Rebel Yell (album)

Rebel Yell is the second studio album by the English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 10 November 1983 by Chrysalis Records. After the release of his 1982 eponymous debut studio album, Idol continued his collaboration with producer Keith Forsey and multi-instrumentalist Steve Stevens. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Initially recording without a drummer, utilizing only the LinnDrum and Roland TR-808 drum machines,^[6] Forsey and Stevens later decided to hire Thommy Price to play drums on some of the songs.^[7] Musically, Rebel Yell is a new wave album with hard rock and other influences. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Brian Griffin. Idol got the idea of the album's title after attending a party with the Rolling Stones and drinking Rebel Yell bourbon whiskey.

Rebel Yell
Studio album by Billy Idol
Released	10 November 1983 (1983-11-10) (US) 9 January 1984 (UK)[1]
Recorded	1983
Studio	Electric Lady, New York City RPM, New York City Mediasound, New York City
Genre	New wave[2] hard rock[2]
Length	38:10
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Keith Forsey
Billy Idol chronology
Billy Idol (1982) Rebel Yell (1983) Vital Idol (1985)
Singles from Rebel Yell
"Rebel Yell" Released: January 1984[3] "Eyes Without a Face" Released: April 1984[4] "Flesh for Fantasy" Released: August 1984[5] "Catch My Fall" Released: October 1984

Background and recording

The album reunited the hit-making team of Idol, Steve Stevens and Keith Forsey after their success with Idol's solo debut, Billy Idol (1982). Idol got the idea to name the album "Rebel Yell" after attending a party with the Rolling Stones. He explained on VH1 Storytellers that people were drinking Rebel Yell bourbon whiskey and he thought that would be a great title for an album.^[8] The title track was recorded in only three days at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.^[7]

Working with Forsey were guitarist Steve Stevens, bassist Phil Feit and later Steve Webster, drummer Gregg Gerson, and keyboardists Judi Dozier and Jack Waldman. Drummer Thommy Price was brought in towards the end of the recording sessions.^[9]

Idol was battling Chrysalis Records over creative control, and decided to steal the master tapes; he eventually returned to the studio victorious. Forsey then informed him that he had taken the wrong tapes.^{[citation needed]}

All of the singles, but particularly "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without a Face" and "Flesh for Fantasy", would eventually have successful music videos on MTV. Idol's longtime girlfriend Perri Lister can be seen in the front row during the video for "Rebel Yell".

Cover art

When the album was in production, Idol had a disagreement with the record company over the image that would be used on the album cover: he saw it as flawed, but the company refused to change it. In response, Idol stole the master tapes for the album and gave them to his drug dealer so that he could blackmail the company, saying "This guy I've given them to, he'll have them out on the street bootlegged in a couple of days if you don’t change this picture."^[10]

Release and critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Cincinnati Enquirer	[11]
Number One	3/5[12]
Orlando Sentinel	[13]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[14]
Rolling Stone	[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[16]
Smash Hits	8/10[17]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10[18]
The Village Voice	C[19]

Upon its release, Rebel Yell received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. In the United States, it peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and also peaked into the top ten in other countries, such as Canada, Germany, and New Zealand. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it double platinum for shipment of two million copies across the United States. Four singles were released from the album. The accompanying music videos for all singles received heavy airplay on television channel MTV.

Rating the album 4.5 stars out of 5, The Rolling Stone Album Guide described the album's music as wide-ranging: "a brilliant combination of punk, disco, synth pop, glam rock, metal and mud wrestling."^[16] Concluding the review of the album for AllMusic, editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine claimed, "Each stylistic turn is distinguished by Idol's gusto. He's unafraid to be gloriously, shameless tacky, a quality that separated him from his new wave peers then and continues to give Rebel Yell a trashy kick years after its release."^[2]

In 1999, EMI Music reissued the album as part of their "Expanded" series. The new version of the album included previously unreleased bonus tracks and expanded liner notes. In 2010, audiophile label Audio Fidelity reissued a 24-karat CD remastered in HDCD by Steve Hoffman.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rebel Yell"	4:45
2.	"Daytime Drama"	4:02
3.	"Eyes Without a Face"	4:58
4.	"Blue Highway"	5:05
Total length:		18:50

All tracks are written by Billy Idol and Steve Stevens, except where noted

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Flesh for Fantasy"		4:37
2.	"Catch My Fall"	Idol	3:42
3.	"Crank Call"		3:56
4.	"(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows"		3:10
5.	"The Dead Next Door"		3:45
Total length:			19:10

1999 expanded edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Rebel Yell" (Session Take)		5:27
11.	"Motorbikin'" (Session Take)	Christopher Spedding	4:16
12.	"Catch My Fall" (Original Demo)		4:11
13.	"Flesh for Fantasy" (Session Take)		5:09
14.	"Blue Highway" (Original Demo)		5:00

