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By JASON PRICE
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This is a man who needs little introduction. If you have listened to music or turned on the TV in the past twenty plus years, it is obvious that the pop culture landscape has become intertwined with his classics. He is one of the few icons of the early days of MTV that craved out a niche, defined an era and has never faded away. What truly sets this man apart from his early peers is that he has never lost his shine, his bleached blond hair, his punk rock attitude or his signature punk rock snarl. This is Billy Idol.
With almost three decades in the game, Idol stands ready to swing the vault door open with his latest offering, a stellar greatest hits package, titled Idolize Yourself: The Very Best of Billy Idol. This collection of Idol’s work spans his entire solo career, from his 1982 debut release through 2005’s often underrated Devil’s Playground. The powerful collection will be available to the public in not just one, but in three formats: a CD, a deluxe CD/DVD, and a digital version.
There is no doubt that the deluxe package is a must have for all fans of Billy Idol, as it is the most complete release of his hits to date. The CD features 16 classic jams such as “Dancing With Myself”, “Hot In The City”, “White Wedding”, “Rebel Yell” and “Eyes Without a Face,” and that is just the first five tracks. Let the CD play and the hits just keep on coming! Up and coming rockers take note: solid song writing and a little bit of attitude can take you a long way.
For avid fans of Billy Idol one of the most exciting features of this release is that it features two new tracks, “John Wayne” and “New Future Weapon.” Within seconds of listening to these solid new tracks, the listener will have absolutely no doubt that Billy Idol is still at the top of his game vocally. Produced by Josh Abraham (30 Seconds To Mars, Limp Bizkit, Staind), these two moody new tracks will certainly leave avid fans thirsting for more new Idol material. Although no new album is currently in the works, the longevity that Idol has displayed over the years, coupled with his ageless voice, are two signs that these tracks are just a taste of things to come.
In what almost seems to be an added bonus to this punk powered excursion, the deluxe edition adds 13 music videos making their DVD release debuts. The DVD also includes two alternate video edits that have never before been released in any format. Fans who grew up when MTV was in it’s prime will surely love to revisit these videos, which helped shape the once mighty network and the decade in which they were released.
In what seems to be an added bonus, the CD and CD/DVD packages are both designed by world renowned pop-artist Shepard Fairey. Fairey, who is best known for his “OBEY” imagery, was clearly the right man for the job on this outing. His iconic style easily captures the essence of Billy Idol on the album’s stunningly powerful and eye catching cover. The package also features include liner notes by David Wild, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine.
The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself, will be released through Capitol Records on June 24, 2008.
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
