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Discussion & Review: Generation X featuring Billy Idol w/John T. Snow
Join Grant and John as they take a look at the band Generation X.
This was a lot of fun, if you want to know where Billy Idol started, then you will enjoy this walk through the Generation X Catalog. Check it out! And thanks to Grant Arthur for having me on the show.
Apparently compilations are always a big hit with the music buying public. No one wants full albums anymore of new material…nope. They just want the hits. Universal Music & Capitol Records are capitalizing on that and have a series called ‘Icon’. You might have seen one from Kiss, Megadeth, Limp Bizkit, even Billy Ray Cyrus. In 2013, Billy Idol was treated with his own ‘Icon’ greatest hits compilation.
Here is my thing with these releases. They are LAZY! No new edits, no unreleased tracks and only room for a handful of the hits. Not even all the good ones. This Billy Idol release is no different. It only draws from his biggest albums, the first three and one Generation X song. It is missing the good stuff from Charmed Life, Cyberpunk or even Devil’s Playground. However, what is here is good, great in fact. These songs are classics for a reason so I can’t complain about that, but it is still a safe collection. The songs are in chronological order which is also pretty damn lazy.
The albums first is the now classic, “Dancing With Myself”. I say now a classic because this song failed to chart upon its release and didn’t really do much. It wasn’t until Billy released it as one of his solo songs, but that is for another discussion. The song was inspired by what the band saw while on tour in Tokyo. They noticed at that dance clubs, the people were dancing more with their own reflections in the mirrored walls than they were with other people. The song is pure New Wave dance music with a slight punk edge…classic Billy Idol solo. It is so melodic and catchy. The guitars are a little louder on this version and not as much bass, but other than that it is the song you know. A great way to start out the collection. This track is off the Generation X album ‘Kiss Me Deadly’.
Continue reading “Billy Idol – ‘Icon’ (2013) – Album Review ( the Billy Idol Series)”
Welcome to another monthly round-up of what we obtained here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music. It was another big month, but not quite like last month. The month started off with another Buy 5 Get 5 deal and ended with a trip to Los Angeles so it was a fun month here at the site.
First up was the 2nd & Charles Buy 5 Get 5 Free on Used CDs, so of course, I took advantage of that deal. Not a bad haul I must say…
And of course, we did get some new releases this month including Extreme, Neal Schon and my personal favorite, The Defiants!! I went the cheaper route of CDs for these mainly because Neal’s isn’t on vinyl and The Defiants isn’t available until September (pre-ordered).
At the record show here in Charlotte back in May of 2022, I found a Generation X album on vinyl I didn’t know existed. It is ‘Demos 1977’ and was actually only released back in 2020 and with Covid going on, probably the reason I missed it. It is also a German release which adds to why I didn’t see it. It says these demos were recorded back in 1977 on February 16th presumable for Chiswick Records. The band at the time was Billy Idol, Tony James, Bob ‘Derwood’ Andrews and John Towe and the demos were recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in Wembley, North London.
Here’s the problem I have with this saying these are the demos for Chiswick Records. They actually only recorded 5 songs for Chiswick and there are 13 songs here. Plus only 4 of those 5 are on this recording. The other 9 songs are from other recording sessions between 1977 and 1980 I believe based on the songs.
The first four songs on the album appear to be the Chiswick demos, but it is missing “Kleenex” which is a shame as that is a great one to have as it has different lyrics than the final product for the debut album. It kicks off with “Your Generation” which would’ve been their first single they released independently with the original pressing only 250 copies and later they would go back and do another 500. The B-Side of that single was “Listen” also from these sessions. “Listen” would wind up on the debut album, however, it was omitted from the U.S. release of the album and “Your Generation” take its place as it did not make it on the UK debut.
Continue reading “Generation X – ‘Demos 1977’ – Album Review (The Billy Idol Series)”
Another month down and therefore it is time to review the purchases made this month at 2 Loud 2 Old Music. And I think it was a pretty good haul. We bought some stuff online, we hit a local record store and we had a record show this month. And we will kick it off with the brand new album by Jeff Scott Soto which came out on May 6th. It is called ‘Complicated’ and we won’t be getting to review this one for a long time as we are only 20+ albums into the 70 album series. For now, take a peek…
Then I have some research I need to do for a friend of Jeff Scott Soto. I have a lot of homework to do on Jason Bieler of Saigon Kick (notice the three Rock Candy Editions) and his new band Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra plus others. Hmmm…now why would I be doing homework…I guess you will soon find out…
In my crate digging back in June, I found this beauty. It is a Gen X 12″ single of the song “Dancing with Myself”. This was off the band’s third album called “Kiss Me Deadly” and was a little before the song became famous by the Gen X singer, Billy Idol, on his first solo outing. Since I have all the band’s stuff (with minor exceptions), I look for the Singles and oddball items now and this fit the bill nicely.
For me it is both a Single and an oddball, because what is the deal with the frightening little girl on the cover. She’s scary, right? The album is still wrapped in the original plastic wrap which has seen better days, but this has kept the album in pretty dang good shape.