Personnel

Musicians

• Billy Idol – guitar, vocals
• Steve Stevens – lead guitar, bass guitar, guitar synthesizer, synthesizer, keyboards
• Steve Webster – bass guitar
• Judi Dozier – keyboards
• Thommy Price – drums
• Sal Cuevas – bass guitar on "Eyes Without a Face"
• Jack Waldman – additional keyboards
• Gregg Gerson – drums on "(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows", "Rebel Yell" (Session Take), "Motorbikin'" (Session Take) and "Flesh for Fantasy" (Session Take)
• Mars Williams – saxophone on "Catch My Fall"
• Perri Lister – backing vocals on "Eyes Without a Face"
• Phil Feit – bass guitar on "Rebel Yell" (Session Take), "Motorbikin'" (Session Take), and "Flesh for Fantasy" (Session Take)
• Keith Forsey – drum programming (uncredited)^[6]

Technical

• Keith Forsey – producer
• Michael Frondelli – engineer, mixing
• Dave Wittman – engineer, mixing
• Gary Hellman – engineer
• Steve Rinkoff – engineer
• Pete Thea – engineer
• George Marino – mastering
• Brian Griffin – photography
• Michael MacNeil – cover design
• Stephanie Tudor – production co-ordination
• Bob Norberg – mastering (1999 expanded edition)
• Kevin Flaherty – compilation (1999 expanded edition)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Rebel Yell Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[20] 16 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[21] 8 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 31 European Albums (Music & Media)[23] 40 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 2 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 2 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 16 UK Albums (OCC)[27] 36 US Billboard 200[28] 6

Year-end charts 1984 year-end chart performance for Rebel Yell Chart (1984) Position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[29] 53 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[30] 18 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 62 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 7 US Billboard 200[33] 16 1985 year-end chart performance for Rebel Yell Chart (1985) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] 20

Certifications

Certifications for Rebel Yell

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[35] Expanded Edition	Platinum	250,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[36]	5× Platinum	500,000^
Germany (BVMI)[37]	Gold	250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[38]	Platinum	15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[40]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "BPI".
2. Huey, Steve. "Rebel Yell – Billy Idol". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
3. "Great Rock Discography". p. 404.
4. "Great Rock Discography". p. 404.
5. "Great Rock Discography". p. 404.
6. Idol 2014, p. 185: "We tracked everything to Keith's patterns ... We used both the Linn and a Roland 808 that had a much softer sound. ... Keith's drum patterns were very distinctive and usually ended up as the hook in the song."
7. Reesman, Bryan (1 June 2006). "Classic Tracks: Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell'". Mix. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
8. "Billy Idol". VH1 Storytellers. 22 June 2001. VH1.
9. Idol 2014, p. 188: "At the eleventh hour of finishing the album, we knew we needed a real drummer. As good as the Linn was, it still sounded a bit too unreal at times ... All the parts were there; they just had to be copied and played by someone. That someone ended up being Thommy Price."
10. Michael Hann (16 May 2024). "Billy Idol: 'I stole the master tapes for Rebel Yell – and gave them to my heroin dealer'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
11. Radel, Cliff (4 December 1983). "Billy Idol, the Rich Little of Rock". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
12. Bursche, Paul (21 January 1984). "Re-Generation". Number One. No. 38. p. 33.
13. Defendorf, Richard (4 January 1984). "Record reviews". Orlando Sentinel.
14. Tucker, Ken (4 December 1983). "Billy Idol lets out a 'Rebel Yell'". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
15. Puterbaugh, Parke (19 January 1984). "Rebel Yell". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
16. Sheffield 2004, p. 402
17. Leston, Kimberley (19 January – 1 February 1984). "Billy Idol: Rebel Yell". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 2. p. 21.
18. Sheffield 1995, pp. 191–192
19. Christgau, Robert (28 August 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
20. Kent 1993, p. 147
21. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4471a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
23. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 6. 11 February 1985. p. 9. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
25. "Charts.nz – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
28. "Billy Idol Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
29. Kent 1993, p. 436
30. "Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41, no. 17. 5 January 1985. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
31. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
32. "Top Selling Albums of 1984". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
33. "Top Pop Albums of 1984". Billboard. 31 December 1984. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
34. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
35. "Brazilian album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
36. "Canadian album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Music Canada. 20 October 1986. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
37. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Idol; 'Rebel Yell')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
38. "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
39. "British album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". British Phonographic Industry. 19 November 1985. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
40. "American album certifications – Billy Idol – Rebel Yell". Recording Industry Association of America. 14 January 1985. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

Bibliography

• Idol, Billy (2014). Dancing with Myself. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-85720-559-9.
• Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
• Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Billy Idol". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
• Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Billy Idol". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links

• Rebel Yell at Discogs (list of releases)