Billy Idol is celebrating the 40th anniversary (actually 42nd) of his double platinum second studio album, 1983’s “Rebel Yell”, with an expanded reissue that hits stores Friday, April 26th. The CD, vinyl and digital sets include the original album remastered — including the singles “Eyes Without a Face,” “Flesh For Fantasy,” “Catch My Fall” and the title track — plus a second disc of demos, alternative versions and the unreleased songs “Best Way Out of Here” and a cover of Rose Royce‘s “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.” “Rebel Yell” reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
To support the release, Idol will play a handful of shows in May — starting on May 3rd in West Palm Beach, Florida — as well as a July 27th show in Portland, Ore. The full itinerary can be found at billyidol.net.
Idol’s longtime guitarist Steve Stevens, who co-wrote all but one song on “Rebel Yell,” tells us it was great fun to go back through the tapes for this reissue: