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Vital Idol | ||||
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Remix album by | ||||
Released | 31 May 1985 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:22 | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Producer | Keith Forsey | |||
Billy Idol chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Vital Idol is a remix album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 31 May 1985 by Chrysalis Records. [3] It contains remixed songs from his first two albums and the Don't Stop EP. The album was reissued in the United States with one extra track in September 1987, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard 200. [4] The US release was supported by a non-album live single version of "Mony Mony".
The original release, sporting a photo from the "Dancing with Myself" video, was first issued in Europe in 1985. It peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, [5] outperforming Idol's previous studio albums. [2] The US release was expanded to feature the "Mother of Mercy Mix" of "To Be a Lover" and reissued in 1987 with different cover art, featuring a photo still from the live video for "Mony Mony" on CD. The 1987 issue was 24-bit digitally remastered and released globally in 2002.
The album has been certified platinum by both the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Most of the tracks are the original 12″ extended versions, [2] except "Catch My Fall", which features a new remix with some re-recorded instruments. [6] "What we would always do is we knew we had certain songs where we wanted to have some space to do remixes," guitarist Steve Stevens said in 2014. "So we'd leave 16 bars or 32 bars in the middle of the song no matter what the song was and then do an edit on it later and that left us room to experiment for a dance remix." [2]
The album's title was inspired by a 1974 single by reggae artist Horace Andy titled "Ital Vital". [6] [7]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Record Mirror | [8] |
Robert Christgau | B+ [9] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
In his review for AllMusic, Steve Huey wrote: "It doesn't really work as a hits collection, since it's missing key songs like 'Rebel Yell' and 'Eyes Without a Face,' and most of the dance remixes are repetitious and uninteresting compared to the originals." [3] In The Rolling Stone Album Guide , Mark Coleman called the album "both a cynical recycling ploy and the essential Billy Idol album". [11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "White Wedding (Parts I & II)" (Shotgun Mix) | Billy Idol | Billy Idol , 1982 | 8:20 |
2. | "Dancing with Myself" (Uptown Mix) | Idol, Tony James | Don't Stop , 1981 | 5:57 |
3. | "Flesh for Fantasy" (Below the Belt Mix) | Idol, Steve Stevens | Rebel Yell , 1983 | 7:04 |
4. | "Catch My Fall" (Remix Fix) | Idol | Rebel Yell | 4:56 |
5. | "Mony Mony" (Downtown Mix) | Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, Bobby Bloom | Don't Stop | 5:01 |
6. | "Love Calling" (Rub a Dub Dub Mix) | Idol, Keith Forsey | Billy Idol | 5:33 |
7. | "Hot in the City" (Exterminator Mix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 5:09 |
Total length: | 42:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "White Wedding (Parts I & II)" (Shotgun Mix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 8:20 |
2. | "Mony Mony" (Downtown Mix) | James, Gentry, Cordell, Bloom | Don't Stop | 5:01 |
3. | "Hot in the City" (Exterminator Mix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 5:09 |
4. | "Dancing with Myself" (Uptown Mix) | Idol, James | Don't Stop | 5:57 |
5. | "Flesh for Fantasy" (Below the Belt Mix) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 7:04 |
6. | "To Be a Lover" (Mother of Mercy Mix) | William Bell, Booker T. Jones | Whiplash Smile , 1986 | 6:49 |
7. | "Love Calling" (Rub a Dub Dub Mix) | Idol, Forsey | Billy Idol | 5:33 |
8. | "Catch My Fall" (Remix Fix) | Idol | Rebel Yell | 4:56 |
Total length: | 49:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "White Wedding (Parts I & II)" (Shotgun Mix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 8:20 |
2. | "Mony Mony" (Hung Like a Pony Mix) | James, Gentry, Cordell, Bloom | Don't Stop | 7:00 |
3. | "Hot in the City" (Exterminator Mix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 5:10 |
4. | "Dancing with Myself" (Uptown Mix) | Idol, James | Don't Stop | 5:59 |
5. | "Flesh for Fantasy" (Below the Belt Mix) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 7:04 |
6. | "To Be a Lover" (Mother of Mercy Mix) | Bell, Jones | Whiplash Smile | 6:48 |
7. | "Love Calling" (Rub a Dub Dub Mix) | Idol, Forsey | Billy Idol | 5:33 |
8. | "Catch My Fall" (Remix Fix) | Idol | Rebel Yell | 4:56 |
9. | "Shakin' All Over" (Live) | Johnny Kidd | "Mony Mony" (Live) single, 1987 | 4:39 |
10. | "Mony Mony" (Live) | James, Gentry, Cordell, Bloom | "Mony Mony" (Live) single | 4:06 |
Total length: | 58:30 |
