• Billy Idol, The Roadside EP – Mr. Rebel Yell had the look way back in 1976, long before America paid much attention. Black leather, spiky blond hair, lip curl that could stop a clock, it was all in place when he was the lead singer for Generation X. In the U.K., Generation X did quite well among the bands popping up like weeds during the punk boom of the late 1970s, especially with a couple of singles, “Your Generation” and an early version of “Dancing With Myself.” But no traction on this side of the Atlantic led the band to dissolve, with Billy moving to NYC and hooking up with guitarist/collaborator Steve Stevens. MTV constant rotation and worldwide platinum sales followed. A re-tooled version of “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” and “Eyes Without a Face.” You couldn’t escape him for about five years there.
A near-fatal motorcycle crash in 1990, a near drug overdose in 1994, and changing musical tastes pretty much buried his career, other than his delightful cameo in The Wedding Singer. He released a couple new albums in the 2000s, but the world pretty much ignored them. In 2021, we get The Roadside, a 4-song EP of new material, his first in seven years, and it’s damn fine. Welcome back, Billy.
The EP has two fast songs alternating with two slow ones. The fast ones, “Rita Hayworth” and “U Don’t Have to Kiss Me Like That” are pure Idol. Propulsive, hooky, danceable, they would have fit in nicely on any of his huge albums back in the early 80s. Steve Stevens is still onboard with his glammy guitar effects and weird laser noises. The only thing that makes it obvious the songs are from this year and not 30 years ago is that Billy sounds older, his vocals have a certain (not unexpected, and definitely not unappealing) road-worn quality to them.
The two slower ones, “Bitter Taste” and “Baby Put Your Clothes Back On,” are the real surprises here. Not sentimental, not nostalgic, they’re really fine reflective, mature Billy, not a tone he would have taken when he was sneering for the MTV cameras. “Bitter Taste” is the single, a blunt recounting of the motorcycle accident that nearly cost him a leg. The “bitter taste” is exactly what you think it is, and the lyric “Should have left me way back / by the roadside” gives the EP its title. As blunt as it is, the song still provides a catchy, hummable melody that should attract a lot of fans however it crosses their path in the streaming era. “Baby Put Your Clothes Back On” is the sound of an aging rock star realizing the sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle doesn’t really work for him anymore. He’s telling the object of his affection that he doesn’t want to rush their new relationship and screw it up like he did with others in the past. Pretty mature statement for a guy who indulged in every excess the lifestyle had to offer and, again, wrapped in a total sing-along earworm-worthy melody.
There’s a surprising lyrical maturity to these songs, which is probably a good thing. To my ears, Billy’s thinking about the benefits of staying alive and finding some kind of peace in 2021, kinda like the rest of us. Ultimately, though, it wouldn’t matter what he was singing about if the songs weren’t so damn much fun. It’s a brief listen, but I enjoyed every minute of it, several times. I hope he’s re-tooling himself for an ongoing career in a more mature creative direction, and I hope the world will want to hear it. After listening to The Roadside, I know I will.
EARWORM: “U Don’t Have to Kiss Me Like That” (2021) – Put on your leg warmers and dance like it’s 1982.
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