Billy Idol marked the 40th Anniversary of his landmark sophomore album Rebel Yell with a performance of the record’s title track alongside his longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens on NBC’s TODAY. Check out the performance here.
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The 40th Anniversary Deluxe Expanded Edition of Rebel Yell is out now via Capitol/UMe.
The reissue includes a selection of previously unreleased songs and demos, the Poolside remix of Idol’s smash hit “Eyes Without A Face,” and the never-before-heard Billy Idol/Steve Stevens original “Best Way Out of Here” from the original sessions.
Idol recently spoke about “Best Way Out of Here” in a behind the scenes clip. He said, “Back in ’83, must have been working on it, and then didn’t quite finish it, but a lot of it was there, a lot of what Steve had done.
“It sounds like Steve was very influenced by Prince, it was almost like a Prince backing track with Billy Idol singing. I think I’m scatting in the lyrics, I’m probably looking for what I’m trying to sing about. Am I making that much sense? I don’t know.” Check out the clip here.
On April 30 the Empire State Building hosted a lighting ceremony for Idol in celebration of the new release. Idol and his lead guitarist and collaborator of over 40 years, Steve Stevens, also performed a live acoustic concert at the Empire State Building that day for a select group of fans.
Idol is also slated to embark on his transcontinental Rebel Yell Canada 2024 arena tour this summer, beginning July 30 in Vancouver and running through August 25 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Idol’s show will include a myriad of hits from across his career with a focus on the Rebel Yell album.
Idol recently released the concert film Billy Idol: State Line, a Vertigo Live concert film documenting his April 2023 show at the famed Hoover Dam—the first-ever concert performed at the location—on DVD and Blu-ray following a successful limited theatrical run.
Buy or stream Rebel Yell (40th Anniversary Edition).