Idol Songs: 11 of the Best

Idol Songs: 11 of the Best
Greatest hits album by Billy Idol
Released	20 June 1988
Recorded	1981–1987
Genre	New wave
Length	43:49
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Keith Forsey
Billy Idol chronology
Whiplash Smile (1986) Idol Songs: 11 of the Best (1988) Charmed Life (1990)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Record Mirror	[2]

Idol Songs: 11 of the Best is a greatest hits album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 20 June 1988 by Chrysalis Records. ^[3] It comprises all the singles released from his first three studio albums— Billy Idol , Rebel Yell and Whiplash Smile —as well as the live version of "Mony Mony" and re-recorded Generation X song "Dancing with Myself", both of which appeared on Idol's debut EP Don't Stop . A limited edition of the album contains two extra remixes, and another limited edition contains four extra remixes. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart ^[4] and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In 2003, the album was reissued with a different title and cover as The Essential. ^[5]

Track listings

Original LP

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Rebel Yell"	Billy Idol Steve Stevens	Rebel Yell (1983)	4:48
2.	"Hot in the City"	Idol	Billy Idol (1982)	3:38
3.	"White Wedding" (Part 1)	Idol	Billy Idol (1982)	3:34
4.	"Eyes Without a Face"	Idol Stevens	Rebel Yell (1983)	4:10
5.	"Catch My Fall"	Idol	Rebel Yell (1983)	3:43
6.	"Mony Mony" (live)	Tommy James Bo Gentry Ritchie Cordell Bobby Bloom	Don't Stop EP (1981)	4:10
7.	"To Be a Lover"	William Bell Booker T. Jones	Whiplash Smile (1986)	3:52
8.	"Sweet Sixteen"	Idol	Whiplash Smile (1986)	4:15
9.	"Flesh for Fantasy"	Idol Stevens	Rebel Yell (1983)	3:49
10.	"Don't Need a Gun"	Idol	Whiplash Smile (1986)	4:28
11.	"Dancing with Myself" (single version)	Idol Tony James	Kiss Me Deadly (1981)	3:22
Total length:				43:49

Limited edition with two bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
12.	"Don't Need a Gun" (Meltdown Mix)	Idol	Whiplash Smile (1986)	7:08
13.	"To Be a Lover" (Mother of Mercy Mix)	Bell Jones	Whiplash Smile (1986)	6:47
Total length:				57:42

Limited edition with four bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
12.	"Don't Need a Gun" (Melt Down Mix)	Idol	Whiplash Smile (1986)	7:08
13.	"Mony Mony" (Hung Like a Pony Mix)	James Gentry Cordell Bloom	Don't StopEP (1981)	7:02
14.	"Eyes Without a Face" (extended version)	Idol Stevens	Flesh for Fantasy (1983)	4:58
15.	"To Be a Lover" (Mother of Mercy Mix)	Bell Jones	Whiplash Smile (1986)	6:49
Total length:				69:46

Note: "Don't Need a Gun" (Melt Down Mix) was unavailable elsewhere on CD and remained exclusive to the limited edition versions. The "Mony Mony" (Hung Like a Pony Mix) was also available on the Japanese issue of the Vital Idol remix album. These two tracks have been available since 2012 on the So80s compilation.^{[ citation needed ]}

Personnel

• Kenny Aaronson – bass on "Mony Mony"
• Jocelyn Brown – backing vocals on "To Be a Lover"
• Sal Cuevas – bass on "Eyes Without a Face"
• Terry Chimes – drums on "Dancing with Myself"
• Susan Davis – keyboards on "Mony Mony"
• Judi Dozier – keyboards on "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without a Face", "Catch My Fall" and "Flesh for Fantasy"
• Phil Feit – bass on "White Wedding"
• Harold Faltermeyer – keyboards on "Don't Need a Gun"
• Keith Forsey – drums on "Hot in the City" and "Sweet Sixteen"; Juno 60 on "To Be a Lover"; keyboards on "Sweet Sixteen"; drum programming on "Don't Need a Gun"
• Connie Harvey – backing vocals on "To Be a Lover"
• Billy Idol – vocals and guitars, bass on "To Be a Lover"
• Tony James – bass on "Dancing with Myself"
• Steve Jones – guitar on "Dancing with Myself"
• Michael Klvana – additional keyboards on "Mony Mony"
• Perri Lister – backing vocals on "Eyes Without a Face"
• Marcus Miller – bass on "Sweet Sixteen"
• Steve Missal – drums on "White Wedding"
• Steve New – guitar on "Dancing with Myself"
• Ainsley Otton – guitar on "Hot in the City"
• Thommy Price – drums on "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without a Face", "Catch My Fall", "Mony Mony" and "Flesh for Fantasy"
• Mick Smiley – bass on "Hot in the City"
• Stephanie Sprull – backing vocals on "Hot in the City"
• Steve Stevens – guitar on all tracks except "Hot in the City" and "Dancing with Myself"; bass, Casio and keyboards on "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without a Face", "Catch My Fall", "To Be a Lover" and "Flesh for Fantasy"; programming on "To Be a Lover"; bass on "Don't Need a Gun"
• Richard Tell – piano on "To Be a Lover"
• Steve Webster – bass on "Rebel Yell" and "Catch My Fall"
• Mars Williams – saxophone on "Catch My Fall"
• Janet Wright – backing vocals on "To Be a Lover"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Idol Songs: 11 of the Best Chart (1988) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] 11 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [7] 11 European Albums ( Music & Media ) [8] 6 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10] 14 Icelandic Albums (Tónlist) [11] 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [12] 4 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [14] 6 UK Albums (OCC) [15] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Idol Songs: 11 of the Best Chart (1988) Position European Albums (Music & Media) [16] 42 UK Albums (Gallup) [17] 28

Certifications

Certifications for Idol Songs: 11 of the Best

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [18]	Platinum	70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) [19]	Gold	25,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [20]	Platinum	50,000 [20]
France (SNEP) [21]	Gold	100,000*
Sweden (GLF) [22]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [23]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [3]	Platinum	300,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. AllMusic review
2. Levy, Eleanor (25 June 1988). "33 - Album Reviews". Record Mirror . p. 30. ISSN   0144-5804.
3. "British album certifications – Billy Idol – Idol Songs". British Phonographic Industry. 21 July 1988. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
4. "Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
5. "The Essential". AllMusic review. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
6. "Australiancharts.com – Billy Idol – Idol Songs - 11 of the Best". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Billy Idol – Idol Songs - 11 of the Best" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
8. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 36. 3 September 1988. p. 18. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Idol – Idol Songs - 11 of the Best" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
11. "Ísland (LP-plötur)". DV (in Icelandic). 9 September 1988. p. 44. ISSN   1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Billy Idol – Idol Songs - 11 of the Best". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
13. "Swedishcharts.com – Billy Idol – Idol Songs - 11 of the Best". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
14. "Swisscharts.com – Billy Idol – Idol Songs - 11 of the Best". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
16. "1988 Year End Eurocharts – Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 52/1. 1 January 1989. p. 31. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
17. "Top 100 Albums – Year-End Chart 1988" (PDF). Music Week Awards. Music Week . 4 March 1989. p. 8. ISSN   0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
18. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1991 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 8 August 2022.
19. "Austrian album certifications – Billy Idol – Idol Songs" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
20. "Billy Idol" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved 16 December 2019.
21. "French album certifications – Billy Idol – Idol Songs" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 1 August 2021.Select BILLY IDOL and click OK. 
22. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
23. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Idol Songs')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 December 2019.