AMG REVIEW: Cyberpunk, Idol's attempt to restyle himself as a futuristic cyber-rocker, only works when he falls back on his effortlessly catchy guitar hooks and melodies of his past hits (the first single, "Shock to the System," for instance). Unfortunately, most of the album is padded with pretentious speeches, sampled dialog, and underdeveloped songs. Especially noteworthy is his techno-dance interpretation of the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" (featuring a repeated Patti Smith quote), which is one of the worst covers ever recorded. . Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Is this worth having for the yuks you and your friends can have?
― Jon Williams (ex machina), Friday, 18 April 2003 16:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Al (sitcom), Friday, 18 April 2003 16:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
― fletrejet, Friday, 18 April 2003 17:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
My favorite legend about this album is that Billy attempted to read a bit of William Gibson to sort've get in the mood, but never managed to finish any of his books.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 18 April 2003 19:45 (twenty-one years ago) link
― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Friday, 18 April 2003 19:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 18 April 2003 19:58 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 18 April 2003 19:58 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 18 April 2003 20:04 (twenty-one years ago) link
― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Friday, 18 April 2003 20:08 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 19 April 2003 20:54 (twenty-one years ago) link
― maria b (maria b), Sunday, 20 April 2003 13:13 (twenty years ago) link
lol '93
The album was recorded in a home studio using a Macintosh computer, which was a fairly new concept for the time. Idol recorded the album with Mark Younger-Smith and producer Robin Hancock. Special editions of the album were issued with a floppy disc, which contained a screen saver.
Idol shot a concept video for "Shock to the System." The video would feature Idol being attacked by several police for trying to videotape them beating up someone on the street. The idea of this goes back to the LA riots. Idol would then turn into a cyborg that scared away the police. A video EP entitled, "Shock To The System: Shockumentary" was released in video stores.
― Jordan, Friday, 11 July 2008 21:19 (fifteen years ago) link
Somehow I didn't mention it in my last post on here, but I got a promo copy of that thing back in 1993 via the UCI newspaper -- including said disc. Roffles.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 11 July 2008 21:20 (fifteen years ago) link
And of course because this is the modern world:
'Shock to the System'
The shockumentary
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 11 July 2008 21:21 (fifteen years ago) link
And 'Heroin' -- the Blendo mix
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 11 July 2008 21:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Terribly hilarious.
― Alex in SF, Friday, 11 July 2008 21:44 (fifteen years ago) link
Penn Jillette reviewed it for PC/Computing.
http://www.pennandteller.com/sincity/penn-n-teller/pcc/idol.html
― Owen Pallett, Saturday, 12 July 2008 01:34 (fifteen years ago) link
Nice.
― Mark Rich@rdson, Saturday, 12 July 2008 01:46 (fifteen years ago) link
At the rate we're going - by the time we hit 53, we'll have a bright future together in computer maintenance.
Well, Penn's got the TV show still and Billy...well, I dunno.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 12 July 2008 01:58 (fifteen years ago) link
another view from the peanut gallery
― m coleman, Monday, 14 July 2008 11:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Billy Ray Idol!
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 July 2008 14:40 (fifteen years ago) link
might catch him on tour this summer, how is he live?
― some dude, Monday, 14 July 2008 14:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Turn down the sound to that Shock to the System video and fool someone it's the new prodigy video...
― Jack Battery-Pack, Monday, 14 July 2008 17:43 (fifteen years ago) link
how is he live?
ha. i read that as "how is he Alive"
― mark e, Monday, 14 July 2008 17:50 (fifteen years ago) link
that too
― some dude, Monday, 14 July 2008 17:55 (fifteen years ago) link
― velko, Sunday, 26 October 2008 08:16 (fifteen years ago) link
Reupping some expired YouTube links here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx2fZU5USus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tMFs-5FlWk
And especially
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQHM4KmDstM
As the description says, "proof that the cyberpunks will defeat the steampunks in ww3"
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 16:47 (eleven years ago) link
Oh yeah, this too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyKmoPhAebw
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link
This is something. "Heroin" is killing me.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link
9+ minutes of making of to go...
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:00 (eleven years ago) link
"I LOVE PAIN!!!"
egad, this is tough.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:07 (eleven years ago) link
That was cruel. Though visually (color, lighting, clothes, etc) "Shock To The System" could be a test shot for Strange Days.
Billy as cut rate Tetsuo, the Camera Man was a treat.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:14 (eleven years ago) link
compare and contrast...http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/BillyIdolCyberpunk.jpghttp://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2012/07/Animal-Collective-Centipede-Hz.jpg
― second dullest ILXor since 1929 (snoball), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:17 (eleven years ago) link
This album thinks it's Blade Runner when really it's Freejack.
― second dullest ILXor since 1929 (snoball), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:23 (eleven years ago) link
I'm impressed Billy Idol even had a "Freejack" in him
― chr1sb3singer, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:26 (eleven years ago) link
He's crashed his motorcycles a lot, so I imagine he's had a car jack or two in him.
― second dullest ILXor since 1929 (snoball), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:28 (eleven years ago) link
the cyber-punk reissue cover from '06 is pretty hilarious too
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Lm3j-FOTL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
― da croupier, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:28 (eleven years ago) link
wtf @ "Power Junkie"
― I see you, Pineapple Teef (DJP), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:29 (eleven years ago) link
Oh and I didn't notice that somebody already made an Idol/Animal Collective cover comparison over on the AC CentHz album collab thread. Don't want anyone to think that I was jacking someone else's idea haha oh no...
― second dullest ILXor since 1929 (snoball), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:29 (eleven years ago) link
Kind of a bummer that Billy missed this golden opportunity to sing 'Bot In The City' complete with vocoderized sad sex android vocals.
― gonna send him to outer space, to hug another face (NickB), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 18:55 (eleven years ago) link
Also sad that this whole album isn't anywhere near as menacing and futuristic as 'White Wedding' was ten whole years before.
― gonna send him to outer space, to hug another face (NickB), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 18:57 (eleven years ago) link
people on twitter are arguing about what cyberpunk is despite the fact that Billy Idol and Timothy Leary already settled this 25 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGYnfbJ3ZFc
― soref, Friday, 14 June 2019 07:47 (four years ago) link
Billy and Tim also invented ASMR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvFEGbGmPVw
― soref, Friday, 14 June 2019 07:50 (four years ago) link
― second dullest ILXor since 1929 (snoball), Tuesday, July 10, 2012 1:23 PM (ten years ago) bookmarkflaglink
otm. Poor Billy must have actually thought he was a hacker at the time. He put his IRC address in the CD booklet. Shortly after the album came out I saw someone with that address on IRC late one night and messaged them if they were who I thought they were. He said "yes, but don't tell anyone." They then quickly left the channel and I never saw them again :(
― The Bankruptcy of the Planet of the Apes (PBKR), Tuesday, 15 November 2022 13:01 (one year ago) link