Adapted from the album liner notes. [12]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [31] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
France (SNEP) [32] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [33] | Gold | 250,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [34] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [35] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [36] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Vital Idol: Revitalized | ||||
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Remix album by | ||||
Released | 28 September 2018 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:43 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Billy Idol chronology | ||||
|
Vital Idol: Revitalized is a remix album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 28 September 2018. The album has been described as a "modern-day upgrade" of Vital Idol. The digital version features four additional remixes, including a new Billy Idol and Steve Stevens remix of "Mony Mony" and "Save Me Now" (Lost Dog Remix), reworked by Idol's son, Willem Wolfe with Brandon Rauch and Ed Bedrosian. [38]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "White Wedding" (CRAY Remix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 3:28 |
2. | "Dancing with Myself" (RAC Remix) | Idol, James | Don't Stop | 3:33 |
3. | "Eyes Without a Face" (Tropkillaz Remix) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 3:50 |
4. | "Rebel Yell" (The Crystal Method Remix) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 5:23 |
5. | "(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows" (Moby Remix) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 4:21 |
6. | "Flesh for Fantasy" (St Francis Hotel Remix) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 3:37 |
7. | "Catch My Fall" (Juan Maclean Remix) | Idol | Rebel Yell | 5:31 |
8. | "One Breath Away" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) | Idol, Stevens, Billy Morrison | Kings & Queens of the Underground , 2014 | 3:21 |
9. | "To Be a Lover" (DJDS Remix) | Bell, Jones | Whiplash Smile | 3:04 |
10. | "Don't Need a Gun" (Shiba San Remix) | Idol | Whiplash Smile | 3:26 |
11. | "Hot in the City" (Shotgun Mike Remix) | Idol | Billy Idol | 3:09 |
Total length: | 42:43 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Mony Mony" (Idol/Stevens Remix) | James, Gentry, Cordell, Bloom | Don't Stop | 5:41 |
13. | "One Breath Away" (Paul Oakenfold Remix – Extended Version) | Idol, Stevens, Morrison | Kings & Queens of the Underground | 4:58 |
14. | "(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows" (Moby Remix – Half Speed Version) | Idol, Stevens | Rebel Yell | 4:30 |
15. | "Save Me Now" (Lost Dog Remix) | Idol, George William Lewis, Greg Kurstin | Kings & Queens of the Underground | 4:42 |
Region | Date | Format | Label |
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Various | 28 September 2018 | Capitol | |
16 November 2018 | LP |
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, Forsey and Stevens later decided to hire Thommy Price to play drums on some of the songs. 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.
An Innocent Man is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel's adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of different and popular American musical styles from the late 1950s and early 1960s, most notably doo-wop and soul music. The album cover artwork was taken on the front steps of 142 Mercer Street, just north of the intersection of Mercer and Prince Street in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Arena is a live album by the English rock band Duran Duran, released on 12 November 1984 by Parlophone. In 2004, the album was reissued on CD in remastered form with two bonus tracks.
Self Control is the third studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released on April 1, 1984, by Atlantic Records. The album peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, it charted within the top five in several continental European countries.
You Can Dance is the first remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 17, 1987, by Sire Records. The album contains remixes of tracks from her first three studio albums—Madonna (1983), Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986)—and a new track, "Spotlight". In the 1980s, remixing was still a new concept. The mixes on You Can Dance exhibited a number of typical mixing techniques. Instrumental passages were lengthened to increase the time for dancing and vocal phrases were repeated and subjected to multiple echoes. The album cover denoted Madonna's continuous fascination with Hispanic culture.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on October 25, 1985, by Elektra Records. "Tonight She Comes", a previously unreleased song, and a remix of "I'm Not the One" were issued as singles to support the album. It was a commercial success, going six-times platinum.