“Dancing with Myself” failed to chart upon its release and didn’t really do much. It wasn’t until Billy released it as one of his solo songs, but that is for another discussion. The song was inspired by what the band saw while on tour in Tokyo. They noticed that at the dance clubs, the people were dancing more with their own reflections in the mirrored walls than they were with other people. That somehow inspired the song.
The song has has always been one of my favorite songs by the band and Billy’s solo work. The song is pure New Wave dance music with a slight punk edge…classic Billy Idol solo. It is so melodic, catchy and so much energy you can’t help but move. The guitars are a little louder on this version and the bass toned down ever so slightly, but other than that it is the song you know. Being the 12″ Single, it is extended out to just over 4 minutes which is about 20 seconds longer than the album version and 20 more seconds to be on the dance floor.
The prize on this is not just “Dancing With Myself” as I have several versions on other releases, but it is the B-Sides. Okay, I have the other two songs as well, but only digitally, not physically. Now that has changed. The two tracks are called “Loopy Dub” and “Ugly Dub” and honestly, they aren’t that great. So the prize really is “Dancing With Myself”.
“Loopy Dub” doesn’t really go fast enough for a dance track. It is kinda slow and drags on with no real purpose. I would’ve liked something more upbeat that you could dance too because this just depresses me. “Ugly Dub” isn’t any better. There is a strong case to be made why these didn’t end up on the album. Honestly, not sure there was ever any reason to release them period.
And there you have it. Another nugget in the world of Billy Idol. The collection is coming along nicely and I love adding new stuff especially when it comes to the Gen X era of his career.
Now, if you want to check out the full reviews and the entire Billy Idol Series, click on any and all of the links below…
There is nothing like waiting over 40 years to release a deluxe edition of your debut album. That is exactly what is happened with Generation X whose 1978 self-titled debut album finally received a deluxe edition in 2019. And was it worth the wait? That is what we are here to discover.
For those that don’t know and haven’t read the entire Billy Idol series. Generation X is Billy’s band prior to him going solo in the 80’s. The band wasn’t just Billy’s, but it also included Tony James, Bob “Derwood” Andrews and Mark Laff. Generation X was a punk band out of the UK that tended to lean a little towards the Pop/Punk side of things rather than full on punk and they caught a lot of slack for that. But who cares as here we are 40+ years later celebrating this release.
The Deluxe Edition is a 3 LP set consisting of a remaster of the debut album, an LP of Non-Album singles and B-Sides and a third LP of outtakes and remixes. The reason to buy if for the 2 extra LPs…at least it was for me as I already had the original LP on vinyl.
The first LP is a remastered version of the debut album. The sound is sensational, crips and clear. However, I prefer the original in all it’s former glory as that was the way it was intended to be heard. I won’t go through a song-by-song breakdown as I have already done that before on the very first post of the Billy Idol Series. You can read that here – Generation X – ‘Generation X’.
What you get for the set is a complete replica of that original disk…
And then a nice update on the inner sleeve and LP itself. It is all very nice quality and high-end material. Very sturdy…
The second LP is the cool one for me. This has the a couple of Non-Album singles and all the B-Sides from the album. I believe you could have gotten all these singles before (or most of them anyway), but I didn’t have them on vinyl so it was a no-brainer for me. Since I actually have the U.S. version of the debut, I already had a few of these songs, but not all.
“Your Generation” was available on the U.S. version of the debut, but not the UK. It was released prior to an album and I think displayed fully what the band was about. It was uptempo, full of wild abandonment, aggression and a total blast. Their punk roots were on full display and it summed them up nicely.
The B-Side of the song was “Day by Day” which is on the album. The album version was a little repetitive at times for me, but still packed full of attitude. The one thing going for this song is Derwood’s guitar work which seems to be something I focus on more and more with this band. A bright star that never fully shined. This mix didn’t leave me feeling like it was too repetitive. It was a richer and fuller sound. I really like this version.
“Wild Youth” is another non-album track for the UK release. It was also released prior to the album. It too made the U.S. version and should have been on both versions as it is awesome. It is a shining example of punk attitude and youth rising up to be heard.
“Wild Dub” is the B-Side and was also on the U.S. release. It is a complete remix of “Wild Youth” in the same vein you would get from Billy later with his Vital Idol releases. It is full on dub and honestly, kind of annoying. I prefer the original song above.
“No No No” is the B-Side to “Ready Steady Go”. Not on either releases of the album. Derwood’s guitar riffs kick off the song. It is 2 minutes full of speed and youth angst. The cool thing is it ends with a little Elvis shout out and I am sure Billy had the snear going.
Next up is “Trying for Kicks” which was an outtake from 1977. It actually ended up as a B-Side on the “Friday’s Angel” single from the “Valley of the Dolls’ album. Since I didn’t have this song, this was what I was after. It is really early Generation X. For an outtake, it is pretty awesome. It is in the same vein as all their early stuff so nothing new to add other than it is a great addition to the collection.
The final track on this LP is “This Heat” which is another 1977 outtake and B-Side on “Friday’s Angel”. A little slower tempo song and Billy sounds so young. I see why it wasn’t an album track as it does have the same vibe or energy as those other tracks, but still a good song. A very decent B-Side.
