sparkospunky's Full Review: Vital Idol [Remaster] by Billy Idol
Billy Idol's 1987 release, Vital Idol, is billed as a collection of remixed versions of some of his biggest hits. I don't know if that qualifies it for the "greatest hits" designation, but I do know that the remixing effort has robbed him, for the most part, of all of the qualities that really made him popular. Gone is the snarling, cocky, rebellious I-wanna-be Elvis Billy Idol--replacing that guy is a defanged, declawed, commercially-friendly Billy Idol who now seems more focussed on being a disco and dance artist than the punk standard bearer he was earlier in his career.
The Vital Idol remixes take away that Billy Idol edge and replace it with a lot of electronic music--synthesizer and percussion dominate most of the songs, and some of them are so long that they just get plain boring. Even though guitarist Steve Smith was involved in some of the remixing, very little of the punk style that made Billy Idol famous is left in the new versions of the songs on the album.
The tracks, and a few comments about each, are as follows:
1. White Wedding Parts I & II (Shot Gun Mix)--You would think that looking at the album liner and seeing White Wedding as the first track would be a good indication of great things to come--not! Idol does approach some of his earlier greatness with this song with some insinuating vocals, but the song is all wrong musically--the electronic garbage is just that, and I've never been big on synthetic percussion, and there's a heavy dose of that here. The synthesizer sounds just plain cheesy. At over eight minutes, I can't wait until it's over.
2. Mony Mony (Downtown Mix)--This is a remake of an old song performed by Tommy James and The Shondells back in the 60's--it was a discotheque staple for a lot of years. Perhaps the commercial success that Idol enjoyed with this song made him head in this direction, I don't know. What I do know is that this cover doesn't do either the original artists or Idol justice. Really a sloppy piece of mindless dance music.
3. Hot In The City (Exterminator Mix)--Too much synthesizer is present throughout this song--at this point, I'm trying to figure out why Idol just didn't make a purely electronic album--heck, who needs guitars and drums? The only saving grace of this song is a feature the remix couldn't obscure--one really nice melody that sort of sticks in the memory. That melody fails to save the savaging of the song by the remix.
4. Dancing With Myself (Uptown Mix)--This one starts out with possibilities, featuring a throbbing bass line and some good (real) drums, topped off with a jangly electric guitar. Idol even manages to recapture a little of that snarl, albeit briefly. This song is not as overwhelmed with electronics as some of the other tunes, and is almost tolerable, even though it's nearly six minutes long.
5. Flesh For Fantasy (Below The Belt Mix) --You would think that seeing this song at the top of the list for the second side of the album would be encouraging, but instead it's only more of the same old thing--a lot of synthesizer and electronic percussion. This may sound good in a dance club, but as rock 'n roll it misses the mark badly. The bass line is a little intriguing, but the murky mix robs any of the real players of any of their individuality. Idol's vocals sound weak and listless. At over seven minutes, this song becomes a chore to listen to.
6. To Be A Lover (Mother Of Mercy Mix)--A grinding guitar riff kicks this one off, and it's one of the best tracks on the album. The synthesizer and electronics aren't as overpowering at first as on the other songs, and the piano adds a nice honky-tonk touch to the music. Idol manages to regain a little bit of that old snarl, but the song gradually decays into a lot of electronic noise, special effects and reverberated echoes.
7. Love Calling (Rub A Dub Dub Mix)--More of the same--electronic music and percussion ad nauseum. By this time, I can't wait for the album to be over--if I don't like it, what must Iggy Pop think? This song is aimless, directionless, and totally without redeeming qualities.
8. Catch My Fall (Remix Fix)--Another Billy Idol classic ruined by the remix, but as I remember, the original version had a lot of the techno-pop flavor. Whatever, Idol goes way overboard here, and totally violates the integrity of the song. It becomes another pointless exercise in purported artistry, with one eye on money and the other on the undemanding disco crowd.
I listened to this album (for the last time, I promise) and wondered throughout--what must he have been thinking? I guess I'll never know, but I do brand this album as one of the biggest sell-outs ever, and if he was doing it in the name of creativity, that makes it even worse.
Avoid it.
Recommended:
No
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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