What's Love Got to Do with It is the first soundtrack by American singer Tina Turner, released on June 15, 1993, by Parlophone. It served as the soundtrack album for the 1993 Tina Turner biographical film of the same name, which was released by Touchstone Pictures that same year. It mostly consists on re-recorded versions of her greatest hits during her period with the Ike and Tina Revue. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of What's Love Got to Do with It, the album was re-released on April 26, 2024 with remixes, single edits and rarities.
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. 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 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.
"Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, Get Ready! (1992). Originally, the single was produced as an instrumental, titled the "Orchestral Mix". It became a hit and conscious of their popularity, Wilde & De Coster wanted a more accessible, formatted formula for their project to grow. Ray was then asked to write lyrics and add a rap to the track. On Ray Slijngaard's suggestion, Anita Doth joined as the female vocalist.
"White Wedding" is a song by Billy Idol that was released as the second single from his self-titled studio album in 1982. Although not Idol's highest-charting hit, it is often considered one of his most recognizable songs. In the US, it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart on 27 November 1982, then reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2 July 1983 after it was re-issued. In the UK, it reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart upon its re-release there on 1 July 1985, when it was re-issued to promote the Vital Idol remix album.
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 power ballad by the group Chicago. It was written by bassist Peter Cetera, who also sang the lead vocals on the track, and producer David Foster. It was released on May 17, 1982, as the lead single from the album Chicago 16. On September 11 it reached No. 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's second No. 1 single. It was their first top 50 hit since "No Tell Lover" in 1978 and it spent twelve weeks in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September of the same year. Songwriter Cetera, a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for the song in the category, Most Performed Songs.
Billy Idol is the debut studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 16 July 1982 by Chrysalis Records. After the breakup of the band Generation X and the release of his first solo extended play, Don't Stop (1981), Idol began working on his debut album. Produced by Keith Forsey, Billy Idol is a rock album with strong influences of new wave music.
Whiplash Smile is the third studio album by the English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 20 October 1986 by Chrysalis Records. After his successful studio album Rebel Yell (1983), Idol continued his collaboration with producer Keith Forsey and guitarist Steve Stevens while writing and producing songs for the album. The album utilizes Stevens' characteristic guitar work, dance beats, and synth-heavy production.
Here's to Future Days is the fifth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 20 September 1985 by Arista Records. It was the third and final release for the band as a trio, which was their most successful and recognisable line-up. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard 200.
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by American pop rock band Tommy James and the Shondells, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 3 in the U.S. Written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, Bo Gentry, and Tommy James, the song has appeared in various film and television works such as the Oliver Stone drama Heaven & Earth. It was also covered by English singer-songwriter Billy Idol in 1981. Idol's version, which took in more of a rock sound, became an international top 40 hit and additionally revived public interest in the original garage rock single. Idol recorded a live version in 1985 which was ultimately released in 1987 where it became an even bigger hit than the Shondells' 1968 original, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Suddenly is the fifth studio album by British singer Billy Ocean, released on 12 September 1984 by Jive Records. It featured his first major US pop hit single "Caribbean Queen ", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to that, his biggest success on the US charts had been a number-22 placing for "Love Really Hurts Without You" in 1976, which was one of a number of UK hits he had achieved by the release of this album. Despite these earlier hits, Suddenly became Ocean's first charting album in the United Kingdom, reaching number nine on the UK Album Chart. It also reached number nine in the US, and spawned two additional US top-five singles in the title track and "Loverboy", while a fourth single, "Mystery Lady", reached the US top 40. "Caribbean Queen" and "Suddenly" also reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.
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English band Sade have released six studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, two extended plays, 23 singles, six video albums, 20 music videos, and have achieved four top 20 singles on the main chart of both the US and the UK.
"To Be a Lover" is a song written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones originally as "I Forgot to Be Your Lover", but best known as a cover by Billy Idol on his third studio album Whiplash Smile (1986). As the album's lead single, it became Idol's second top ten hit in the US, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
Kings & Queens of the Underground is the eighth studio album by English rock vocalist Billy Idol, released on 17 October 2014 by BFI Records. It was Idol's first album of new original material since Devil's Playground (2005) and only his third album in over twenty years. The album debuted at number 34 on the Billboard 200, becoming Idol's highest-debuting album to date. The album also peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart for the week of 8 November 2014. Videos were released for the songs "Can't Break Me Down" and "Save Me Now".