ideal--but for the true fan, accustomed to the "real" versions of these songs, the CD may be disappointing, as it is to me. Songs like "Flesh for Fantasy" and "Eyes Without a Face" suffer especially from being cut down. It's a great way to get most of Idol's gems on one CD, but just be prepared for them to be shortened.

Every song on this album is a great song. The only thing that I don't like, is that it doesn't have the hit, "Cradle Of Love." I would have personally put that song as # 12. Other than that, it is an excellent CD!!!

billy,we love you. ofcourse, some of us couldn't get over seeing you in the adam sandler vehicle so this could be why your greatest hits compilation was so inevitablY POPULAR. i mean, who could resist the angelic and literally sexy eyes without a face? and who doesn't find themselves tapping their feet to the sound of an unforgettable mony mony time and time again? it's almost as if the eighties have stood still and we never made out way into the nineties post grunge scene when we hear the immortal idol himself. there are other treats on this album for all idol fans which are sure to please and even tracks asssociated with those less associated with mr. idol's work. there is no cyber punk music which disappointed me a little but i'm not mad at you billy. this is the you we all remember best and probability suggests we will be playing this for some time to come.

Billy was an old-skool punk who sang in the group Generation X with Tony James (Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Sisters Of Mercy). Billy went off to the US to seek fame and fortune and met both Steve Stevens and Keith Forsey along the way. This combination fairly quickly led to Billy being one of the faces of the 80's and certainly of the US MTV age. This collection showcases the hits up to the Whiplash Smile album and contains some real corkers. The highlight of Billys career so far is the Rebel Yell album and this is well represented with the classics that were, and are, Rebel Yell, Eyes Without A Face, Catch My Fall and my favourite Flesh For Fantasy. The weak spots are mostly the songs from the first album where the trio had not yet got the sound right, White Wedding apart. The sound evolved to a nice hard blend of synth and guitar, but with a definite punk/rock look. Later songs To Be A Lover and Don't Need A Gun were perfect for the 80's video age. Billy has never recovered from the mistake of parting company with Steve Stevens, he never sounded as good and his career has not yet recovered. Idol made a guest-starring role in the film The Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler doing a parody of himself. Whilst that was pretty enjoyable, let's hope this is not what he is reduced to. A return to form along the lines of this collection would do nicely thank-you.

Billy was an old-skool punk who sang in the group Generation X with Tony James (Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Sisters Of Mercy). Billy went off to the US to seek fame and fortune and met both Steve Stevens and Keith Forsey along the way. This combination fairly quickly led to Billy being one of the faces of the 80's and certainly of the US MTV age. This collection showcases the hits up to the Whiplash Smile album and contains some real corkers. The highlight of Billys career so far is the Rebel Yell album and this is well represented with the classics that were, and are, Rebel Yell, Eyes Without A Face, Catch My Fall and my favourite Flesh For Fantasy. The weak spots are mostly the songs from the first album where the trio had not yet got the sound right, White Wedding apart. The sound evolved to a nice hard blend of synth and guitar, but with a definite punk/rock look. Later songs To Be A Lover and Don't Need A Gun were perfect for the 80's video age. Billy has never recovered from the mistake of parting company with Steve Stevens, he never sounded as good and his career has not yet recovered. Idol made a guest-starring role in the film The Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler doing a parody of himself. Whilst that was pretty enjoyable, let's hope this is not what he is reduced to. A return to form along the lines of this collection would do nicely thank-you.

Billy Idol has to be one of the most underrated vocalists and songwriters of the 1980s. While renowned for his thundering rock songs (Rebel Yell, Mony Mony, White Wedding), it is actually the songs that most people wouldn't recognise as coming from him, that are the best. Eyes Without A Face is one of the most beautiful and melodic songs you will ever hear, and the lovely acoustic ballad Sweet Sixteen is the best track on here. These two tracks in particular are excellent, but the three mentioned above are also very good, as is the rhythmic Hot In The City. By the way, the version of Mony Mony on this CD is actually the live version from 1986, which was released as a single in the United States (and I believe went to Number One), not the studio version released in Britain. Buy this CD - you don't have to be a punk-rock fan to appreciate the very best of this artist.

If you are going to have only one Idol album, this is it. This one has all the songs I would have put on a "Best Of" (however, I would have included "Blue Highway). There are a couple of "duds" on here (Sweet Sixteen), but overall, it is a very good collection of songs. I would recommend you buy it.

This imported CD, although very costly contains all the classic Idol songs on one album. You'll find songs like White Wedding, Hot in the city, Rebel Yell, Dancing with myself, Eyes without a face and other Idol classics. If you're not a huge Idol fan you might be better off selecting one of his local records (like Rebel Yell) which is significantly cheaper and not quite as good.

If you like Billy Idol, this CD is a must have! I will not subject you to my personal opinions on the artist or complain that the CD is incomplete. You know what songs it has when you buy it, so others should stop complaining that it is missing this song or that song, it's not like it was listed on the cover and then not included on the CD. Like I said before-- it is a good CD if you like the artist and the songs--it has a fairly good collection of his best music. To all others--QUIT COMPLAINING and just review the CD !