Charmed Life, Whiplash Smile & Don’t Stop EP are due on August 15th
Rock legend Billy Idol announces new vinyl repressings of three classic releases — Charmed Life, Whiplash Smile, and the Don’t Stop EP, out August 15th via Capitol/UMe. In addition to limited-edition vinyl, all three are available in Atmos.
Back on vinyl once more, Charmed Life will be pressed on 2 LPs for the first time, featuring standard black vinyl and an exclusive 35th anniversary limited-edition lavender-colored vinyl. Meanwhile, Whiplash Smile returns to vinyl for the first time in decades, available as either a standard single LP black vinyl or a limited-edition single LP opaque tangerine color vinyl. Finally, Don’t Stop will be manufactured on single LP standard black vinyl or a limited-edition lemon-yellow colored LP.
The platinum-certified Charmed Life initially arrived on April 30, 1990. It soared to the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 and yielded fan favorites such as “Cradle of Love,” his stunning and soulful cover of The Doors’ “L.A. Woman,” and “Prodigal Blues.” Celebrating this seminal album, Idol notably just shared for the first time on his official YouTube channel the original 1990 video for “Prodigal Blues,” remastered in HD
Its platinum-certified predecessor, Whiplash Smile, first landed on October 20, 1986, vaulting to No. 6 on the Billboard 200. It impressively delivered a trio of Hot 100 hits, including “To Be A Lover,” “Don’t Need A Gun,” and “Sweet Sixteen.”
Going back to where it all began in 1981, Idol’s solo debut Don’t Stop EP boasted “Mony Mony” and “Dancing with Myself.”
Earlier this year, Idol unveiled his first full-length album of new music in over a decade, Dream Into It, which debuted at No. 7 on the U.S. Top Albums Chart and No. 4 on the U.S. Current Rock Album Chart. The album makes its U.K. debut at No. 9 on the U.K. Official Album Sales Chart and is No. 2 on the German Top 100 Album Chart.
Idol is also the subject of the new documentary film Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which just made its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by three-time Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund, Billy Idol Should Be Dead is a feature-length documentary tracing the life and career of the punk pioneer turned rock ‘n’ roll icon. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock n roll, almost 50 years into his career.
Additionally, Idol is currently on the road for It’s a Nice Day To…Tour Again! Fellow superstar Joan Jett & the Blackhearts will join Idol on all shows. Produced by Live Nation, the run of arenas and amphitheaters includes stops at an array of storied venues including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, and more. Five dollars from every ticket sold to the Los Angeles show at Kia Forum will be donated to the American Red Cross to support Southern California Wildfire Relief. Idol will also personally match this donation.