The final LP consists mostly of remixes by both Phil Wainman who produced some songs, but not the album and Alan Winstanley who was the engineer on the album. I am not a huge fan of remixes especially since most of these don’t stray too far from the originals. You get a some different arrangements, some added bits and difference in song lengths, but overall nothing better than the originals…in my opinion anyway.
For me, this disk was great for 3 tracks. The first is “Gimme Some Truth” which was an outtake and released on the U.S. version of the album. A punk cover of the John Lennon song. It was a strange choice to be the song to kick off that album. It captures the band’s essence so it works for Generation X. A good choice of a cover. They make it their own.
Another song is “Rock on Dub” which is an outtake and not on any album. It is a rocking song that seems to be unbridled and out of control. The dub style is obvious as it is in the title. Another example of a great song, but not quite right for the album. This is my favorite on this disk as I didn’t have this one either and plus it’s a lot of fun.
The last song on here I wanted was the Single version of “Promises Promises”. The original is over 5 minutes. This was streamlined down to 3:42, over 1 1/2 minutes chopped off. Here’s what I said on the original version…“Promises, Promises” is more of a 70’s glam rock song than punk. At over 5 minutes it is not your typical length. The song was inspired by Mott the Hoople both musically and lyrically. I liked Derwood’s guitar work on this one as well. It is a nice change of pace from the rest of the album. The album had some really great moments on it and this was one of them. I still stand by that. This version just packs all the greatness into a smaller more manageable package. I like this shorter version a little more.
Overall, if you don’t have the original album on vinyl, then skip getting that and go after this box set. It isn’t over-priced and all the little extras will add to the experience. It captures the essence of the band and you will get a good education in to the roots of Billy Idol. And that was the joy for me. Like I said earlier, I could do without the remixes. If the 2nd LP would have added the 3 songs from the 3rd LP and made the set two disks, I would give it a higher score. For now, it is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. The original album got a 3.5 score, but having this overall great package, it gets a higher score.
Now, if you want to check out the full reviews and the entire Billy Idol Series, click on any and all of the links below…
Welcome to the new decade and my monthly recap of purchases that I make. I do this as not everything I buy ends up on the site so you can see some of the items in my collection. Also, it helps me remember when I bought something and now I have it stored in the Internet universe forever (or as long as I keep paying annually for my site).
On the weekend before New Year’s Day, I went and did a little digging. Now, I know that is not January, but I had already finished and edited my December post and I didn’t have time to update. So, these purchases get to be a part of this post.
First up was a trip to Lunchbox Records in Charlotte, NC. My oldest daughter wanted to go and being the good dad, how could I say no. I did some digging and found somethings, but nothing that I hadn’t seen before or that was priced right. I found my way over to the 45’s and the 10″ records and there I saw and old Cheap Trick 10″ called ‘Found All the Parts’. I know it probably isn’t super rare, but I had never seen one so I grabbed it. I tell my daughter the fun thing about digging is finding that one thing you haven’t seen before. And when you see it, you better buy it. I haven’t always followed that rule and I have a couple regrets on that.
Continue reading “January 2020 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs”
For the past 8 to 9 months, I have been reviewing the entire Billy Idol catalog from Generation X back in 1978 through his solo years and even a Generation X single released in 2019 on Record Store Day. It has been such a fun journey and I hate it has come to an end. To wrap it up, we are going to rank all the studio albums from his very worst (and it is bad) to his very best (which is sensational).
I am not sure what Billy was thinking, but this should have never been released and probably never recorded. Hell, it is so bad that even Steve Stevens wasn’t involved with recording it. That should tell you something right there!! It is a rehash of classic Christmas songs that we are better off listening to the originals as these do not spark any Christmas cheer.
The original songs Billy wrote throw every cliche in the book out as lyrics and they are sappy, crappy songs. The best thing about “Happy Holidays” is that it is only 2 minutes. The only good thing about “Christmas Love” is that it does eventually end. My Christmas gift to you is to avoid this at any cost.
Continue reading “Billy Idol – The Albums Ranked Worst to First (The Billy Idol Series)”
This is the last in the Billy Idol Series. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have in writing it. There could be one more in the series if I get the Generation X Deluxe Set that was just released, but I have not grabbed a hold of yet. When I get it, I will do a review of it, but for now, we will end the series with this beauty right here. I started with a Generation X release and I will end with one as well.
For Record Store Day 2019, Generation X released a special 7″ Single of the band’s debut song “Your Generation”. The song is not the original version, but the Winstanley Mix which is done in conjunction with the release of a Deluxe Edition of the band’s debut album. This remix is not on the box set, but in addition to and a must grab for Generation X fans.
The original song was released as a single in 1977, however, it did not show up on the debut album. It wasn’t until the 2002 re-issue of the debut that this song saw new light. The B-Side of this single is “Trying for Kicks” which was also on the 2002 re-issue and not used for the original album.
The 7″ Single release was on red vinyl and is absolutely beautiful and a nice add to the collection.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 