Billy Idol became fascinated with technology and the cyberpunk movement of the early 90’s.  He saw how the advancement could be used to make music and in fact, ‘Cyberpunk’ was one of the first albums to use ProTools for almost the entire recording of the album. He felt the use of the computers allowed him to do things faster and he felt it gave the whole feel of a garage band.  I don’t know about that last part, but it was the very early stages of how albums and music would be recorded down the road. ‘Cyberpunk’ is the result of all these technological advances and it was an album way ahead of the times. How far ahead?

Well, when he released the single for “Shock to the System” he sent out the promo copies that contained a 3 1/2″ Floppy Disk.  MP3’s eat your heart out.  The disc housed pictures, bios and all the things you now see issued in todays electronic press kits (EPK).  He was also was one of the first albums to actually have an email address in the booklet that came with the album (don’t try it, it though as it no longer works). I finally found a pristine copy of the Promo and now I have the 3 1/2″ Floppy Disk as well. This is now one of the coolest pieces in my collection.

Along with the disc was an insert that gave instructions on how to use the disc. Of note, the disc was only formatted for a Macintosh computer so no Windows version yet. On the flip side was a logo of the Cyber Corporation which is part of the whole concept of the album ‘Cyberpunk’.

“Shock to the System” was released as a single on June 8, 1993. It charted in the U.S. at #7 on the Mainstream Rock charts and it charted in numerous countries around the world. The U.S. received a CD Single, received a 7″, a 12″ and a CD single while Japan had a Mini-CD as the single. Hmmmm…guess I need to track all those down now. It is the only song Billy ever seems to play live and the only one to ever show up on Greatest Hits compilations which is a shame.  

“Shock to the System” was a song Billy was working on and when he saw what transpired with the L.A. Riots in 1992, he completely re-wrote the lyrics and recorded the song, I believe, on the same day. Billy had this to say to Melody Maker in 1993…

“Of course there’s an element of ‘Wow!’ to it. The three-quarters of people in L.A. who don’t live in Beverly Hills saw one of their number being crapped on by the police and an all-white jury in an all-white neighbourhood. They weren’t gonna take it anymore and they actually did something about it. And, of course, no matter how people feel about it now, there was an element of glee when you saw some guy running off with a pair of Nike sneakers he’d only ever dreamed of having. There was a lot of sides to what was going on. There was police, civil corruption, fear, race, rape and revolution. And there was a man who would be King. And we tried to get it all in the song.”

This song is more like old Billy and probably why it was a hit. The song is upbeat, fast-driving and hard hitting.  The programmed guitars have a Steve Stevens vibe to it despite him not being a part of the production. An electronic drum beat, keyboards and are all encompassed in one of the more rocking songs on the album. Billy sounds great as he sounds like he is really in to the song and is that any surprise. It is everything you want from an Idol song.

And there you have it. The newest piece in my Billy Idol collection. I hope you enjoyed the walk through an underrated song from a very underrated album. He was ahead of his time with this one so Welcome to the Future!!

THE BILLY IDOL SERIES:

1. Generation X – ‘Generation X’
2. Generation X – ‘Valley of the Dolls’
3. Gen X – ‘Kiss Me Deadly’
4. Gen X – “Dancing With Myself” 12″ Single (Bonus Edition)
5. Generation X – ‘The BBC Transcription Disc Series No. 126 1978’ (Bootleg)
6. Billy Idol – Don’t Stop E.P.
7. Billy Idol – Billy Idol
8. Billy Idol – “White Wedding” – 12″ Single (Bonus Edition)
9. Billy Idol – Rebel Yell
10. Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
11. Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face” – 12″ Picture Disc (Bonus Edition)
12. Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
13. Billy Idol – Whiplash Smile
14. Billy Idol – “Sweet Sixteen” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
15. Billy Idol – To Be A Lover – Single Review
16. Billy Idol – Vital Idol
17. Billy Idol – “Hot In the City” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
18. Billy Idol – “Mony Mony Live” – 12″ Maxi-Single (Bonus Edition)
19. Idol Songs: 11 of the Best
20. Billy Idol – Charmed Life
21. Billy Idol – “Cradle of Love” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
22. Billy Idol – Cyberpunk
23. Billy Idol – “Shock To The System” – CD Single Promo (Floppy Disk)
24. Billy Idol – “Speed” (song from the Speed Soundtrack)
25. Generation X – K.M.D. Sweet Revenge
26. Billy Idol – VH1 Storytellers (Live)
27. Billy Idol – Devil’s Playground
28. Billy Idol – Happy Holidays
29. Billy Idol – The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself
30. Billy Idol – Icon
31. Billy Idol – Kings & Queens of the Underground
32. Billy Idol – BFI Live (#RSD 2019)
33. Billy Idol – Revitalized
34. Generation X – Your Generation (7″ Record Store Day Release)
35. Generation X – Generation X Deluxe Edition
36. Billy Idol – Rebel Waltz: Live (Bootleg)
37. Billy Idol – Rebel Calling: Live (Bootleg)
38. Generation X – ‘Demos 1977’ (Bootleg)
39. Billy Idol – The Roadside E.P.
40. Billy Idol – The Cage E.P.
41. Billy Idol – The Albums Ranked From Worst to First
42. Billy Idol – The Best and Worst Song From Every Album
43. Grant’s Rock Warehaus – Billy Idol Career Retrospective
44. Billy Idol – The Collection: Ep. 15 – “Vinyl Idol”