A slick, carefully crafted follow-up to his debut, Rebel Yell was
Billy Idol's catchiest, most consistent fusion of synth-driven new wave pop and hard rock guitar pyrotechnics (courtesy of
Steve Stevens). The eerie ballad "Eyes Without a Face" gave
Idol his first U.S. Top Ten hit, while "Flesh for Fantasy" and the title track became MTV staples. Like much of
Idol's solo output, it's all calculated for maximum appeal, but Rebel Yell also works too well not to be an infectiously guilty pleasure. ~ Steve Huey