Rebel Yell

We're talking, uh, Prince, uh, Born in the USA, John Cougar, uh, all those guys.

Uh, uh, B- uh, Billy Idol, Rebel Yell.

Yeah.

That was the '80s, not these guys, Depeche Mode.

Yes, the '80s was a top 10 decade.

I was a top 10 guy.

A- and did I listen to every song on Rebel Yell? No.

But did I listen to the hits? Yes.

To tell me you're alone.

Now, before you pick, um, obviously Rebel Yell, 1983, big album.

The title track, Flesh for Fantasy, big, big songs.

Um, obviously the title track.

I've done it for, I mean, that all started when I did this movie, Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll with Keith Richards.

I want to back up a little bit onto Rebel Yell.

Were you still at Electric Lady when that was done? Yes.

Dave Whitman had started it.

He was on.

I saw it back then, and it was funny because I just did an interview about Eyes Without a Face.

Tommy didn't play on it, but I'd love to see some of these transfers now, like Rebel Yell and Blue Highway, with Tommy on it and see how close he was to the pocket.

But he created his own pocket, and Tommy was just fierce that way, as he was with Joan Jett.

And I'm reminded of that all the time.

Saw recently a widow of Tommy Price, our drummer who played on Rebel Yell, who we lost last year.

And man, I mean, it's just it takes on the songs and the music take on a different atmosphere.

wait when you play them because i remember those people and i remember the experiences every time uh that i get to do what i'm doing and and i'm very great i'm very grateful uh for all of the experiences and you know a lot of a lot of people that i mean you know all these great singers that i got to work with michael jackson robert palmer they're they're no longer with me But man, I've had just an incredible career of working with these people that I do not take it lightly.

You're getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Billy Idol because you guys wrote those iconic songs together.

Out of all of the hits you guys have crafted together, which one came fastest in the writing process and which one did you labor over the most to get finished?

Rebel Yell probably came together the fastest as far as writing it.

Getting it down on tape was another story because we were trying to get the right drummer at that point.

This approach was far from a commercial compromise, but a strategic move that preserved punk's sonic punch while making it palatable for radio and MTV.

Idol himself has repeatedly said that he wanted his songs to stay true to punk's spirit, as evidenced by the stripped-down chord progression on Rebel Yell, yet also recognized that music must evolve to survive in a saturated market.

When Rebel Yell dropped in August 1983, it was clear that Idol had learned how to balance mass appeal with his punk origins.

The title track became an anthem for young men who felt stuck in suburban ennui.

Using a soaring vocal line over a tight bass groove from Billy Biv Smith and drummer Eric Schwartz, a combination that made the song both catchy and driving.

Production on Rebel Yell was handled by David Thompson and Steve Stevens.

They mixed the record at Electric Lady Studios, employing tape delay for the vocal layering on Eyes Without a Face while keeping the guitar solos razor sharp.

These production choices were deliberately designed to maintain the raw feel that punk demanded while meeting the sonic expectations of radio stations in the early MTV era.

Very similar situation, I think.

So I'm really anxious to see how that plays out with ZZ Top Eliminator versus our competitor, which we will do next week, which is Rebel Yell by Billy Idol.

Now, I had MTV growing up.

We've talked about this, how I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Tulsa was one of the pilot programs for MTV.

Yeah.

All right, well, that's going to do it for Eliminator, turning 40 years old this year.

And next week, we're going to match it up with Rebel Yell by Billy Idol.

Another huge one from 1983.

I listened to stuff from Generation X, his band before he got superstardom.

But of course, Rebel Yell, White Wedding, Flash for Fantasy, Dancing With Myself.

Dancing With Myself, I didn't know this.

You guys probably know this already, but Dancing With Myself was like the first song that he made popular in the States.